A DELAYED passenger who missed their flight has revealed why travellers should head to the gate early.
While timing on a plane is everything, occasionally delays beyond the airline’s control happens.
When it does, passengers are advised to head to the boarding gate as directed – even if the flight is delayed by an hour or more.
Airlines are juggling very complex schedules and even if a delay is posted on the boards, you may still be expected to get to your gate in good time, even if you are just hanging around waiting for the inbound passengers to get off.
The warning comes after a passenger missed her flight from Gatwick to Milan.
Speaking to The Independent, Sarah said: “I arrived at Gatwick airport for an evening flight to Milan.
“I wasn’t at all surprised to see a delay on the screen of 45 minutes.
“Knowing that I had to be at the gate half an hour beforehand, I stayed in the lounge and timed my arrival at the gate for the time the plane was supposed to leave.
“Given the delay, that should have been in plenty of time.”
However, that was not the case for Sarah who found the boarding gate closed.
She said: “The plane was still there but the staff wouldn’t let me through.”
“Who’s responsible: the airport or the airline? Or should I claim on my travel insurance?”
A missed flight because you weren’t at the gate in time means you can’t claim against the airline, citing misleading advice and a travel insurer will not be interested in recompensing any passenger.
The information shown on the screen is little more than a “best guess”, so it’s up to passengers to arrive on time.
It’s the latest travel warning holidaymakers should take notice of.
Brits are being left out of pocket to the tune of hundreds of pounds, while also having to travel hundreds of miles, because of a simple passport mistake.
People assume that their passports are valid because they are yet to reach the expiry date, but that’s sadly not always the case.
For trips to Europe, British passports need to have been issued less than ten years before the date of arrival at the holidaymaker’s destination.
It also must have at least three months left before its expiry on the day the holidaymaker intends to return home.
These rules were brought in back in 2018, but have still gone under the radar for several people, who have had to shell out hundreds of pounds and make lengthy journeys for emergency passport replacements.
One such person was 57-year-old Carolyn Pellatt from Southampton, who had to make a 1,000-mile round trip on her birthday in order to get a passport in time for her holiday.
Carolyn only checked her passport’s validity five days before she was due to travel, and realised that it was older then 10 years, meaning she would not have been able to travel on it.
Those looking to renew their passports should do it now.
The UK passport office has previously warned that “during busy times, including the run-up to Christmas and school holidays, waiting times can be longer”.
Last year families were waiting as a long as 10 weeks to get their passports back in time for their family holidays.
Therefore Brits who need a new passport are advised that now is the best time to apply for a passport.
If you need to renew your passport, it can be done online or via a paper form at the Post Office.
Passport renewals cost £88.50 online, and £100 if you apply by paper form.
Kid’s passports cost £57.50 and £69 by post.
If you need a new passport urgently, you can apply for a Fast Track Renewal.
This costs £207 for a one day premium. A one week fast track service costs £166.50 for adults and £135.50 for a child
By LISA MINOT Head of Travel
WITH air traffic control problems, crazy weather and staff shortages, the likelihood your plane is delayed is ever increasing.
But just because your airline app or a departure board tells you your flight is delayed by a certain amount of time, that’s not always the case.
Delays can be reduced if departure slots are brought forward and those departure lounge boards are just passing on information provided by airlines to the airport.
Everything can change. Now while it’s normal for delays to get longer, that’s not always the case.
If you are checking in luggage, you will still need to drop your luggage off at the check in desk within the time allowed by your original departure.
Even those with luggage can find themselves in trouble if they arrive at the airport later knowing the flight is delayed.
Security gates will deny you entry if you are past your check in time, even if you know the flight is not going to take off for several more hours.
If this happens to you, appealing to a security officer or returning to the check in gate may well get you through security and into the departure lounge on time but this is never guaranteed.
And even if your flight is delayed, don’t assume the gate will close half an hour before the new departure time.
Airlines are juggling very complex schedules and even if a delay is posted on the boards, you may still be expected to get to your gate in good time, even if you are just hanging around waiting for the inbound passengers to get off.
It comes down to the fact you can rarely win if you try to turn a delayed departure to your advantage.
Nothing beats being actually in the departure lounge, or at the correct gate, in good time.
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