Late For A Flight? Try The "Flat Tire Rule" And Rebook Without Fee
Here's a tip the AirFareWatchDog blog stumbled across: If you're late for a flight by no more than two hours because of a mitigating circumstance, like the eponymous flat-tire, and pitch your legitimate woe to the airline they will sometimes, at their discretion, let you rebook without paying an extra fee. [AirFareWatchDog] (Photo: madmolecule)
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I was able to do this once. I was in Seattle, standing at the United check-in counter, and for the life of me I could not find my ticket. Flight left, found my ticket, agent took pity on me and rebooked me for free.
'Course, that was 20 years ago.
This seems like common sense and something that people would do naturally. I can't imagine that there are many people, especially on Consumerist, who would miss a flight for a compelling (and/or fictional) reason and not immediately plead their case to airline rep before coughing up for a new ticket.
So basically lie...
@exkon: You say 'lie,' I say 'rebase reality in a manner that's financially beneficial to my person.'
Politicians have taught me that you can justify doing anything so long as you can frame it in the appropriate syntax.
At THEIR discretion.
How nice. A heartless witch gets to decide if your "problem" is serious enough to warrant the waiver of the extra fee.
I can see the "little" problems being grown into "major" problems in an attempt to tug at the heart strings of the wicked witch.
@concordia: And they are still lying.
I love when consumerist advocates fibbing...while going after companies for the same exact thing.
So "mitigating circumstance" probably doesn't include being caught in traffic because some dummy rolled his car during the morning drivetime...I guess if you could get a camera phone shot of the problem or show it on the local traffic cams on your laptop then maybe...
What about a power outage which kills your alarm clock, caused by a drunk idiot hitting the power pole four blocks over...
Sure, I see this working alot...
More fine print from the blog: "they'll consider putting you on the next flight to your destination on standby without paying a rebooking fee or the difference in the fares"
Is being stuck in traffic for an hour and a half because of marathon fallout a mitigating circumstance? Not at the LGA Delta, I can assure you.
Usually you don't have to lie and say, "a flat tire", that's actually a catch-all term for "I was late for some reason other than being an idiot". So, taxi never shwoed, you underestimated how long the NY airtrain would take, train delay, etc.
Also, it is worthwile to note that most airlines have a two-hour cutoff - if you're more than two hours late for your flight, no flat-tire rule for you.
It's worth noting as well that in all of these cases, you get to go standby on the next flight - you'll get a "departure management card", which entitles you to go through airport security and you get to hang around the airport. Standby is not a guaranteed seat - it just means that you're on the list for people who dont' show up. It is acceptable to ask the rebooking agent how many seats are open on the plane - don't worry if they tell you it's oversold, as the no-show percentage can be fairly high, but basically if that flight goes out full, you have to ask to get rolled over to the standby list for the next flight.
Also, if you miss a connecting flight due to the airline, even for weather reasons, you get to be a higher priority standby passenger on most airlines. When you get your DM card, just politely explain at the gate that you were a misconnect due to weather and that you really need to get to your destination. When done politely, the GA will recheck which list you're on. Do not say, "I missed my flight due to weather, so put me on this flight now" - if you are misconnecting, many other people likely are too.
This also has implications for the flat-tire rule - if there's bad weather at your departure airport and you are late, your odds of getting on a flight can be much smaller, since everyone who is getting shafted due to the weather gods goes ahead of you in the queue.
The agent might ask you if you want to do a "confirmed standby" - this is the polite way of telling you that for a fee of ~$25-50, they'll give you a ticket in-hand, as opposed to waiting. Unless you have or are traveling with someone with elite status on the airline who will be further ahead in the standby queue, this is almost always a good investment. It never hurts to ask if confirmed standby is an option, just in case
A few last tips - always check in online and print your boarding pass. The official rule for allowing boarding on most, if not all, domestic airlines & flights is that you need to be present in the gate area 15 minutes before departure. Despite this, many of the airport checkin kiosks cut off check-ins at 45 minutes, forcing you to see an agent and wasting valuable security-line time. With the boarding pass in-hand, you can proceed directly to the gate, and if the security lines are short, you can even stroll to the gate without fear (this happened to me just a few weeks ago).
Also, if you are not checking bags (and you should never check bags if at all possible), sometimes the kiosks that are "carry-on only" (look for them off to the sides of the airline check-in area), have shorter cutoff times, because they know that anyone checking in at those kiosks is not going to materialize with a 50LB bag that has to get on the plane (airlines are not allowed to fly bags without their passengers, so they have stringent cutoff times for passengers with checked luggage).
And always always be nice and polite to the airline employees, even when they're rude. Oftentimes they have been dealing with 20 idiots before you, and being flexible and appreciative can make good things happen.
Yeah, you kinda blow the moral high ground with posts like this. How is this any different from the airlines using the "bad weather rule" when they're really just running late?
@exkon: No, you aren't lying when you do this, because you really were late because of a flat-tire, or a detour, etc. If not, then why were you late?
@Tzepish: I don't think they intended "mitigating circumstance" to include "everything except intentionally being late"
I once fell asleep at the airport terminal. Woke up just a moment after they closed the jet's door. Fortunately Southwest put me on the next flight. I love you Southwest
This happened to me about 5 years ago, flying of of Dulles. I mapped the route to the airport, more than *doubled* the estimated drive time to account for traffic, added an extra 30 minutes on top of that to account for the ride from airport parking to the terminal, and still I was late for my flight! Damn DC traffic.
It turns out I arrived at the check-in counter just as they closed the door to my flight. Luckily it was one of those little prop commuter flights to NY, so they were able to get me on another one.
In these situations, it pays to be nice to the employee behind the counter - she offered me a flight much later in the day but I politely asked if anything sooner was available and she put me on the next flight (30 minutes later) and didn't charge me anything for it.
reminds me of the story where 4 students missed an important college exam. Their excuse was that they were late because they had a flat tire. The professor allowed them to make it up but only gave them 2 questions on the make up test. The first one was very easy for all of them. The second question was "which tire was flat?" They all failed.
When we got to the airport to leave for our honeymoon we realized that we forgot one of our suitcases at home. We were too far away to make it home and back in time and the counter employee rebooked us and gave us an upgrade. She rocked!
I missed my flight from OAK-LAX-Orlando early one morning a few years ago. My friend's car just flat out DIED on the freeway. I couldn't get a taxi service to pick me up on the side of the freeway, even with the explanation that I was broke down and needed to get to the airport. They said it's for driver safety reasons and I guess I can understand that... but still.
The AAA tow truck driver arrived was kind enough to rush me the few miles to the airport first (I tried to tip him too but he would take it) and then take my friend to the auto shop. (Side note: Just a little shout out to AAA who have always wonderful every time I've needed them. They are WELL WORTH the price.)
Anyway, I missed the check-in deadline by about 3 lousy minutes. I thought I was totally screwed and my vacation was ruined. I was figuring that if I missed my flight, I was S.O.L. and would have to forgo my vacation. So I was stressed and umm.. yeah, crying a little bit. I wasn't making a scene but, you know, there were a few real tears. After explaining what happened, the VERY nice agent booked me on the next flight which was leaving about 1 hour later. No fees. The ticket agent said "I was just outside a few minutes ago (smoking) and saw you get out of the tow truck. I thought that was an interesting way to get to the airport, now I know why!" He was super nice. Best of all it was a non-stop to Orlando and since there wasn't a layover, I got there two hours before my original flight. And yes, I sent United a very nice letter about the agent.
@Ben Popken: True, you didn't *tell* people to lie, but the implication was pretty clear. Why else did you write "mitigating circumstances" in scare quotes?
(Or, at least, it *was* in scare quotes before you edited the post and caused me to question my sanity for a few minutes)
@mzito: "Airlines are not allowed to fly bags without their passengers"
Really? Then how come my bags never seem to end up in the same airport as me?
@mtaylor924: I've had good experience in general with flexibility on those. They're my closest leg to home, and on my return leg the airline is generally willing to put me on whichever the next one is regardless of when I'm booked, so long as there are seats. Might help that I travel carry-on only, too.
In August I was flying home to Tampa from Seattle (combination business/vacation) with a connection in Denver. Missed my connection due to re-settinng my watch incorrectly and getting too involved in the book I was reading. I was supposed to be on the last flight of the night, plus the United terminal was chaotic due to flight cancellations that didn't affect me.
Called the boss let her know that I wouldn't be in the next day, called the boyfriend to see what he could do with his Hilton Platinum status to get me a room in Denver and waited in a really long line for a customer service agent while on hold with United on my nearly dead cell phone--I pack the charger when I'm flying home. Got a tip that the customer service desk at the other end on the terminal had no wait, cruised down there and admitted to the agent I screwed up and missed my connecting flight. Rebooked the next day with no charge, boyfriend got me a comped room at the Denver Airport Embassy Suite, free shuttle service included and I scored an extra day off from work plus free cooked to order breakfast before finally flying home the next day.
Best part... when we landed in Tampa, announcement that Tarmac was closed due to lightening in the area and it would be a few hours before baggage could be claimed. Mine had made it the night before...picked up from baggage office and drove home...
Moral...be nice to the agent...admit you screwed up...and it all works out.
In August I was flying home to Tampa from Seattle (combination business/vacation) with a connection in Denver. Missed my connection due to re-settinng my watch incorrectly and getting too involved in the book I was reading. I was supposed to be on the last flight of the night, plus the United terminal was chaotic due to flight cancellations that didn't affect me.
Called the boss let her know that I wouldn't be in the next day, called the boyfriend to see what he could do with his Hilton Platinum status to get me a room in Denver and waited in a really long line for a customer service agent while on hold with United on my nearly dead cell phone--I pack the charger when I'm flying home. Got a tip that the customer service desk at the other end on the terminal had no wait, cruised down there and admitted to the agent I screwed up and missed my connecting flight. Rebooked the next day with no charge, boyfriend got me a comped room at the Denver Airport Embassy Suite, free shuttle service included and I scored an extra day off from work plus free cooked to order breakfast before finally flying home the next day.
Best part... when we landed in Tampa, announcement that Tarmac was closed due to lightening in the area and it would be a few hours before baggage could be claimed. Mine had made it the night before...picked up from baggage office and drove home...
Moral...be nice to the agent...admit you screwed up...and it all works out.
@Ninja007: Southwest offers free flight changes. I book a flight on Fridays just to have one booked, and then change it when I know when I'll be arriving at the airport.
Here's my guide for avoiding those fees: Fly Southwest. :)
@Corporate-Shill: I actually like that they have some room to use their own judgement rather than blindly follow policy. Makes me thing they'd be more likely to make things right if a problem arose in other circumstances.
Even when you do something stupid, if you are nice to the ticket agent they will help you out. Last Christmas I missed a flight home because when I looked at my printed schedule I mistook my landing time for my departure time (it printed out weird). I was flying Northwest and tried to change things at the kiosk, but they wanted to charge me an extra $200 to change my flight. I spoke to one of the ticket agents and explained to her what happened (apparently I was not the first to have this problem) and asked her if she could fly me into Reagan, Dulles or even Baltimore. I would find a way to get where I needed to go. She managed to book me standby on another flight (she checked to make sure there would be seats) and managed to get me home for Christmas. I am very grateful that she was able to help me, even though the problem was entirely my own fault.
The trick is really, as with anything, just to be polite. Most staff want to make a bad situation better for you, and if by chance you get a rotten apple, don't give them the satisfaction by making a scene. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Well in my experience working at a major low-cost carrier, we have the two hour rule and nobody really pays attention to your excuse. If you show up within two hours of your original flight, you're put on standby for free for the next flight, even if it's the next day. Alternatively one could pay the $75 fee if there's seats to confirm if it's the same day.
Let's not lose our minds here. I have been late and missed flights for lots of reasons. If they have a seat, they will always give it too you at no charge in my experience. There is nothing new or unusual about this.
@TVarmy: It depends if you're an ass when you approach the agent. So many people demand free upgrades and compensation because a flight dared leave without THEM! Be nice and usually people will return the favor. I work in CS - I know!
I actually had a flat tire on the way to the airport once. Continental rebooked me without even blinking.
Would the airline then charge you a flat tire fee?
Good for you for sending a positive letter. Those definitely get read, because they're sadly rare (both due to the quality of service, and due to customers not taking the time to recognize good service).
@mzito: Great points. I once was late getting to the airport, a 45 minute trip wound up taking 90 because of icy conditions on the interstate and a forced detour around the closed sections. Because I had not checked in online, they would not let me check in for the flight, even though it wasn't leavign for another 30 minutes. I wound up having to sit in the airport and wait for the next flight which was SIX HOURS LATER, and I had the pleasure of watching the flight I was supposed to be on take off about 45 minutes late.
I'm going to start carrying some grease around with me when I travel. Rub some all over my hands before going to the ticket counter. "Oh, I had a flat....it was terrible!". :D
In general, if you are polite, rational, and reasonable with the CSR's, that alone is often sufficient to get what you NEED.
Flying from HI to Kansas City one time my connection got canceled. I learned that at the checkin on Maui. They told me the earliest flight they had was basically a 24hr layover...so when I got off the plane in San Fran, I spoke to the agent at the gate where we unboarded. She was nice enough to find me a flight that was just a couple hours from then....I loved that agent. I was not looking forward to spending 24 hours in the San Fran airport with basically no money - lol.
What is that wheel? It looks like a mid-80's BBS lace but it has an odd hub...
Well, probably not for much longer...