I boarded the wrong flight and missed mine.

hodgson_stuart

I boarded the wrong flight and missed my flight. Its a bit of a read, but wanted to give as much detail to put you in the picture.

This might be a rare occurrence and I am contemplating who to contact first to complain about the security breach.

Last Friday (77th July 17) after a week away in Alicante we checked in at Alicane Elche Airport and cleared security.

The trip was booked with Lastminute.com and the flights with Monarch, so no online check in available. But we only had to turn up at the airport and they allocate seats & print boarding passes.

With frequent checks of the departure boards we wait at the gate hand over the boarding passes and passports, board the plane and take our seats.

We wait for the final passengers to board, one slight confusion as we have a ticket showing the same seat number as another passenger on her mobile, but there is a spare seat next to us so she takes that and we wait for departure.

Only when the cabin crew check the meal allocations do they query there are two additional passengers on the plane and ask to see our boarding passes. We were on the wrong plane! At no point had we clicked that this was a BA flight and we were Monarch. We were no allowed to stay for 'security reasons'. They speak to the pilot who is amazed we'd got this far and the steps are brought back in and we are escorted from the plane to try and board the Monarch flight. We only have hand luggage.

The steps had already been retracted and the pilot was not willing to delay departure to let us on board despite pleas from the ground staff.

These were adjacent gates with near identical departure times to the same destination.
I accept the fact we are responsible for standing in the wrong cue at the boarding gate, but I think that is where our mistake ends and the airlines / airport / boarding staff mistakes began.

We are told to leave the departure area through security and re-enter the airport and arrange our return with Iberia.

We are offered accommodation and a return the next day, which given we failed to board is consideration that they were as shocked as us at managing to get on the wrong plane. However immovable work commitments and children mean its essential we return that night. We therefore pay for a return fight with Easyjet that night.

Both the BA flight crew and Iberia staff were very nice and helpful. I am just unsure where to go with challenging the accountability for the boarding gate mistake, compromised security of the BA flight and possible claims.

I have travel insurance, but wanted to put it out there to see if this is a bigger issue before simply claiming for a missed flight.

Any advice is appreciated.

Stuart

jpsartre

What are you looking to accomplish by complaining? I'm sure the incident has already been recorded by BA. If you're looking for BA to cover the costs you incurred because you boarded the wrong flight I highly doubt they would agree to that.

I once made it halfway onto the wrong plane before the gate attendant came running after me and that was a flight for a completely different destination. This was years ago and these days many airports require you to scan your boarding pass at the gate. I suspect that will catch many of these types of mistakes.

leylandsunaddict

Check what meal allocations? BA don't do meals on shorthaul (unless you're travelling Club Europe) so there's none to check.

I can't believe you could get on a BA aircraft and not notice it wasn't ZB even before you stepped foot on it. You can see the exterior before boarding, and it's glaringly obvious once you see the cabin.

hodgson_stuart

Hi JP,
I am not convinced they will have reported the incident, which I have now done to BA.

I'm not expecting recompense for the return costs, but do feel they should check the boarding system as we all have lapses of attention as I did.

I will post if I get a reply from customer services.

S

hodgson_stuart

Yes leyland, In hindsight all bleeding obvious. Meal allocation was the reason the cabin crew gave me for checking passenger numbers.

You'd think you could see the aircraft, but at the Alicante gate we were at the plane is completely obscured from view by the walkways. All the announcements are inaudible and its all to easy to miss the small screen as you walk through.

My last few trips have been with mixed outbound and return airlines, so its not a red flag when I'm on board a different plane.

IAmWales

Did you not notice the BA branding inside the plane or was it a wet lease? Did you not check your flight number on the board?

I'd be surprised if your insurance covered this, but no harm in asking.

NotRichAtAll

I am not convinced they will have reported the incident, which I have now done to BA.

seeing they had to halt take off and return the steps etc am pretty sure all this will be logged

agarnett

Well it is clearly a BA/Iberia passenger handling security breach which they will be very embarrassed about.

Unlike jpsartre, I would think that they would consider indemnifying you for your Easyjet flights, and I do not think it unreasonable of you to suggest it. Afterall, they saved their offer of accommodation and extra flights so same ballpark stuff I am sure. Passengers making wrong turns in airports is normal. 9999/10000 (or maybe 99999/100000!) the gate check would pick this up and you would not have missed your flight.

I think the suggestion that it is incredible that you didn't notice all by yourself is a little naive about how the normal human mind works, what's actually there to be noticed (nothing at all in a jet bridge!) and unlike Ryanair, the branding inside is likely to be a little more subtle until you pick up a magazine and start scrutinising the cabin crew security badge and uniform! Perhaps even the air travel experience generally inferred from some posts is also a bit suspect - one sometimes wonders in posts on this forum!

Yours is the sort of mistake I'd make if I was not travelling my "normal" airline and was distracted by the kids. The only thing that might occur to me might be the aircraft type if different to expected - but that's me! But it shouldn't a mistake that it is possible to make.

Just keep it at a gentle level if making sure you are not out of pocket is your adjusted intention (I would suggest it is probably more likely to register in the complaints system as an important breach if they have to pay out something), and try to be helpful to them in describing exactly how the breach is likely to have happened - was the gate staff rushing for example? Did the gate staff have a passport checking role also, because that would make the breach a double whammy - the passport check is supposed not only to match the boarding pass but to match the passenger list!

Were your boarding passes printed or on your phone?

You certainly did right to bring this to BA attention again after getting home, as whether it is logged or not, it could be lost in terms of priority of incidents without reminding the higher ups via the front door again!

I'd be surprised if BA weren't pleased to simply indemnify you and take good note of how you think it might have happened. It should have been impossible to get through the gate with your documentation - and I suppose because there was a jet bridge between the gate and the door, that unlike Ryanair for example (who do not pay airports to use jet bridges generally), no cabin crew checked your boarding pass as you entered the aircraft either?

hodgson_stuart

agarnett, thanks for the considered reply. You are saying what I am feeling about the incident.

I am happy to discuss this with BA as if I were the delayed BA passenger I would not want unauthorised passengers roaming onto the aircraft.

It was a non rushed entry via the gate with boarding passes scanned and passports opened and checked. Two members of staff in attendance.

The cabin crew simply welcomed us on board without a second check. Although I have not experienced other airlines checking as I enter a plane in recent years to be fair.

I am awaiting a reply from BA...

prowla

This should have been a security incident.

richardw

What did they do with your boarding cards at the gate?