How to Deal When You Miss Your Flight: 10 Steps to Survival

One of the more depressing news stories yesterday was that supermodel Karlie Kloss missed her Philippine Airlines flight. She got pretty angry about it and went to vent her frustrations on social media. On Twitter, she called the airline ‘rude and disrespectful’ and said that they have the worst customer service.

PAL has since reached out to her and her last tweet to them seems to show that she’s in higher spirits; but since I missed my own Cebu Pacific flight last week and although I have no idea if Karlie Kloss was just stressed out or if the crew really was mean to her, I decided to make a “guide” on how to deal (with the situation, yourself and your life from then on out) when you miss your flight.

How to Deal When You Miss Your Flight: 10 Steps to Survival

1. Relax.

When you hear the news that you missed your flight, the first emotions that you feel will probably involve some anger, frustration and despair. This may or may not lead you to scream, cry, throw a tantrum or make a scene.

Please try to avoid doing any of the above. The fact of the matter is: none of these things will help you. Instead, just take a deep breath and stay calm. (This is for your own good – and your sanity.)

2. Accept defeat.

Naturally, human instinct will probably make you at least plead for the airline to let you onto your plane. “The plane is still there. They’re still boarding. I can run! I can make it! I can hand-carry my luggage! JUST CHECK ME IN!!!” You will probably ask a gazillion questions with hopes that somehow, someway, they will still be able to sneak you onto the plane. Eventually, though, you will realize that they won’t. (They never do – even if you result in screaming, crying, throwing a tantrum or making a scene – because it’s airline policy.) What you have to do now is simply accept defeat.

3. Call someone.

You may still feel the need to scream at something or cry in a corner after you realize that your plane has already flown away without you. The best remedy for this? Call someone – preferably someone who has a knack for calming you down or always has ears to listen to you vent.

They may not be able to have a solution for you that will get you on your plane, but at least you’ll be able to release all of the anger and sadness in your heart before you combust.

4. Assess all of your options.

Once you are officially calm and have let all of the initial anger and sadness out of your system, it is time to assess your options. Can you rebook your ticket? Did you get a promo ticket and need to buy a new one? If so, is there a flight soon? Is the flight cheap? Would it be better if you booked with another airline? How much money do you have on you? Did you bring a credit card just in case?

5. Find a flight.

Once you are aware of your money situation and the available flight situation, find a flight and book it.

6. Avoid replaying the situation in your head.

After booking your flight and realising that you still have a few hours left until your next flight (if you had to completely rebook your ticket, you’re probably staring at the amount of money you just paid), you will probably find yourself replaying the situation in your head, asking yourself where things went wrong and what you could have done differently. Avoid doing this. You will only make yourself feel worse.

7. Accept defeat (again).

Again: the damage has been done. There is nothing you can do about it anymore. There is no sense in rehashing the past and wishing you had left the house earlier, moved faster or fought harder at the check-in counter.

8. Look on the bright side.

Yes, you are wasting time at the airport. Yes, you may have even wasted some money on rebooking your ticket. Yes, you could have been at your destination by now. The good news is that you’re alive and well! 🙂

You may not share the same religious beliefs as I do, but I believe that God has a reason for everything. Maybe something bad would have happened if you had gotten on your original flight. Maybe you needed this to grow as a person. The reason may not be clear right now, but it may become clearer as time goes by.

9. Look for something to do.

Keep yourself busy. I am hoping you packed a book or a gadget with you because the last thing you want to do is fall asleep out of stress and exhaustion and miss your flight AGAIN. *knocks on wood*

10. Learn from your mistake.

It’s funny that I’m saying this because I actually missed a Cebu Pacific flight to Cebu exactly seven years before I missed my Cebu Pacific flight to Cebu last week, and clearly, I haven’t learned from my mistake. However, the way I dealt with the situation this time was completely different compared to how I dealt with the situation seven years ago – and while there may have still been some pent-up anger in me this time around, I was calmer and saner at the very least.

Have you ever missed a flight before? What did you do about it? How did you stay sane? Share your tips with us here!