Lost Flight Due to Traffic - Hypothetical

MechEng on 27/07/2022 - 18:29

I was driving to work this morning and there was a big accident resulting in significant delays in a whole area.
To have a sense of how bad it was it took me 1.5hrs to move 3km.
Sitting in the car, parked in the middle of the highway allow me some time to think and reflect on how lucky I am, that I am not going to catch a flight.
For sure a 1.5hr delay would have made most people miss their flights, right?
What can you do if you find yourself in that case?
Just cop it in the chin that you have bad luck and move on? Appeal to the good will of the airline? travel insurance, does it even cover that?
Share your thoughts…

Plot twist I am not a pilot…

Poll Options expired

  • 38
    Cop it, you have bad luck
  • 23
    Try your luck with the airline
  • 7
    Use your travel insurance
Travel

Comments

  • bmxr on 27/07/2022 - 18:33
    +1

    Where did you lose it?

    I've had it happen on the M1 heading to BNK airport. All southbound lanes closed for a couple of hours. Flight missed and it was the last flight of the day. Just sucked it up, hired a car and drove back to Sydney.

    • MS Paint on 27/07/2022 - 19:12

      You mean YBNA?

      • bmxr on 28/07/2022 - 17:52

        I'm not a pilot or air traffic controller so I only memorise the IATA codes as a lowly consumer :(

  • thatonethere on 27/07/2022 - 18:33

    In happier times pre covid i've just run the airline and they have put me on a later flight (I presume they have people on standby to take my original seat - at inflated cost no doubt)

  • SF3 on 27/07/2022 - 18:37

    Catch the next flight…

  • HairyChickens on 27/07/2022 - 18:38
    +4

    Have zero anxiety because you're cheap and booked with a budget airline and so the flight will be guaranteed to be late if not cancelled :)

    Now this is a contingency plan.

  • Ocker on 27/07/2022 - 18:45
    +1

    Another first world problem

    • djkelly69 on 27/07/2022 - 20:39
      +1

      Pretty sure the other 'worlds' have both flights and traffic.

  • PissLUR on 27/07/2022 - 18:51
    +1

    happens all the time.

  • [Deactivated] on 27/07/2022 - 18:56

    try your luck, they cancel with short notice all the time, if you are polite to the CS, they may do you a solid.

  • AndyC1 on 27/07/2022 - 18:58

    Did you try to ring the airline and try to rebook/cancel while stuck in the traffic? If not then you are SOL.

    • st1ng on 27/07/2022 - 22:15
      +4

      Plot twist. You call the airline while stuck in the 3 hour traffic jam, and still haven't spoken to a human when you arrive at the airport.

      • AndyC1 on 27/07/2022 - 22:56

        try try try try

      • MechEng on 28/07/2022 - 10:53
        +1

        hahaha, this is the most likely scenario

  • FocusRider on 27/07/2022 - 18:58

    Leave earlier

  • AustriaBargain on 27/07/2022 - 19:15

    Get to the airport early and relax and read a book at the bar.

  • jjjaar on 27/07/2022 - 19:20
    +5

    Always aim to get to the airport 12 hours before your flight check in opens. Plenty of buffer for these kinds of delays.

    • The Value on 27/07/2022 - 19:44

      Overkill. 8 hours in more than enough.

    • djones145 on 27/07/2022 - 20:24

      dependent on ur background, safer 24 hours, incase u get interrogated

    • ozbargainsam on 27/07/2022 - 20:49
      +1

      For every flight and connecting flight, you should book at least one backup flight the next day. So if you miss one, you can just stay in the airport overnight and get the backup. Of course, each connecting flight that is booked on the back of the backup flight also needs a backup. Also make sure you book the backups on alternate airlines.

      • jjjaar on 27/07/2022 - 21:04

        Don’t forget to book hotels for each night in case you do need to use your backup flight.

  • JimmyF on 27/07/2022 - 20:03
    -1

    Just cop it in the chin that you have bad luck and move on?

    Depends on the fare class you booked, but in most cases this is what happens for 'saver' fares.

    Appeal to the good will of the airline?

    Your lack of planning to get there on time isn't their issue, unless you booked a full fare.

    travel insurance, does it even cover that?

    Assuming you even have it. Who gets it for Domestic travel?

    You'll have to read the T&Cs but yes it might cover a missed flight. So time to pull out the PDS as there are lots of 'catches' in them.

    • MechEng on 28/07/2022 - 10:55

      how do you plan for a 2hr congestion?

      • JimmyF on 28/07/2022 - 14:55

        how do you plan for a 2hr congestion?

        By leaving 2 hours earlier.

        Road 'congestion' isn't the airlines issue to deal with, that is yours.

        I live over an hour away from the airport, and never been 'late'.

    • md333 on 28/07/2022 - 12:52

      Some of the free credit card insurance schemes cover domestic travel. I haven't checked whether it covers being late for your flight. Works well for rental car insurance excess.

      • JimmyF on 28/07/2022 - 14:57

        Some of the free credit card insurance schemes cover domestic travel

        Correct, so pull out the T&CS aka PDS and have a read to see what they cover for domestic travel.

        Works well for rental car insurance excess.

        That it does, but that is a different issue to not leaving enough time to get to the airport.

  • djones145 on 27/07/2022 - 20:23

    get out and RUN

    was driving to the airport and had bad traffic, we were ok cause at least 3 hours early, we saw other jump out a run with luggage

  • jakka on 27/07/2022 - 22:02

    Don’t you travel by private jet?

    If stuck in traffic I normally get my helicopter pilot to pick me up, but either way the plane waits.

  • Autonomic on 28/07/2022 - 10:00

    Some travel insurances do cover this

  • vikvance on 28/07/2022 - 10:24

    Having had this happen to me, I can confirm that if you have a "saver" fare then the airline will just tell you to eff-off & buy another ticket. They don't have any concept of "good will" for people who buy the cheapest tickets.

    If you're worried about such situations, then you need to buy a higher-priced ticket.

    • JimmyF on 28/07/2022 - 15:00

      They don't have any concept of "good will" for people who buy the cheapest tickets.

      The 'good will' you talk about was to offer you that saver ticket at a discount. It is a two way street, can't get cheap tickets and also being fully flexible at the same time.

      If you want 'good will' then yes you need to purchase a full fare ticket and they'll happily bump you to the next flight if you are late and miss it.

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