No show on A380 between checking in with luggage and boarding

[Mattg]

Does anyone remember that guy who wrote a mega-complaint to Singapore Airlines a few years ago because they didn't wait for him while he went duty-free shopping in FRA? He thought they should wait for him, even though he turned up after the scheduled departure time, because he was in PPS Club.

 

[dajop]

I wouldn’t be surprised if sleep was the culprit on many occasions... especially at airports like Changi.

 

[jb747]

I wouldn’t be surprised if sleep was the culprit on many occasions... especially at airports like Changi.

I think the most common issue at Changi would be that it's so huge that you can be literally miles from the gate that you need, whilst still being inside the terminal. If you're used to the piddly terminals in Oz, it's probably quite a shock.

 

[SuzieQ68]

One interesting thing to add to the thread.

Partner was flying TT from OOL-ADL quite a few years back. He had checked in online the day before, but had some work related issues the next day that ended up preventing him being able to take the flight. As he'd already checked in (and although only HLO) we tried to contact the airline, the airport, the gate, anyone, to let them know that he wasn't going to be able to make the flight (so as not to hold up the flight).

We actually struggled to find a number to call that was able to assist us. Pretty much got fobbed off at all turns. So imagine our surprise when he received a phone call on his mobile from the TT OOL gate asking him if he was planning on boarding. Wasn't expecting that - assumed that he would be being paged, paged, paged before shutting the doors and departing (and probably blacklisting him). He explained what he'd tried to do, and the lovely lady at the gate apologised that he wasn't able to leave a message. Not sure how much before the flight departing this occurred, but would assume they were last calling.

Can't complain about the service - it was brilliant.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Without bags, it's pretty easy.

Offload time varies by airline, but if you're without bags then all that has to be done is to remove you from loadsheet (most of the time). Sometimes easy, sometimes not, but either way the time to issue a new one (instead of manual adjustment) is largely built in to that time.

With bags, depends on a few factors. Anyone switched on at a boarding gate with 15 minutes to go and one pax with one bag will get the bag search started then, so the delay is minimal (if any). But of course if you have 20 people to go who all come in the next few minutes it becomes more difficult, and the risk of delay is higher.

 

[Quickstatus]

There are, of course, lots of reasons. At one extreme is the person who delays the flight intentionally, through the young mum with a couple of kids, the elderly, the sick, and then the non existent (relics of ticketing errors). You'd like to be able to help most, and punish the few...though I can't think of a realistic way of doing so.

Couple of other scenarios:

This one is especially pertinent at US airports - is the passenger who arrived on a domestic at Gate 6x with interlined bags which get sent to gate 130 directly, but that passenger went landslide and had to go through security at TBIT.

These days that is less of an excuse but it is easy to miss the airside connector and end up landslide.

Or the passenger who had a long layover, came in in a domestic with interline, then went to Santa Monica but forgot that the traffic around LAX in the evening is bad. That passenger could have been sitting in an Uber trying to get back in from Santa Monica when they offloaded the bags

 

[harvyk]

<snip> Or the passenger who had a long layover, came in in a domestic with interline, then went to Santa Monica but forgot that the traffic around LAX in the evening is bad. That passenger could have been sitting in an Uber trying to get back in from Santa Monica when they offloaded the bags

A came extremely close to this situation down in Melbourne a couple of months ago. I checked in at CBR for both my CBR-MEL and MEL-CBR flights. I arrived in MEL, went into the CBD, spent the day working. Getting back to southern cross took longer than expected, coupled with road works near MEL airport, it very quickly ate into what should have been tons of time. As it was I only just made it to the gate as boarding was commencing.

Some small mercies, no line at security and I know my way around MEL airport, so I could make a beeline for the gate as soon as I got there.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I think the most common issue at Changi would be that it's so huge that you can be literally miles from the gate that you need, whilst still being inside the terminal. If you're used to the piddly terminals in Oz, it's probably quite a shock.

Forget Changi, I've that this problem at some two-bit regional airport in the USA..They certainly build them big over there.

 

[serfty]

Forget Changi, I've that this problem at some two-bit regional airport in the USA..They certainly build them big over there.

Or even co-terminals ... I'm sure they built ONT mainly to make movies ... but if went to the wrong terminal there, it is quite a way to the other.

(Co terminal in LAX region.)

 

[Gold60]

Out of curiosity, on say an A380 with hundreds of people, how do they find a particular pax's baggage - where/how do they start looking in the hold ?. Is it at the first bin, or are the bags loaded in a certain way so that they can start at a certain spot, knowing that the ignored bins wont hold that pax's bag ?

I have often wondered about this........

 

[love_the_life]

While waited at the gate to board yesterday, there were at least 4 calls for the same three passengers travelling QF to Cairns, each about 5 mins or so apart. By the last one the announcer was sounding a little desperate.

 

[TomVexille]

Out of curiosity, on say an A380 with hundreds of people, how do they find a particular pax's baggage - where/how do they start looking in the hold ?. Is it at the first bin, or are the bags loaded in a certain way so that they can start at a certain spot, knowing that the ignored bins wont hold that pax's bag ?

I have often wondered about this........

I thought these days they are meant to get scanned as they are loaded into bins so in theory they know which bin it's in

 

[prozac]

Early morning transit SIN Changi on SQ. Bit of a trek and young daughter needed a toilet stop. They closed the gate literally as we approached and steadfastly refused to let us pass. No, I didn't go all DYKWIA on them, however I wondered about the time it would take to remove our bags as opposed to simply allowing us to board.

It wasn't a big drama as it was a simple matter of getting a seat on the following flight SIN-SYD. Could have done without the extra $100 spend.

 

[Skiski]

The best I have ever had was AA LAX SYD - all boarded and a family of 5 decided they did not want to travel so got off. Baggage located and removed door closed ready to leave and 2 more passengers decide they also don't want to travel so door is opened off they go and once more baggage located and off loaded. Now I have had the situation of people checking in and not boarding but actually being on board and wanting to get off - and 7 of them this must be a record. 2 interesting things 1. security came on and checked the areas where these people were sitting to make sure nothing had been left on board and 2. baggage off load was a lot quicker compared to other situations where bags have had to be removed. Perhaps computers make locating a lot easier.

 

[nutwood]

I was recently privileged to hear the other side of this question whilst standing in a slow queue at the Qantas service desk in Sydney. Behind me was someone being very indignant on the phone. His was a tale of woe; cancelled flights, airlines who took his money and didn't care, how late he was going to be at his destination, the bus connection he was going to miss. It went on and on as he poured his heart out to whatever friend he was ringing and the twenty or thirty involuntary spectators, also in the queue.
Initial sympathy turned to amazement as the facts became clear. He'd turned up for his Jetstar flight, got to the gate, decided he was hungry and went off on a foraging expedition to the food hall. He returned to his gate in time to see his plane departing. This was of course the airlines fault as they hadn't announced the flight and hadn't waited for him. Jetstar then apparently put him on the next flight which, unfortunately, had cancelled. They were now trying to get him on a Qantas flight. His opinion of his treatment and of airlines in general was eloquent, if slightly repetitive, but I can't include it in this post!
Some people simply have alternative views of the world and entitlement.

 

[flybynight]

About a year ago I flew BA from Nice to LHR with a connection to Hong Kong. On arrival at LHR I was directed by the transfer desk staff to go to the lounge and was even given directions. Got to the lounge and checked my gate number and found it was as far away as possible from the lounge. Despite running as fast as I could I arrived just as my flight was pushing back.
If I had been told by the transfer desk to go directly to the gate I would have made it!
For good measure BA had sent my bag to the security lock-up which had closed until the morning so I had to stay in a local hotel and dress again in used clothes. Went to retrieve my bag and the BA staff had smashed my bag and broken off the handle.
Booked a flight for that morning with Cathay because BA told me my fare was forfeit and I would have to buy another ticket. They even refused to let me lodge a claim for my wrecked bag.
Needless to say I have never flown on BA since and I refuse to allow anyone travelling at companycost to fly them.

 

[Ausbt]

At lunch with sister-in-law over the weekend, who lives offshore at a nearby small pacific nation. She often exhibits a little bit of entitlement but is otherwise a lovely person. Anyway, discussing airline ops in that country she made mention a few times "oh we never worry about being late for boarding, the airline will always wait for us". It seems 'island time' even extends to ex-pats, bugger everyone else.

 

[ozmille]

My dad (70+) missed his flight because he had to go to the bathroom just prior to the flight, bags offloaded and a new ticket had to be purchased

 

[Melburnian1]

There are, of course, lots of reasons. At one extreme is the person who delays the flight intentionally, through the young mum with a couple of kids, the elderly, the sick, and then the non existent (relics of ticketing errors). You'd like to be able to help most, and punish the few...though I can't think of a realistic way of doing so.

All true, but you may be forgetting that 'no shows' are 'punished', as in most cases there's a high penalty levied by an airline to change one's ticket. For some international sectors depending on cladss of travel and ticketing conditions, it may run into the thousands of dollars. For instance if one doesn't board sectors in the order stipulated on the ticket, it's normally voided. Imagine the cost of one was doing a RTW and didn't board the first flight.

While AFF member JohnPhelan may have been jocular, his suggestion that some passengers miss flights due to being (as he termed it, most amusingly) 'at the barrrrrrr....!' may ring true for routes such as Oz to DPS or return that attract many bogans.

 

[coco50]

Several years ago Mrs Coco and I flew from SIN - LHR arriving at 0630. We had a 0900 flight to AMS on BA. Thank God for arrivals lounges as we were able to have a shower, change clothes and have a lovely breakfast. That was as good as it got. We boarded our flight to AMS and just sat there. After some 20 minutes the captain announced that there had been two no shows from checked in pax. That was the good news. The bad news was that they had to locate and deplane the luggage of the no shows. Our flight departed LHR at 1100. I felt sorry for the people who were meeting us at AMS. I still stick pins in the voodoo dolls of the no shows.