Whether you’re testing out ‘Airport Theory’ or you hit terrible traffic on your way to the airport, missing your flight is devastating and stressful. So what do you actually do if you miss your flight and you’re stranded at the airport?
What to do if you miss a flight
First off, try not to panic.
Go straight to your airline’s check-in desk to speak to them.
These are your options if you miss a flight:
- Rebook on a later flight
- Get added to a standby list
- Get automatically rebooked via the airline
You’ll probably be marked as a ‘no show’ on their system – so any connecting flights or arrangements like transfers following the flight you missed will probably be cancelled. The sooner you speak to the airline, the faster you can get alternative arrangements in place. Be warned – it will probably cost you.
What happens to your ticket if you miss a flight?
Once boarding has closed and you’re not there, your ticket will be marked as a ‘no-show’ and any following flights or arrangements with the airline will be cancelled. If you know that you’re going to miss your flight, through a delay, illness or anything else – let your airline know. Immediately. The information will be on your ticket and any documentation you’ve received. If you’ve booked through an OTA or travel advisor, they may be able to help, but contacting the airline directly is the best thing to do.
What if you miss a connecting flight?
If your flight itinerary involves connecting flights, you’ll need to re-book for each route fare, paying up to 100% of the ticket price, and other fees may apply in addition.
Can you reschedule if you miss a flight?
The ticket type, seat availability and circumstances of the missed flight will dictate whether you can reschedule your missed flight. Refundable tickets can often be rescheduled with little trouble, while discounted, non-refundable tickets can only be used for specific slots (which is why they’re cheap) and so rescheduling will involve paying the difference.
Either way, to reschedule a missed flight there’s likely to be some cost involved, like fees or paying the difference in ticket price. Ultimately, it’s all down to the airline’s discretion whether they’ll reschedule a missed flight.
Do you get fined if you miss a flight?
There aren’t typically ‘fines’ in the legal or government-imposed sense when you miss a flight. Instead, airlines usually charge fees or penalties based on their policies and the ticket type. So while you won’t get ‘punished’ as such, the cost of rebooking can feel like it!
Do you have to pay if you miss a flight?
Yes, there will be some degree of cost if you miss a flight. You may have to pay up to 100% of your original ticket price and / or the difference for the new ticket. You may also need to pay a ‘no-show’ fee and / or rescheduling fee.
Why do airlines charge for missed flights? Well, there are a few reasons. Any no-show is potentially lost revenue for the airline, because with notice, they could have re-sold the seat. The ‘no-show’ fee gains the airline some of that lost revenue and acts as a deterrent for passengers that are tempted to just miss the flight or skiplag, which causes extra admin and higher ticket prices for everyone.
How much you’ll need to pay for a missed flight depends on your ticket type, fare rules and airline policies. If circumstances beyond your control have caused you to miss a flight. like traffic because of a collision on the motorway, the airline is likely to be more lenient than with someone who purposely arrived late at the airport.
Can you get a refund for a missed flight?
It depends on your ticket type. Higher class tickets like first and business tend to be refundable and more flexible. But even if you have a refundable ticket, being a ‘no-show’ can void your ability to claim money back.
A non-refundable ticket will mean you lose the entire value of the ticket, so you’ll have to pay full price again if you want to rebook. If the original ticket was discounted or on sale, you won’t be able to redeem the discount. If you got a discounted ticket, you’ll more likely to face the full charge to book a new ticket.
What happens to my luggage if I miss my flight?
If your luggage is already on the plane and you miss the flight, the airline will try to make sure your luggage follows you on your new itinerary.
If your flight is automatically rebooked, your luggage will be re-tagged with the new information and transferred automatically. If rebooking isn’t immediate or you haven’t been issued a new ticket right away, your luggage may be held securely at the airport until you’re assigned a new flight.
What happens if your flight is cancelled?
If your flight is cancelled, you’ll be either be automatically rebooked onto the next available flight or given a full refund for the ticket price. For journeys with multiple legs and connecting flights, you may be able to accept segments and gain a refund for others if the new itinerary doesn’t quite work for you.
In most cases, if an airline must cancel a flight, they’ll be in touch with you and automatically book you onto the next available flight. Many airlines have agreements to operate flights for each other, so you may not wind up hanging around for long at all.
If there is no available flight for some reason, you’ll be given a full refund and you may even be entitled to some compensation.
How often do flights get cancelled?
In 2024, 1.4% of flights departing from the UK were cancelled, according to the most recent figures from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). That works out at around 21,000 flights out of the 1.5 million departing flights each year. Bad weather is the most common cause of flight cancellations, followed by technical issues and operational factors.
Err…how do you get back out of the airport if your flight is cancelled?
Airports are pretty much like one-way streets; they’re not designed for people to come back through security and customs. While it’s extremely rare for a flight to be cancelled and no alternative offered, if you are in that situation, you’ll need explicit proof from your airline what has happened. Security won’t take it lightly!
What about skiplagging?
Skiplagging is where you book a multi-leg flight, where they layover is your intended destination. When you land for the layover, you purposely miss the connecting flight. For example, if you want to fly to City B but a flight from City A to City C via City B is cheaper, you would book that itinerary and simply exit at City B.
As you’d expect, airlines do not like this strategy – in fact, they explicitly prohibit the act of purposely missing flights in their terms and conditions. If you purposely miss a connecting flight, the airline could view it as skiplagging – especially if it happens multiple times – and you risk losing the ability to book with them in the future.
