Comments on: Telling airline time http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/telling-airline-time/ The travel troubleshooter. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:07:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Anne http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/telling-airline-time/comment-page-1/#comment-23878 Anne Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:44:15 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/telling-airline-time/#comment-23878 You know you need to get on the flight. All airports have a frequently repeated message saying that flights close before departure, don't be late, don't miss your flight. When it is getting close to time for boarding to start, you really ought to be at the gate. That is the time to eat the food you bought, read a book or make that "I'm getting on the plane" phone call. That is NOT the time to be off browsing in the stores. I agree with American here. If he had been delayed through no fault of his own it would be different but being absent less than 10 minutes before the flight is supposed to leave? The flight attendants do need time to be sure everyone is seated, give the safety speech and secure luggage bins. The whole flight shouldn't have to wait for someone who gets bored to easily to wait to board. I have been the person let onto a closed flight. I was caught in a security traffic jam when 4 international flights landed at the same time. They prioritized the people on the flights that left the soonest but all of our connections left within a hour of each other. I was literally the very last person through. They held the flight, picked up my carry-on and literally ran with me to the gate. Thank you Narita Airport Staff! I really appreciate it, even if all the other travelers did have to wait a whole 11 minutes for me. The next flight to Singapore didn't leave for another 14 hours which would mean I had to sleep in the international terminal OR find lodging in a country with pricey taxis and a language I don't speak. I think it was fair. The inconvenience of holding the plane was less than the inconvenience that I would have been put through. You know you need to get on the flight. All airports have a frequently repeated message saying that flights close before departure, don’t be late, don’t miss your flight. When it is getting close to time for boarding to start, you really ought to be at the gate. That is the time to eat the food you bought, read a book or make that “I’m getting on the plane” phone call. That is NOT the time to be off browsing in the stores. I agree with American here. If he had been delayed through no fault of his own it would be different but being absent less than 10 minutes before the flight is supposed to leave? The flight attendants do need time to be sure everyone is seated, give the safety speech and secure luggage bins. The whole flight shouldn’t have to wait for someone who gets bored to easily to wait to board.
I have been the person let onto a closed flight. I was caught in a security traffic jam when 4 international flights landed at the same time. They prioritized the people on the flights that left the soonest but all of our connections left within a hour of each other. I was literally the very last person through. They held the flight, picked up my carry-on and literally ran with me to the gate. Thank you Narita Airport Staff! I really appreciate it, even if all the other travelers did have to wait a whole 11 minutes for me. The next flight to Singapore didn’t leave for another 14 hours which would mean I had to sleep in the international terminal OR find lodging in a country with pricey taxis and a language I don’t speak. I think it was fair. The inconvenience of holding the plane was less than the inconvenience that I would have been put through.

]]> By: Mekhong Kurt http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/telling-airline-time/comment-page-1/#comment-4051 Mekhong Kurt Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:08:09 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/telling-airline-time/#comment-4051 I had a particularly distasteful experience some years ago when I was flying from Bangkok to Los Angeles on Eva Air. I arrived at the airport way too early, but went through immigration and customs formalities straight away so as to be in the international departure area. My boarding pass had a note boarding "began" -- but wasn't required -- 40 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure. However, by then already a seasoned traveler out of Bangkok, I knew that was nonsense. The airlines also routinely said to arrive "at least two hours early" for any international flight, when, typically, the check-in counters opened a maximum of about an hour ahead of time. Similarly, if you did go to the gate the advised time, no one was *ever* there to let you process in until well after that. Anyway, I was wandering around the international departure duty-free area, which had a public address system that was mostly incomprehensible. As I was walking around two Eva employees came striding along calling out my name, almost half an hour before departure. I went to them, and they curtly told me everyone else had arrived early so I had to come right now. Because of their attitude, I objected, though I did go along to the gate. But there, people were still boarding, so I told them I'd board just before boarding and that they would be well-advised not to stop me (which they didn't). They fumed and glared at me -- until a batch of about 15 passengers arrived some 10 minutes before departure and boarded without incident. I strolled up to the 2 employees and asked, "So, all the passengers besides me were already aboard, huh? Good thing *I* waited so you didn't leave *dozens* of paying passengers behind, isn't it???" Now let me be fair. That's absolutely the ONLY problem I've ever had with Eva; I think it's a great airline. But that incident sure stuck in my craw. I had a particularly distasteful experience some years ago when I was flying from Bangkok to Los Angeles on Eva Air.

I arrived at the airport way too early, but went through immigration and customs formalities straight away so as to be in the international departure area. My boarding pass had a note boarding “began” — but wasn’t required — 40 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure.

However, by then already a seasoned traveler out of Bangkok, I knew that was nonsense. The airlines also routinely said to arrive “at least two hours early” for any international flight, when, typically, the check-in counters opened a maximum of about an hour ahead of time. Similarly, if you did go to the gate the advised time, no one was *ever* there to let you process in until well after that.

Anyway, I was wandering around the international departure duty-free area, which had a public address system that was mostly incomprehensible. As I was walking around two Eva employees came striding along calling out my name, almost half an hour before departure. I went to them, and they curtly told me everyone else had arrived early so I had to come right now. Because of their attitude, I objected, though I did go along to the gate. But there, people were still boarding, so I told them I’d board just before boarding and that they would be well-advised not to stop me (which they didn’t). They fumed and glared at me — until a batch of about 15 passengers arrived some 10 minutes before departure and boarded without incident. I strolled up to the 2 employees and asked, “So, all the passengers besides me were already aboard, huh? Good thing *I* waited so you didn’t leave *dozens* of paying passengers behind, isn’t it???”

Now let me be fair. That’s absolutely the ONLY problem I’ve ever had with Eva; I think it’s a great airline. But that incident sure stuck in my craw.

]]> By: Michele N http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/telling-airline-time/comment-page-1/#comment-3629 Michele N Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:38:51 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/telling-airline-time/#comment-3629 I missed a United flight out of Milwaukee the same way last year. I arrived at the gate 15 minutes before departure time. They had just closed the door and would not reopen it. The attendant told me their policy was to close it 15 minutes ahead for security reasons. The other passengers were still in line in the corridor. I had to watch them board and leave. I was able to get on stand by the next flight. What really urked me was that as I sat in my seat, literally 5 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave, they let another woman on the plane. How can that be ok? United can't even be consistent in their "policy" an hour later? I missed a United flight out of Milwaukee the same way last year. I arrived at the gate 15 minutes before departure time. They had just closed the door and would not reopen it. The attendant told me their policy was to close it 15 minutes ahead for security reasons. The other passengers were still in line in the corridor. I had to watch them board and leave. I was able to get on stand by the next flight. What really urked me was that as I sat in my seat, literally 5 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave, they let another woman on the plane. How can that be ok? United can’t even be consistent in their “policy” an hour later?

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