[alistairNicoll]

Many dodgy agents sell non connected flights at low prices but the problem arises if you are, as you were, delayed and miss the flight then it is 100% your problem and not the airlines. Ditto if you miss your outward flight your return flight will also be lost.

Now I may not be a fan of BA and avoid them but the truth is almost any airline will treat you the same if you have non protected connections and misss the flight

An expensive bargain!

[MartynSinclair]

For the second time in over 35 years of travel, I arrived at the gate for a flight on BA last week after the gate had closed. Whatever the reason, it was my fault and I accept that but it left 2 of us stuck airside in T5.

However, my experience of BA differs from the OP on this occasion. The gate agent was keen to get both of us off the passenger list asap, so her colleague could book us onto the next flight. Within 5 minutes all was sorted, booked onto the next flight, in club and no charge. We were hand baggage only so nothing to retrieve from the hold.

I had not purchased the ticket directly with BA and on this occasion, it appeared not to matter.

Were BA being flexible, kind or were we just lucky or does it depend where in the airport system you are i.e. check in or gate – when you realise you have missed your flight?

3 users thanked author for this post.

cwoodward, FDOS, DerekVH

[FaroFlyer]

Hi Martyn,

Last Monday I was very nearly in a similar situation. I had more than 4 hours between landing at T5 and mt departure to HKG at 20:45. I stayed in the First lounge until about 19:45 then moved to the B lounge so that I would have no need to rush. I sat opposite a monitor and glanced at it frequently and, when it went from green to red I immediately went to the gate and was amazed to see nobody waiting, 20 minutes before departure. A BA girl called: “Hong Kong?” “Yes” “He’s here” she called to a colleague. I apologised and said that I had been looking at the monitor, and it had only just changed. Yes, she said, we have problems with the monitors today. Maybe that is why you missed your flight.

1 user thanked author for this post.

FDOS

[ASK1945]

FaroFlyer: you started your post by say that you were “very nearly in a similar situation” [to Martyn] – but then finished by writing “Maybe that is why you missed your flight”.

What happened next?

[FaroFlyer]

I made the flight. Gate had not closed, but the gate area was deserted, and I was there 20 minutes before scheduled departure time.

[BackOfThePlane]

Except of course that they normally close the gate 30 minutes before scheduled departure time…..

[FDOS]

I don’t fly BA anymore, however the cut off point used to be 20 minutes – has this changed?

1 user thanked author for this post.

BackOfThePlane

[MartynSinclair]

@FaroFlyer – your post has encouraged me to give the full background story of the events leading up to my missed flights.

I was travelling with a colleague who had decided to park at Purple Parking. Had I known in advance, I would have added an hour on to our travel time. It took 45 minutes from parking to arrival at T5. Never again!!

Arrived at T5, straight through the tunnel to lounge. This was where the problems started.

Flight was showing with less than 40 minutes with no gate showing. I went to the staff at the front of the lounge showed her my boarding pass and said “Milan”. She told me no problem it’s an A gate beneath the lounge, no hurry (to reiterate, she saw my boarding pass, but i did say, Milan. Went to the gate only to be told that flight was Malpensa, Linate, was going from B gates.

Rushed to B gates, arrived bang on 20 minutes to go, too late, flight had closed. Now the strange part. Aircraft was on a remote stand & it was a bus to aircraft. The agent would not tell me where the remote stand was. I asked why we could not have been collected at A10 for the bus – and was told, there are already 4 flights going at the same time needing a bus from A10.. Just seems very odd you need to schlep to B gates for a bus when it could have gone from A10.

As it happened, the gate agent was very helpful to me (not sure about the others) and had me booked onto a service 2 hour later with no need to go to the ticket office or pay an extra fare.

All in all, I was more pi**sed off with Purple Parking – BA on this occasion were a gem!

[FaroFlyer]

I still have my boarding card which clearly states “Clear security by 20:10 Departure time 20:45”

[BackOfThePlane]

@FaroFlyer – well then that wins the prize for Most Useless Information On A Boarding Card.

If the airline is to print information on a boarding pass, be it printed or electronic, it should state the departure time and the time at which the gate closes (although, of course, they want passengers at the gate way before that).

A ‘clear security time’ statement is meaningless. Passengers can say, yeah, I cleared security when you said and then went to the bar for a quick pint. What do you mean the gate is now closed?

[ASK1945]

“A ‘clear security time’ statement is meaningless. Passengers can say, yeah, I cleared security when you said and then went to the bar for a quick pint. What do you mean the gate is now closed?”

BOTP, I disagree that it is “meaningless”. Assuming that the primary purpose of going to an airport is to catch a plane to go somewhere, I would assume that the phrase means that it might take you 35 minutes from leaving security to getting to the plane before the gate closes (that being 20 minutes or 30 minutes before take-off time, or whatever).

In my opinion, going to a bar for a “quick pint” is not essential, but is acceptable if you have plenty of time after clearing security.

What would be helpful is the ticket showing the time the gate closes as well.

[BackOfThePlane]

In this instance, the statement on @FaroFlyer’s boarding pass stated “Clear security by 20:10 Departure time 20:45”.

So, clear security by 20.10, 35 minutes before a scheduled 20.45 departure, with the gate closing at ?, for a long-haul flight departing from the B gates? My elderly mother doesn’t require assistance at the airport but would struggle with that.

My suggestion would be that the airline print the departure time, the gate close time and a message perhaps suggesting that travellers arrive at the gate 1 hour before departure, especially for long-haul flights. The clear security statement is, my opinion, at best unhelpful and, at worst, likely to cause problems.

I think it’s also worth remembering that not all airport passengers are regular flyers. I know from experience that there are a lot of people out there who still think that the scheduled departure time is when the gate closes.

[Nick Pike]

I think the purpose of the admittedly unhelpful “clear security” time is to provide a block- as you know you are obliged to scan your boarding pass as you enter security, so if you try to do that (in this instance after 2010) you are automatically rejected and can proceed no further. it stops there being passengers airside who can’t board their flight.

[ASK1945]

BOTP – I am agreed with all your new points, but I remain disagreed with your earlier point about the “clear security time statement is meaningless” – by justifying this point by mentioning going to a bar for a quick pint. My support for the airline printing this statement was precisely about it being useful for those such as your mother.

[TominScotland]

The low cost airlines make our lives very simple and there is no scope for misinterpretation. Both Easyjet and Ryanair boarding passes specific both when the gate closes and when the flight departs – there is a 30 minute gap between the two. Surely, that is the way to go.

3 users thanked author for this post.

Jacob, ASK1945, BackOfThePlane

[Author]

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