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> Some airlines (particularly non-U.S. ones) will completely void your ticket (meaning that it loses all value) if you miss a flight after checking in. (Most U.

> Some airlines (particularly non-U.S. ones) will completely void your ticket (meaning that it loses all value) if you miss a flight after checking in. (Most U.S. airlines do not do this.) Does this mean that in the US, if I miss my flight, my ticket is still somehow valid? I have never heard of this.

martinflack 5y ago
I believe it relates to being able to approach a gate agent and having them rebook you on a later/tomorrow flight as a courtesy, after you checked-in but missed a flight because you dozed off, didn't watch the time, had a medical issue, couldn't find the gate in a huge airport, missed the connection from an inbound flight, etc. Really it's an extension of the US customer service ethos.
jakswa 5y ago
Personal anecdote: I've found the tickets can be refunded/transferred. The airline recommended a 45min layover, and the airport's immigration machines broke and we were stuck in line for hours, missing our domestic flight in a separate area of the airport. In this case, I found out that the airline would've worked with me to reschedule another flight, if I could get ahold of them on the phone. Maybe not all airlines are like this, just one case.
- mark-r 5y ago
  This is exactly why overbooking exists. Airlines expect that a certain percentage of their passengers won't make the flight, for whatever reason, so they sell a few extra tickets so the seats won't be empty.
- sneak 5y ago
  Personal counteranecdote: This depends on how it's booked. A so-called "hacker fare" from Kayak or Orbitz or Expedia or someone last year that involved two different underlying carrier bookings had a 45 minute connection between them. The covid paperwork check line took 90 minutes due to long lines and low staffing in the transfer airport. The carrier for the second constituent booking said FOAD when asked about a rebooking after the flight had left. The reseller (I forget if it was Kayak or Orbitz or Expedia) refused a refund. We ended up having to book a replacement ticket for over $1000, and an overnight hotel stay. American Express eventually sided with the merchant when I tried to do a chargeback for being sold an impossible itinerary. It made the trip substantially more expensive and +28 hours. I'm not sure who should be liable for this, but I'm pretty sure it's not me. Every other party in the transaction chain passed the buck and I was the one who had to pay.
tschwimmer 5y ago
I have missed a few flights and if the ticket agent is feeling nice that day, they will traditionally rebook you on a flight later that day or the next day.
- Gibbon1 5y ago
  Missing your flight is one of those things where while it's a rare event for you it's a common event for the airline. For them people missing their flight for a lame reason is just noise compared to people missing flights for other reasons. Think about it. A flight to Atlanta is delayed due to weather or a mechanical issue? That's 100 people that just missed their connection. Vs random people missing flights is very predictable.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Gibbon1 5y ago
Typically they'll rebook you on a later flight. Especially if you call them beforehand because then they can resell your seat. Depending on the ticket and the airline you may be charged a fee. You may end up having to wait standby.
jaywalk 5y ago
The ticket itself is not valid, because you obviously can't get on a flight that has already left. But the ticket still has value (what you paid for it) because you didn't use it. I have never missed a flight before, but I've also never heard of anyone in the US losing the value of their ticket because they missed their flight. I saw a video recently of a person who was denied boarding due to being visibly intoxicated. The process started with the gate agent offering to book them on another flight, and devolved into the person being banned from the airline. But they still received a full refund for their unused ticket.
- etrautmann 5y ago
  I missed a flight in Oslo two years ago and the counter agent looked at me like I was insane to suggest that they airline would rebook me. In Norway it was clear that the $800 ticket was completely wasted if I got delayed on the way to the airport.
  - jaywalk 5y ago
    I had no idea that the way it works in the US seems to be the outlier worldwide. Even the ultra-low cost airlines here (like Spirit) work this way.
    - Symbiote 5y ago
      That may explain why the European ultra-low-cost airlines are even cheaper, while providing a similar service. People who miss their flight on purpose aren't great for revenue (no vastly overpriced food, overweight luggage fees etc), but people who miss flights by mistake end up paying €250 (rather than €20) for the next flight.
    - ohyoutravel 5y ago
      Yeah, I was on the way to the airport the other day, my meeting got cancelled, so I called on the way 75 mins pre departure, and they just gave me a credit for the cost, zero hassle, and I went home.
  - 5y ago
paxys 5y ago
Yes missing flights is surprisingly not too big a deal, even if it is your own fault. Most airlines will do their best to rebook you. The main reason for that is that there was never really a seat booked with your name on it. If you don't make it, it simply goes to someone else who was on standby. Of course the flip side of it is that in rare cases you won't get your seat even if you do make it in time, as was the subject of some famous incidents.
bombcar 5y ago
A "ticket" may include more than just one leg of the journey - you could have a two stage ticket, SAN-JFK-CDG - and missing the SAN-JFK flight may or may not void your JFK-CDG ticket (it may be that the second flight leaves enough time to scramble and get to it another way).
Naga 5y ago
This is really interesting. As a non-U.S. based and infrequent traveller, I had always just assumed that you lost the value of the ticket if you missed the trip. I never really understood sitcoms where no one seems to care if they missed their flights or not, but this would make a lot of sense.
- dboreham 5y ago
  Sitcoms aren't set in reality in general though. People who are unemployed actors live in $1M apartments in Manhattan, for example.
- madcaptenor 5y ago
  I've missed maybe five or so domestic flights on "legacy" US airlines (American/Delta/United). If I recall correctly, on all but one of those I was rebooked. On the remaining one I was not rebooked; the airline tried to accommodate me but they couldn't get me where I was going in time for the thing I was going to. That being said, I do care if I miss my flight, because it's obviously a pain even if you do get rebooked!
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 5y ago
    Most US based airlines will charge you a rebooking fee however, so it’s not completely hassle free. It’s often around $80-100 USD. Southwest Airlines is the only major carrier I know that does not charge this fee.
    - madcaptenor 5y ago
      Surprisingly, I've never been charged this fee (and I'd remember). I don't know why. In particular I don't have any sort of status with the airlines.
  - philjohn 5y ago
    This is why, as a UK based traveller, I aim to get to the airport for international flights so that I can check in when checkin opens 3 hours before the flight. At least I'm usually sat in a comfortable lounge for the extra time, and can get a few things done, or just relax and read.

martinflack 5y ago

I believe it relates to being able to approach a gate agent and having them rebook you on a later/tomorrow flight as a courtesy, after you checked-in but missed a flight because you dozed off, didn't watch the time, had a medical issue, couldn't find the gate in a huge airport, missed the connection from an inbound flight, etc. Really it's an extension of the US customer service ethos.

jakswa 5y ago

Personal anecdote: I've found the tickets can be refunded/transferred. The airline recommended a 45min layover, and the airport's immigration machines broke and we were stuck in line for hours, missing our domestic flight in a separate area of the airport. In this case, I found out that the airline would've worked with me to reschedule another flight, if I could get ahold of them on the phone. Maybe not all airlines are like this, just one case.

mark-r 5y ago
This is exactly why overbooking exists. Airlines expect that a certain percentage of their passengers won't make the flight, for whatever reason, so they sell a few extra tickets so the seats won't be empty.
sneak 5y ago
Personal counteranecdote: This depends on how it's booked. A so-called "hacker fare" from Kayak or Orbitz or Expedia or someone last year that involved two different underlying carrier bookings had a 45 minute connection between them. The covid paperwork check line took 90 minutes due to long lines and low staffing in the transfer airport. The carrier for the second constituent booking said FOAD when asked about a rebooking after the flight had left. The reseller (I forget if it was Kayak or Orbitz or Expedia) refused a refund. We ended up having to book a replacement ticket for over $1000, and an overnight hotel stay. American Express eventually sided with the merchant when I tried to do a chargeback for being sold an impossible itinerary. It made the trip substantially more expensive and +28 hours. I'm not sure who should be liable for this, but I'm pretty sure it's not me. Every other party in the transaction chain passed the buck and I was the one who had to pay.

tschwimmer 5y ago

I have missed a few flights and if the ticket agent is feeling nice that day, they will traditionally rebook you on a flight later that day or the next day.

Gibbon1 5y ago
Missing your flight is one of those things where while it's a rare event for you it's a common event for the airline. For them people missing their flight for a lame reason is just noise compared to people missing flights for other reasons. Think about it. A flight to Atlanta is delayed due to weather or a mechanical issue? That's 100 people that just missed their connection. Vs random people missing flights is very predictable.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

Gibbon1 5y ago

Typically they'll rebook you on a later flight. Especially if you call them beforehand because then they can resell your seat. Depending on the ticket and the airline you may be charged a fee. You may end up having to wait standby.

jaywalk 5y ago

The ticket itself is not valid, because you obviously can't get on a flight that has already left. But the ticket still has value (what you paid for it) because you didn't use it. I have never missed a flight before, but I've also never heard of anyone in the US losing the value of their ticket because they missed their flight. I saw a video recently of a person who was denied boarding due to being visibly intoxicated. The process started with the gate agent offering to book them on another flight, and devolved into the person being banned from the airline. But they still received a full refund for their unused ticket.

etrautmann 5y ago
I missed a flight in Oslo two years ago and the counter agent looked at me like I was insane to suggest that they airline would rebook me. In Norway it was clear that the $800 ticket was completely wasted if I got delayed on the way to the airport.
- jaywalk 5y ago
  I had no idea that the way it works in the US seems to be the outlier worldwide. Even the ultra-low cost airlines here (like Spirit) work this way.
  - Symbiote 5y ago
    That may explain why the European ultra-low-cost airlines are even cheaper, while providing a similar service. People who miss their flight on purpose aren't great for revenue (no vastly overpriced food, overweight luggage fees etc), but people who miss flights by mistake end up paying €250 (rather than €20) for the next flight.
  - ohyoutravel 5y ago
    Yeah, I was on the way to the airport the other day, my meeting got cancelled, so I called on the way 75 mins pre departure, and they just gave me a credit for the cost, zero hassle, and I went home.
- 5y ago

paxys 5y ago

Yes missing flights is surprisingly not too big a deal, even if it is your own fault. Most airlines will do their best to rebook you. The main reason for that is that there was never really a seat booked with your name on it. If you don't make it, it simply goes to someone else who was on standby. Of course the flip side of it is that in rare cases you won't get your seat even if you do make it in time, as was the subject of some famous incidents.

bombcar 5y ago

A "ticket" may include more than just one leg of the journey - you could have a two stage ticket, SAN-JFK-CDG - and missing the SAN-JFK flight may or may not void your JFK-CDG ticket (it may be that the second flight leaves enough time to scramble and get to it another way).

Naga 5y ago

This is really interesting. As a non-U.S. based and infrequent traveller, I had always just assumed that you lost the value of the ticket if you missed the trip. I never really understood sitcoms where no one seems to care if they missed their flights or not, but this would make a lot of sense.

dboreham 5y ago
Sitcoms aren't set in reality in general though. People who are unemployed actors live in $1M apartments in Manhattan, for example.
madcaptenor 5y ago
I've missed maybe five or so domestic flights on "legacy" US airlines (American/Delta/United). If I recall correctly, on all but one of those I was rebooked. On the remaining one I was not rebooked; the airline tried to accommodate me but they couldn't get me where I was going in time for the thing I was going to. That being said, I do care if I miss my flight, because it's obviously a pain even if you do get rebooked!
- SOLAR_FIELDS 5y ago
  Most US based airlines will charge you a rebooking fee however, so it’s not completely hassle free. It’s often around $80-100 USD. Southwest Airlines is the only major carrier I know that does not charge this fee.
  - madcaptenor 5y ago
    Surprisingly, I've never been charged this fee (and I'd remember). I don't know why. In particular I don't have any sort of status with the airlines.
- philjohn 5y ago
  This is why, as a UK based traveller, I aim to get to the airport for international flights so that I can check in when checkin opens 3 hours before the flight. At least I'm usually sat in a comfortable lounge for the extra time, and can get a few things done, or just relax and read.