Missed A Flight! Do You Know Your Rights?

The Outcome of Missing the Flight

Rebooking Fee –

If you miss your flight, you will be labeled as a No-show. No matter what, the airline will not be responsible for your delay or missed flight and you have to take a back turn. Now this is going to be a hellish wound or a big dent on your flying day.

Itinerary will be canceled –

The biggest cause of depression once you miss your flight is that your flight itinerary and the travel plan will come to a dead end. Now you are blank and completely out of the mind. Which way is the right way! You have no way to follow. One big fall will leave a deep wound forever.

No Refunds –

The flight is missed and you have lost your day and the journey too. Now you have another big jerk to experience. No refunds from the airline. If you have expectations that your airline is going to refund you, then you are on the wrong side.  The story of receiving funds in case it is a refundable ticket is entirely different. In this case as well, the airline will make the final decision.

All your benefits are now Null and Void –

Airline may have offered you benefits for the flight, but since you have missed the flight; those benefits are not for you anymore. The repentance is even more than the guilt you are going to experience.

Stay with the Guilt –

The guilt feeling that comes in your mind is quite obvious. You know that the flight was missed out of your sheer fault. Now the time is ticking and the clock could not reverse for any good reason. Gradually, the guilt of missing the flight will overgrow and you may be in a delirium.

Grapple with the Airline Staff –

You know all – Your money is gone, probably for now! The moment you call the airline office, customer service will have an upper edge. You are put through all types of questions and it feels that the torture is never going to end. And moreover, there is no repose coming from anywhere.

Hassles and Nothing Else –

The day you miss your flight is the day you welcome hassles in your life. The hassle of getting the refunds back; or the hassle of Rebooking your Flight- Just aggravated and annoyed!

Missed Flight is virtually a temperamental regression and it really hits hard on the mind, especially when one is trapped on a foreign country. But there are obligatory rights available to the travelers to overcome the tantrums when they miss the flight. 
There could be a panic button triggering deep in your subliminal mind. There are potential losses that may be borne by you after you have missed the flight. And there is a flip side to it as well.  Let’s begin working from the summit; instead of delving on the repercussions.

Do you really know how to fight for your rights, when you miss your flight?
Get straight to the first thing!

Immediately call the airline if you have not shown up at the airport, or else, you will be declared as “NO SHOW”! And in case you are one of those - Wakey Wakey Hands off Snakey, all your itineraries will be canceled and this also includes the connecting and the return flights.

When you are already running late, and you have the gut feeling that reaching the airport in time is just out of question – give a call to the customer service of the airline and apprise them of your existing condition. That’s when a die-hard solution has to be worked and you seriously think of it!

D-Day is not your final day on the planet for sure. If you let the airline know the potential reasons for missing the flight on a particular day, there is a high possibility the airline will adjust you on the next flight. Airline gives you the right to re-book the flight, but only if you let them know beforehand!

In short and crisp statement – you have the right to reach the Help Desk of the airline, and the staff out there will work out the ways to reschedule you on another flight. But all of it is possible when you inform about your possible delays to the airline’s staff.  In either situation, both the airline and the traveler have the right to know. It is mutually beneficial.

In this context, there are a few airlines like the American Airlines that follow “Flat Tire Rule” Now according to this protocol, the traveler will be adjusted on another flight on the same day by the American Airlines when s/he comes late to the airport and as a result of which misses the flight.  However, in this scenario, the traveler has to provide American Airlines the proof that you arrived at the airport terminal due to circumstances beyond your control and not otherwise.

There are many alternatives offered by the airlines to the passengers depending on a multitude of factors. In a few cases, airlines may provide rebooking against a charge, especially if it is an LCC.  Rebooking could also come at a whopping price, only if the traveler has bought a cheap flight ticket in lieu of the specific precincts. Several airlines out there may also ask the travelers to pay differential airfare, when the cost of rebooked flight is settled for more.

Maintain your calm while still being rigid when the airline is offering a rebooking on some odd advanced date. If this is likely the case, you should apply the research methodology straight and straight and find out whether the subsequent flight has a seat left. If there is one, transpose yourself as a good negotiator. You have to become a good pusher … one of the kinds who could find out the way and settle for the flight… may be a day later at the MAX!

Can you fight for your refund if you do not wish to rebook?

Fighting for the refund on your flight ticket is your right as a customer. Most airlines follow a very stringent policy on refunding.  Airlines do not offer refunds if you have missed the flight out of your own fault. Your right is going to fail out rightly. The only way and condition under which a refund is issued by the airline is when it cancels the flight as the result of some latent circumstance. Still, check with the airline authorities and let them know the genuine reason for missing your flight. Does the airline have a REFUND POLICY in order? Yay, it has… You are out of the Pandora box.

If the refund falls within the protocols of their policies, the airline will not have any issue in providing the refund. And moreover, since you have the obligatory rights to ask for the refunds from the airlines, you are going to have the say.

Is TRAVEL INSURANCE included in the MISSED FLIGHT? It is Your Right to have a Travel Insurance

Do not travel without having a valid Travel Insurance added to your flight ticket. And more importantly, always read the documented policy of the provider as this would make you aware of your rights. Have your Argus-eyes on the Inclusions and Exclusions described in the policy document.  A potent Travel Insurance provider will have your back covered if you miss your flight due to the traffic delays, or impending health reasons. And you have the right to fight for a refund. On the contrary, the Insurance Provider is not interested in offering coverage on the flights where the traveler could have avoided missing his/her flight. The traveler will not have obligatory rights.

I missed my flight! My baggage is already on the Missed Flight! What’s My Right!

In this situation, the traveler has the right to enquire about the baggage status. In the best case scenario, you have the right to request the airline to track your baggage and arrange a suitable pick up location according to your convenience. You may also have the right to ask the airline to ship your baggage to your home address.

How do the Rights get affected in Different Situations when you Miss the Flight?

Airline has a huge management and a strong service level agreement in place and it is serious about knowing the reasons behind missing the flight. With reasons, come along your rights. Here’s a quick go through of the rights available to the traveler in different situations:

• Flight is missed due to the delays caused as the result of traffic snarl-ups

The delay in reaching the airport and the absence at the boarding gate will lead to flight cancelation, and worst of all, the entire flight itinerary will get canceled as well. You do not have any rights available to fight your case as most airlines do not consider traffic snarl-ups as a potent reason for missing the flight. You do not get the opportunity of rebooking the flight. Therefore, it is better to leave your place in time to reach the airport in time. In fact, you are going to free yourself from the hassles of traffic snarl-ups as well.

• Flight is missed due to Medical Emergency or Illness

You have the right to cancel your flight because of a medical emergency or illness. Check with the doctor and ask him to provide a letter that clearly highlights the reason for your medical emergency or illness. Show the letter to the airline and on the basis of its refund policy, a refund may get issued, and if the airline is not issuing the refund then the cancelation fee is waived off.  Again, you have to become clear whether the airline policy waives off the cancelation fee on the basis of the document or not.

• Flight is missed due to delays arising out of security checks

Security checks are the natural rights of the airport administration and the airlines, and the traveler has nothing much left in their favor. Such checks are important in the favor of the safety of the passengers.  The traveler has one right with him/her – To ask the airline to rebook the flight for which the airline may charge a fee.
Caveat – If you do not want to get stuck in a security check leading to a missed flight, arrive at airport at least 2 hours early than the scheduled domestic flight, or 2 and a Half Hours for the international flight.

• Flight is missed due to delays or flight cancelations

Flight could be missed on the account of delays of the previous flight or cancelations. The airline will offer you subsequent flights absolutely free of charge, and beyond that the airline offers you personal care like food and refreshment.  The passenger also has the right to ask the airline to provide a stay in a hotel and arrange for the transfers to and from the hotel.
Just in case, the airline owes responsibility for the disruption or causing the delay, then you as the passenger have the right to make the claim for the compensation. The compensation will vary depending on the hours of delay and the flight route. 

• Flight is missed after making a Formal Check In

Once you have made a formal Check-In for your flight, and you have not appeared at the boarding gate then the respective airline has the right to call you by the name on the centralized Airport Public Address System. And it is your responsibility to show your appearance at the boarding gate. If your appearance is not known, then you will be a NO SHOW. You do not have the right to fight for compensation.

• Flight is missed due to Overwhelming Queues 

In this case, the traveler has a strong reason to contest the reason that you were in time at the airport terminal, but die to long standing queues, the flight was missed. You have the right to fight for the cause as the airline understands that you are not responsible for the delays. The airline will offer you double benefits – the first of course is rebooking and a few airlines are going to offer you compensation as well. 

• Flight is missed due to Nasty Weather Conditions

Bad weather situations could lead to flight cancelations as the airline does not want to put life of the travelers on risk due to drastic weathers. 

Situational Scenario A

If the connecting flight is linked to the same flight booking and you are likely to miss the connecting flight, then the airline know the rights well. It will take the responsibility of lodging you appropriately. In addition, the foods and refreshments will also be provided to the traveler unless s/he boards the connecting flight.  

Situational Scenario B

On the contrary, if the connecting flight is not integrated to the same booking on the flight ticket, then the airline has no obligatory rights to offer the benefit of rebooking. Eventually, the traveler has to go out for all new fresh booking.

• Missed the connecting flight due to short layover

Situational Scenario A

Short layovers could be hardening, especially if you end up missing your connecting flight on the same booking. Now that the airline has not provided sufficient time to you for boarding the connecting flight, you have full rights to claim the compensation from the airline. 

Situational Scenario B

Another situation could be where the connecting flight is not integrated within same itinerary and you hold a separate flight ticket. You have to book a separate flight and also pay the rebooking fee out of your pocket.

Précis

Don’t procrastinate too much because time is the ultimate healer. You do not have to hang in balance between – To Be or Not To Be! Don’t let the tantrums spike your pressure. You are delighted about your flight. You have the rights and advantages and airlines know them. Have a down pat and show your presence on the boarding gate. Never think of missing your flight, or searching for the rights! You don’t want to go through those bad downfalls. Even if the rights and policies cover your back!