No show on A380 between checking in with luggage and boarding

[elemist]

I have been one of these people once - it's the only flight i've missed.

Connecting flight in KL - originally booked with plenty of transfer time. However conspiring events led to the outbound flight been moved to an earlier slot a few weeks before and then the inbound flight was delayed departing from Koh Samui. Made it to KL, got off the flight and collect bags. Checked into the next flight by the skin of our teeth and then got caught getting through security.

After we cleared security, immediately check screens to see flights not yet showing as boarding or even go to gate. So headed in the direction of the gate anyway, paying careful attention to the various announcements about flights now boarding, and a couple of paging passengers *insert name*. Along the way i stopped for the bathroom, my friends stopped to get a drink. Get to the gate to find no sign of the plane - its long gone.

Turns out Air Asia don't have the ability to update the screens with boarding info, and can only make announcements over the PA system at the gate itself and not over the terminal.

The ironic part was that by the time we got back through security etc, re purchased tickets, checked back in, and made it back through security we only made the next flight by the skin of our teeth (and some creative working at getting through security).

Given we checked in so late, i would assume our bags would have been the very last on, so not a massive drama to offload - though there were two other passengers who also missed the flight, as they apparently got lost trying to find the gate. Not sure how that was possible really, was very well signed and even running late we found it easy enough.

There was a few things i learned from that experience

• Security will always have longer lines when your in a hurry
• Don't always rely on info screens and announcements
• Don't rely on check in staff to suggest you should rush for the gate (the check in agent we had was so casual about slowly checking us in, no rush at all, no mention that the flight was on time and to hurry or we might miss it)

 

[GlennT]

Should you suddenly decide not to fly after check-in, go to ANY manned desk of the airline you are booked with and tell someone! That info will be passed on pronto.
Suspend your embarrasment (fib a little if you must); just do it!

 

[Flying mermaid]

Ahem - yes well sometimes it is chronic passenger stupidity.......(with the tiniest of excuses of airline sloppiness).

Five year ago Mr FM and I were flying out of Johannesburg to Nairobi with South African Airways. We were in Business, so could use the lounge (and quite early as we always are for flights). On entering we were warned that no flights were called, so I regularly checked the flight board. The boarding time on the board was later than my boarding pass, but just thought that meant the flight was a bit delayed. Slightly before the board boarding time, we left the lounge and found the gate was quite far away so walked as fast as we could.

Got to the gate and the seats were absolutely full with lots of people standing around, but no queue at the gate. I decide that’s it hasn’t actually been called and we stand there for 10 minutes or so. Then I became a bit concerned so walk over to the board and see our flight now listed as closed! Not at any time were our names called either walking there or when we got there - we were standing right there and could have just walked up.

Talking to other passengers at the assist desk, calling late passengers is very variable - sometimes they do it sometimes they don’t bother ......

SAA did offer to put us on the next flight, but as that would get into Nairobi very late at night, we abandoned it and bought new business class tickets with Kenyan Air - I felt the monetary penalty was deserved for our stupidity.

So sometimes it happens - I regret delaying the other passengers, but it really wasn’t wilfully done!

And for the poster who thought passengers should load their own luggage. We have done that flying Air Ukraine to the Crimea in 1999 - you kept your luggage with you (after it was weighed etc) and took it out to the plane and handed it up to the handlers in the cargo area

 

[jasetheace]

As a frequent traveler it can be frustrating. It is not always a passengers fault. I had a situation 2 years ago where Emirates closed the boarding gate from the FC lounge early so the staff could open another gate. At this time there were no staff close, I also think that information displayed on boards not being accurate is a problem that is "final call" when boarding has not started. Qantas telephones passengers to check where they are.

 

[Quickstatus]

....Along the way i stopped for the bathroom, my friends stopped to get a drink. Get to the gate to find no sign of the plane - its long gone.....

Turns out Air Asia don't have the ability to update the screens with boarding info, and can only make announcements over the PA system at the gate itself

....Given we checked in so late....

There was a few things i learned from that experience

• Security will always have longer lines when your in a hurry
• Don't always rely on info screens and announcements
• Don't rely on check in staff to suggest you should rush for the gate (the check in agent we had was so casual about slowly checking us in, no rush at all, no mention that the flight was on time and to hurry or we might miss it)

Add to this, if checkin late - and security is slow moving don’t stop for loo or drinks. There are toilets and drinks on board the aircraft even on a LCC

And why do passengers set their clocks by the departure time when it should be by boarding time

Air Asia could update flights on screens but as a LCC choose not to, and I suspect it suits them to only make announcements at the gate.

 

[ferntree]

I have a slightly different take on this.

My partner and I were thought to be such passengers a few years ago when we were flying J with Etihad to Paris via Abu Dhabi. Evidently, our names were announced time and again over the airport PA system. They were just about to commence offloading baggage when someone had the bright idea to check on board, and - yes - there we were, comfortable ensconced in our seats and sipping our sparkling wine, completely unaware of what was going on.

It appears that a ground crew member had been sloppy in scanning our boarding passes and they hadn't registered.

Don't think we'd have been too happy if we'd arrived at Paris minus our luggage!

 

[elemist]

Add to this, if checkin late - and security is slow moving don’t stop for loo or drinks. There are toilets and drinks on board the aircraft even on a LCC

And why do passengers set their clocks by the departure time when it should be by boarding time

Air Asia could update flights on screens but as a LCC choose not to, and I suspect it suits them to only make announcements at the gate.

I mean yeah.. but the only reason we did this was we saw the screens and they weren't showing boarding or go to gate etc. If they had showed anything like that we would have gone straight to the gate. TBH given the plane wasn't even at the gate when we got there, i don't think the 2 minute stop for the bathroom would have made a difference. Pretty sure we missed it by a long shot.

It's a pain yes, but fair enough they don't update the screens as a LCC, but a heads up somewhere would be useful - either mentioned by check in staff, or printed on boarding passes or even in the booking information.

 

[ajd]

My parents once missed a domestic connection in the US because they'd forgotten to change the time on their watches between Vancouver and Denver, thought they had an extra hour, and missed the boarding announcement.

I imagine airlines have done some internal research on this...

 

[andrewlorien]

I've ran (and sprinted) late for a few flights - mostly connections, mostly because of a late flight or a huge airport. I've missed a couple, but never with checked bags. The closest two were:
Madrid - caught a taxi between terminals because the bus wasn't going to make it, sprinted a kilometre to the furthest possible gate... which was actually closed, and they had taken away the witches hats on the tarmac, and they still unlocked the gate to let us run alone to where the steps were about to be wheeled away.
A large european airport (Hamburg? Paris?) where two of us fell asleep in the departure lounge. Right beside the gate. The checkin staff could have touched us from where they were. But they let us sleep while they presumably called our names. Luckily one of us woke up, noticed all the other seats were empty, looked up at the staff who really didn't seem to care whether we got on the plane or not, leapt from our seats and were last onboard.

 

[Mattg]

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.

I also once saw passengers decide they no longer wish to fly after already having boarded. This was on a MH flight from KUL to PEK, not long after MH370.

 

[straitman]

We were last on board a VA MEL-NAN flight once. We went to the Air NZ lounge and were advised no boarding call but 'we'll come and get you'. As flight time got closer and the screen showed boarding I queried them and was told not to worry. About 10 min later I queried again and once again was told no worries.

A few minutes later the person who had checked us in appeared at the lounge to find out why we were still there and not boarding. We hurried as fast as possible to the gate (Gate #18) and they closed the a/c door behind us. Fortunately no walk of shame as we had seats 1A and 1C.

 

[sietes]

Jumping on the rant bandwagon. I've missed a flight once. Rex from Melbourne to Mildura. I was in the queue for check-in with once desk open for multiple flights. Told them i was going to miss check in for my flight if i had to continue to wait in the queue. They didn't care and made me wait. By the time i got the the desk they had closed check in. Needless to say i was not happy but they insisted it was my fault for not being in the queue early enough. Obvously no baggage issues though.

 

[Archipelago]

Add to this, if checkin late - and security is slow moving don’t stop for loo or drinks. There are toilets and drinks on board the aircraft even on a LCC

And why do passengers set their clocks by the departure time when it should be by boarding time

Air Asia could update flights on screens but as a LCC choose not to, and I suspect it suits them to only make announcements at the gate.

This isn't my experience with AirAsia at all, certainly not at KLIA2 (their main hub)
Main screens both before and after security show "Gate Open" and "Boarding" & "FINAL CALL" and CLOSED and there is another dedicated screen at the Gate itself showing flight number destination and whether the gate is Open (Buka) or the flight is boarding, Final Call and Closed

 

[elemist]

This isn't my experience with AirAsia at all, certainly not at KLIA2 (their main hub)
Main screens both before and after security show "Gate Open" and "Boarding" & "FINAL CALL" and CLOSED and there is another dedicated screen at the Gate itself showing flight number destination and whether the gate is Open (Buka) or the flight is boarding, Final Call and Closed

View attachment 129712

These were the general flight departure/arrival screens around the terminal. Also was going back a few years now, so possibly has changed - i certainly hope it has.

 

[Danielb56]

Airlines are too nice.

Everyone should have to drag their baggage with them, right into the hold! too slow? miss your flight. Might help with the excessive carry-on situation also.

Ok ok bit extreme yes...

Don't get me started on carry on luggage...please, but i think there has to be a better solution to compensate for this. I guess it is hard to anticipate who will be late. But maybe someone can come up with a device when you check in to locate your bags quicker in such cases. A code connected to your boarding pass tagged onto the bags and then located by some remote device....I always wonder why people after check-in come late to the flight. I can understand illness or something beyond your control but that's not always. To be honest it has happened to me on about 2-3 occasions in my travels which is not bad after literally 1000's of flights.

 

[Archipelago]

These were the general flight departure/arrival screens around the terminal. Also was going back a few years now, so possibly has changed - i certainly hope it has.

KLIA2 opened in mid 2014 - and its always been very well signed
I wonder if you're thinking of the old LCCT perhaps.

 

[Airlie]

First post after years of lurking...

Failed-to-boards are one of my pet peeves.

I remember boarding a 1700 (or so) QF 747-300 Sydney to Perth some (many?) years ago. We were missing three pax, who were eventually found in the bar around 1720. It emerged that they thought 1700 was 7.00 pm!

The only saving grace as these three took the walk of shame down the aisle was that the the 747-300 in it elderly years on SYD-PER-SYD was similarly unreliable.

 

[elemist]

KLIA2 opened in mid 2014 - and its always been very well signed
I wonder if you're thinking of the old LCCT perhaps.

Yep - just had a look at my passport, was 2010. How time flies!

 

[mannej]

First post after years of lurking...

Failed-to-boards are one of my pet peeves.

I remember boarding a 1700 (or so) QF 747-300 Sydney to Perth some (many?) years ago. We were missing three pax, who were eventually found in the bar around 1720. It emerged that they thought 1700 was 7.00 pm!

The only saving grace as these three took the walk of shame down the aisle was that the the 747-300 in it elderly years on SYD-PER-SYD was similarly unreliable.

Seeing the last of these -300 retired around ~January 2009, you are probably looking 10+ years ago.

 

[lastrow]

A couple of stories to add - a mate was transiting through Auckland en route to Tahiti and was a no show when the flight was ready to move on. An FA from the flight found him in the bar absolutely petrified of re boarding the aircraft. Fortunately the FA was able to coax him back to his seat so all ended well.
Re luggage - the airlines seem to have a close control over the whereabouts of every item of checked in luggage including interlined although for security reasons I guess very little detail is available. I was impressed on one occasion however when flying from HBA to LHR via SYD with luggage interlined right through. At the BA boarding gate in SYD the FA was able to scan the luggage check labels attached to our boarding passes and thereby was able to confirm that our luggage was safely on board. i have not encountered this service since.
Re late comers - try standing on the deck of a cruise ship unable to depart because of a couple who have not yet returned from their wanderings ashore. A point to remember here, if the delayed return is from a ship's shore excursion then the ship will wait but pax who elect to do their own thing and are late getting back run the risk of being left on the Wharf