What to do if you missed the plane

If you are going to fly, you should always remember about punctuality, since check-in for flights ends, as a Rule, 40 minutes before departure, and for international flights check-in can be completed in one hour. But, if the unexpected did happen — you overslept, got sick, got caught in traffic, just miscalculated and spent too much time packing-and ended up missing your flight? No one is immune from such circumstances, and it is important to know how to act in such a case.

Some general information

But first, a little information for those who have never flown about what is check-in, boarding and the whole procedure at the airport:

You need to clearly understand that there are two options to be late for your flight: not to arrive on time for check-in, or after check-in to be late for boarding.

The first stage of preparing a passenger for a flight at the airport is check – in. During check-in, they check your documents and air tickets, take luggage and issue a boarding pass. After registration, you must go through security control, and if you have an international flight, also the passport control procedure. After that, you get to the waiting area for landing (departure). And only when they announce the landing on your flight, you can proceed on board the aircraft.

You can read more about the procedures at the airport in the article "Flying for the first time: practical information for those who have never flown in an airplane and are going on their first flight.

If the plane has already left

What to do if by the time you arrive at the airport the plane has already taken off?

In this case, contact your airline representative. It should help to choose the most suitable next flight according to the optimal conditions for the passenger. In addition, you must hand over or exchange an unused ticket. It is possible to receive compensation for a returned ticket, but usually it is no more than 75% of the ticket price, and more often even much less or nothing at all. Everything here depends on the tariff. Economic and promotional tariffs as a rule are non-refundable and completely "burn" in case of no-show.

Business or first class ticket holders have much more rights. Such passengers will easily be put on the next flight, if there are seats on it, or they can rebook the ticket for any other date. But it also depends on the policy of each particular airline, and all conditions are prescribed in the ticket fare.

There is a chance to receive payment for the ticket in full only if the airline itself is guilty that the flight left without you (the so-called Forced Return of the ticket). Such circumstances may include changes in the schedule, flight delays, cancellations due to adverse weather conditions, inconsistencies during transfers on transit flights. They will return one hundred percent of the cost in cases of replacement of the aircraft type, and in case of inability to serve the passenger according to the Class stated in the ticket. You can demand a refund if the delay occurred due to too long an inspection or mistakes made by the airline itself in issuing a ticket.

But the non-departure of a passenger due to an unrecognized visa to another country does not guarantee a refund of the ticket price. In case of illness of another passenger flying together with you, the airline will grant the right of preferential check-in for the next nearest flight in the same class of Service. If you are sick yourself, this reason does not give any special privileges when receiving monetary compensation for the ticket. Friends or relatives who have applied to the airline for compensation instead of a sick passenger, in addition, must have a power of attorney to act on his behalf.

By the way, keep in mind that if you fly to a country for which you need a visa to enter and there is no possibility of obtaining it on arrival, the airline may refuse to board the flight, since according to international rules you will have to be taken back to the country of departure at your own expense. In this case, the question of returning the ticket price to you may also be controversial: after all, it is not the airline's fault that you did not take care of the visa in advance.

It is worth paying attention to the conditions for saving seat reservations if you bought tickets for flights with a transfer or round — trip tickets. Usually, Airlines automatically remove seat reservations from flights to which transfers are made, as well as on return flights if a passenger is late for the first departure flight. To prevent subsequent tickets from being canceled, you must warn the company about the impossibility of appearing on one of the flights, and then the tickets will be saved.

If you are late for check-in, but the plane has not yet taken off

If by the time you get to the airport, the plane has not yet taken off and there are more than 25 minutes left before departure — you still have a chance to get on your flight. Still on the way, you need to call the airline and report the delay, but convince that you will arrive. Some airports have special check-in counters for late passengers. But this procedure is paid and for its sluggishness will have to pay the equivalent of up to two thousand rubles. For business class passengers, this procedure is usually free of charge.

Some airports do not have such counters, and in this case it is necessary to find a representative of the airline as soon as possible. Usually they are at the check-in counters until the very moment of departure of the aircraft. Only a representative of the airline will be able to take you on board before the plane takes off. However, to count on such luck, if there are only a few tens of minutes left before departure, it is hardly worth it. Any flight has a pre-flight preparation procedure that begins after passengers board. And delay, for the sake of delivering one latecomer on board, can result in a serious delay in the departure of the aircraft itself for several hours and, as a result, serious losses. It is unlikely that the representative of the airline will take the risk of such penalties.

Do not forget, by the way, that for international flights after registration it is also necessary to go through the procedure of passport and customs control, where large queues can accumulate. So, even if you check in for a flight, there is still a chance of getting stuck in human traffic at the control and not getting on the flight, unless an airline representative takes you out of line.

Today, many airports and airlines offer online check-in for flights. However, this does not mean that you can arrive at the airport 5 minutes before departure. Even if you checked in online, you still need to check in your luggage (if available) at the counter and get into the departure area. Therefore, if you arrive at the airport 25 minutes before departure, even with online registration, you will also have to contact the check-in desk for late passengers.

If you checked in but missed boarding

Depending on the type of vessel and the method of boarding (by bus, on foot or via teletrap), the boarding time for the flight may close 10-20 minutes before departure. This time is indicated on the boarding pass, and it is highly discouraged to be late for it.

You can accidentally be late by this time if you suddenly get carried away shopping in dry-free stores, get stuck when passing passport control, security control or customs control. Yes, or just sleep through the landing in the departure zone. Usually, passengers who have checked in and have not arrived for boarding are additionally called by speakerphone, but no one will delay the flight because of them.

The chances that you will be put on the flight after the closing of the landing are very small, since delaying the departure of the board even for a few minutes can lead to many hours of delays. However, you need to find an airline representative immediately, and if the airline and the airport go to a meeting, you may exceptionally have time to board. But they can refuse. In this case, it will be considered that you simply missed the plane with all the ensuing consequences in the form of a refund of part of the ticket price (with the retention of a fine) or a complete refusal to refund the amount paid for the ticket, depending on the fare.