When you miss your flight, there are a myriad of options available for contacting your airline. In the past, you would contact your travel agent or go to a ticket desk in the terminal.
Today those options still exist, plus everything up to and including smoke signals or carrier pigeon it seems! Let’s have a look at some of the ways available today to help you on your journey.
Virtually all airlines have a presence on Twitter these days. It allows the airline to make announcements directly to people following the airline’s account, plus passengers can contact the team for assistance.
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- Responses from British Airways
These teams provide online customer service in real time. You can see from the above that they take compliments, complaints, provide flight information and will ask you to send on a booking reference to fix any issue.
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- A similar story at Qantas
Frequent flyer types are generally of the opinion that the Twitter teams are very good at providing quick responses. Therefore, you should have an account and follow the airlines you fly. If you do miss your flight, you might need their help.
A similar story happens over at Facebook. Most airlines will have a page on the site, and virtually all of them have a social media team who are responsible for replying to customers.
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- Cathay Pacific’s message box
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- Royal Jordanian’s is the same
Perhaps this would be the easiest method for you to make contact with an airline when you miss your flight. It all depends on what you are comfortable with.
How About Going Old School?
For those who make bookings through travel agents or with package holiday providers, you’re going to want to contact them by phone or e-mail in the event you miss your flight. I would also suggest putting your airline’s contact number into your phone before you travel, just in case you need it.
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- Remember these bad boys?
Where you’ve already arrived at the airport, the check-in agent or ticket desk people are going to be your best friends. However, in the event your flight is cancelled and everyone is waiting in line at these desks, you might try Twitter or the phone to get rebooked faster. That’s a top tip!
The Cardinal Rules When You Miss Your Flight
Most importantly, there are two things you should keep in mind when you miss your flight. First, it is not the end of the world. You will get to where you’re going or get home. Flying into a panic is not going to help you get home any faster.
Another thing people often forget, which is vital. Be kind to the customer service people assisting you. They didn’t make you late or cancel your flight, they are there to help you and give you options to get you where you’re going. Always be pleasant to these people, as nice people usually always get better service.
Overall Thoughts
It is never fun to miss your flight, especially when you have a bunch of connecting flights afterwards, which has happened to me once. Most times, the airline staff are sympathetic and will do their best to get you where you’re going at at little cost and inconvenience as possible.
Hopefully this little guide helps you out should it happen to you. Not everyone knows to use the Twitter and Facebook channels, which is probably why they remain popular among a certain demographic.
Have you ever missed your flight before? What was your experience with the airline’s customer service and which method did you use? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by chuttersnap via Unsplash.
Australian rotary dial telephone image via Vintage Phones.
