If You Have Missed Your Flight And Are Wondering What Next, Free Rebooking Is Always Available
Air travel certainly is the most efficient option when there is a need to be at a particular place within a limited time frame, and one does not have to squander hours traveling. Although, failure to arrive at the said airport in a timely manner can mess the entire journey beyond expectation.
Oh, and if you have a habit of being fashionably late to the airport, do be prepared to miss your flight at some point in time. While missing a flight may seem catastrophic, it is possible to miss a flight and rebook without any added cost in the event of emergencies that alter one’s original booking.
Have the Airline’s Customer Service On Standby in Case of Emergencies
US FAA regulations don’t compel any airline to undertake measures to resolve the issue of presenting itself late, but they try to support the passengers at these tough times. A lot of frequent flying people often talk about a certain flat tire rule. It’s not a rule but, rather an understanding that should a passenger want to make a flight and they arrive a little late, rebooking could potentially be at no charge.
Even though this practice with rebooking is neither stipulated in NOR IATA’s general conditions of carriage, it has been, more or less, known to be done and pushed by gate agents and ticket agents – who know that people do things in their lives without a true desire.
The rule’s application is dependent on the specific facts of a particular case as observed by The Cheat Sheet.
In certain situations, it can mean that you rebook a flight under this rule and fly standby. In other situations, you could have been confirmed for the next flight available. This is mainly influenced by how full flights are scheduled for that particular day.
Like the most rule about this takes effect on booking procedures. The moment you notice that you are going to be late, then call the airline’s customer service to explain the circumstances. Tell them about your traffic or mechanical issues if that’s the case. Unless the flight has departed, the airline may be reluctant to do so especially if connecting passengers are also delayed.
In the event that it is clear that you are not going to make it, the representative has the ability to call the airline to restrain you from making it to the airport unable to pen the flight. You can then wait for the new flight that has been scheduled for you instead of racing against time at the airport looking for the new flight.
Request the Airport to Page the Gate Agent
Gate agents are the gatekeepers, they are in charge of deciding when the cabin door is closed which is the very last event before the flight takes.
In case one has the option to call the airport instead of the carrier, he or she could potentially request a gate agent. However, knowing of the departure gate in advance could ease this procedure.
There are times when the gate agent should be advised to wait for the flight when the passenger is already en route. As mentioned in Outside, gate agents ‘check-in’ passengers and if a passenger has not checked in 15 minutes before the departure, gate agents have no choice but to relinquish the stewardess’ seat. But, if there is some information available to them regarding the fact that the passenger is on way, they’ll prefer holding the passenger’s spot.
In case all excuses are exhausted and it’s clear that the passengers are not going to make it, the gate agent is there to help rebooking of the flight. Same is the case when a passenger misses the connection slot but the reason is due to the delays caused by the airline. Instead of standing in a long queue at the customer service counter, one could simply call the airline or the gate of the next in line departing flight. This could rub a few passengers the wrong way who are attempting to resolve their tension towards rescheduled flights in person.
Ask for a Later Flight
Since the patience has clearly been tried and the flight missed, the next thing is called for help at the airport.
If you believe that you have already booked a seat on another flight via a phone call, you were also offered to come to the ticket counter, gate or customer service area for alternatives.
Most airlines will provide you with no cost re-booking to the next available flight; however, this system is usually based on the reason for your delay. Sometimes, a charge may be assessed. For instance, American Airlines has a fee of $75 for a same day flight change. The same policies apply for United, Delta and JetBlue as well. Nevertheless, Southwest Airlines does not impose an additional fee for changing flights on the same day.
There are, however, some conditions that can save you from these charges entirely. In cases when general airline delays are in queue relative to your flight schedule, adverse weather conditions are forecasted or flights are oversold, such charges may be exempted. Furthermore, being courteous and dealing with a nice agent occasionally gets you a free rebooking.
If there are no sufficient flight times and you are on a serious time constraint, it is always advisable to reach the airport ahead of the time required. If the flight is in fact quite busy and you are already at the gate, a cheerful seat representative may let you try and go standby or even get a new flight to your final destination sooner than anticipated if the right connecting flight is available.
Final Thoughts
Being able to catch a plane is usually something that many passengers take for granted, but in some instances, a passenger can indeed miss a flight and it can be troublesome, especially when rebooking is solely at the whim of the representatives of the airline. If some of the policies are well advertised on airline websites, the others are much more fluid and it may come to your benefit as long as you are composed and civil about the matter.
Being late should definitely not throw your entire travel schedule out the window. Such situations permit one to be able to avoid incurring extra expenses, as well as severe interruptions to the initial schedule.
