...
By Darlin Tillery
Life & Trends Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A family hoping for a long-awaited getaway found themselves stranded at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after a chain of delays and missed connections derailed the first day of their trip.
The traveler and original poster (OP), user sassyseagull1, recounted the experience on Reddit, explaining that both she and her husband rarely get time off from demanding jobs and had planned the trip from Buffalo, New York, to San Diego with their 16-year-old daughter.
The family’s first flight to Chicago started smoothly, but passengers were soon told the plane needed to offload hundreds of gallons of fuel because of poor weather conditions at O’Hare.
Read More on Life
The process delayed departure by more than an hour, shrinking an already tight connection window.
...
After landing in Chicago, the plane reportedly spent about 20 minutes taxiing before reaching the gate.
With their connecting flight to San Diego already boarding, the family rushed through the terminal. Their daughter, a track runner, sprinted ahead in hopes of holding the gate.
They arrived just minutes too late.
Trying to salvage the trip, the family learned there was a flight departing for Palm Springs in roughly 20 minutes. A phone agent reportedly rebooked them and told them to have the gate agent print their boarding passes.
But the gate agent refused.
“I explained we are already on the flight and all he has to do is issue the boarding passes,” the OP recalled. “THE DOOR IS STILL OPEN. His response? ‘I'm not doing it,’ and he walks over and shuts the gate door.”
Stranded in Chicago, the family received a hotel voucher but ran into more setbacks. The hotel shuttle was too crowded, forcing them to pay for an Uber after having waited for two hours.
They then waited another hour in line to receive a room.
'I'm doubtful'
The OP wrote, "We are now booked to possibly get on standby at 10 or 11 a.m., but definitely by 5 p.m. tonight. So the first day of our 4-day vacation will be spent stuck at O'Hare, hoping to get to California before 8 p.m. this evening, but our bags won't arrive till then, regardless.
So it's almost 6 a.m. and because of the TSA mess, we are headed back to O'Hare to try to get through the gates on time, but I'm doubtful, given how many horror stories we are hearing."
Reddit Reacts
Reddit users flocked to the comments to weigh in, with one writing, “You didn't give yourself nearly enough time to make your connection, especially with the weather going on."
As for the gate agent's refusal to print their boarding passes, they added, "Gate agents are penalized for not getting the plane out of the gate, and maybe [had] already wrapped up boarding as you arrived.”
Travel disruptions like missed flights happen to many passengers each year, and airline policies can vary depending on the situation.
'At the mercy of the airline'
According to a guide from Condé Nast Traveler, airline reward platform Point.me spokesperson Gilbert Ott said travelers should focus on working with agents when seeking help after a missed flight.
“You're at the mercy of the airline and any [do you know who I am] behavior is unlikely to help," he told the outlet. "Try to be accountable, even if circumstances like a ‘flat tire’ were extraordinary, and instead focus on a desire to find solutions.”
Michelle Couch-Friedman, executive director for consumer advocacy nonprofit Elliott Advocacy, said airlines do not usually weigh the reasons a traveler missed the flight.
Passenger Responsibility
“The fact is that the airlines don’t care why you don't show up at the gate,” Couch-Friedman said. “There really is no differentiation between getting held up with TSA or sleeping too long.
"The passenger is responsible in both of those [situations].”
Airline policies sometimes allow passengers to stand by for the next available flight if they arrive shortly after departure.
According to travel site The Points Guy, American Airlines allows travelers who arrive within two hours of departure to request standby on the next flight without paying change fees.
Newsweek has reached out to sassyseagull1 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines