You’re late for your domestic flight

You are are slightly disheveled a little panicked with a stricken look on your face, yes you are LATE and as you fumble with the self-service kiosk, your worst fears are realized. This machine is not going to let you check in. Depending on how late you are, its time to consider your options.

My first bit of advice is “do not Panic” and certainly “don’t lose your cool”, keeping a clear head is the key to fixing your dilemma.

By now you are probably trying to think of a good excuse to justify why you’re late, this is where my next piece of advised comes in

Don’t bother with the lame excuses

  Remember this is an everyday occurrence at the Airport, and the check-in agents have heard all the excuses before and hundreds more. Did you really think those lame excuses work anyway?

here are a few of the most common excuses

The Taxi did not turn up

I read my arrival time as my departure timer on my itinerary

My alarm clock did not go off

The Traffic was bad

The car park was full

My assistant advised me of the flight time

My next piece of advice is Gather your thoughts and check your options.

How late are you

-30 and most Airlines self-service kiosk will be unavailable for check-in and you will be to late to check bags.

If you don’t have any luggage to check-in, you can run to the gate before -20 minutes to departure you might just make it

If you have booked through an agent and if you have the time call them, they may be able to help getting you rebooked for the next flight, especially if you are on of their corporate clients.

If you have baggage to check in go straight to the ticket counter and see if you can be rebooked on to the next flight.

One thing I have learnt about airports is that not all agents are consistent with the rules. You may be lucky and strike one that is a bit more relaxed but don’t always bet on it.

Make sure you put on a smile and say something like this.

“Hi I think I may have just missed my flight

I won’t bore you with an excuse. Is there any chance you could help me Please

Don’t forget to smile and be nice

don’t assume you will automatically be changed to the next available flight; it will all depend on what type of ticket you have purchased. If you can be rebooked, be prepared to get out that credit card most times there is a rebooking fee.

Whatever happens staying calm and being friendly will go along way to getting the help you need. In the end accept the fact that you have missed the flight and move on with the best option. Whatever happens ,you would have learned a valuable lesson

Running late for an International Flight (Now that’s a whole other story)

See you at the Airport

Mike

Airline Check-in Times

Virgin http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/bookings/manage-my-bookings/check-in/

Qantas http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/checkin/global/en

JetStar http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/planning-and-booking/checking-in/sms-boarding-pass

Tiger http://www.tigerairways.com/au/en/webcheckin.php