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Advice For When You Miss Your Flight
So what should you do when you arrive late for a flight or miss it altogether?Most airlines now offer customers the option of checking-in online to avoid queuing at the check-in desk. You can print off your boarding card, and choose your meals and seats when you check-in online, just as you would at the airport check-in, so it's a great time-saving system. If you have special requirements or do not use the internet, then check-in is still available in the normal way at your airline company's check-in desk within the airport.While airlines vary in strictness with regards to their check-in policies, Virgin seems toughest. They will not make exceptions for anyone, no matter how heartrending your excuse for showing up late. So if you miss your check-in with them, your feet are stuck firmly to the ground unfortunately.Queues at check-in desks can be extremely long, which in some cases can cause passengers to miss the flight that they're queuing to board. If the queue you are in is particularly long and you think this may cause you to miss your flight, then tell a member of staff immediately. If you are using a shared check-in desk you will be moved up the queue ahead of passengers queuing for later flights.It's your responsibility to keep up to date with flight calls after check-in. Keep tabs on your flight's boarding progress by watching monitors carefully for any updates. No one wants to see 'gate closed' up there, so make sure you make a move to board long before the last call.
You will be met with different responses from diffent airlines if you turn up late for boarding. If other passengers are still boarding then some airlines will leave it up to the captain to decide whether or not you get to join them. Virgin are particularly tough when it comes to boarding times, warning that passengers who arrive at their gate less than 20 minutes before takeoff risk being barred. Your reasons for turning up late to your gate will usually hold some sway with the dispatcher, so if you have valid cause they may be more forgiving.When the plane has well and truly left without you, you are very unlikely to get any sort of refund, but a transfer may be possible. The first thing to do is to head to your airline's customer service desk immediately where they can tell you your options, if any. Many airlines now offer rescue packages to those who have missed flights. This is where your carrier will get you on to the next available flight for a fee. Fees for transferring you to another flight usually cost around £30, but you'll also have to pay the difference in air fare if the flight ticket you transfer to is more expensive than the flight you missed.
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