Missed flight due to understaffed Security

la531983

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82115435#Comment_82115435

Fair enough.

In any case the OP admitting they were only there 75 minutes before the scheduled flight means any complaint will fall on deaf ears, imo.

NoodleDoodleMan

As above, I don't see any deliberately negative responses.

Quite often pointing out the unfortunate realities of a situation or set of circumstances is perceived that way.

sheramber

How long do I need to check in before my flight is due to depart?

Please check the instructions on your airline ticket and from your travel agent or booking website. If you are still unsure please check with your airline directly.

We generally advise passengers to arrive 2 hours prior departure however some airlines may advise you to arrive earlier than this. For transatlantic flights check-in desks open 3 hours before the flight. Passengers must allow adequate time to complete the check-in process and proceed through security.

Please note that check-in desks close between 40 minutes to an hour before the scheduled departure time depending on your airline, passengers arriving after this time will be denied boarding.

https://www.belfastairport.com/airport-guide/customer-services/frequently-asked-questions

jnm21

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82115435#Comment_82115435

I like your two responses - firstly thank you for acknowledging the context issue. It takes the bigger person to acknowledge a slip, rather than attack. 👍

I agree that there is more chance of winning the lottery than the airport coughing up. I am intrigued by the no image - from memory someone sits looking at the screen and moves the belt back & forth as required - has this changed with the improved scanners? Was the person napping?

I nearly put improved in inverted quotes, but realised that would be a gross mistake - no doubt the scanners are better, BUT how they are being used seems not to work - I would estimate that the new rules of leaving everything packed & relying on the improved scanners to unpick the massively more complex subject is leading to at least twice as many bags requiring manual checking. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that some bags are randomly selected for checking - while the processes used with the improved scanners are being refined, with more items being actively selected, is it possible to reduce the proportion randomly selected?

jnm21

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82116021#Comment_82116021

What is the point in requoting an answer that has already been pointed out to be irrelevant?

Actually you highlighted to me that the last part is definitely wrong.

"Please note that check-in desks close between 40 minutes to an hour before the scheduled departure time depending on your airline, passengers arriving after this time will be denied boarding."

I have turned up with less than 1 hour & made my flight just fine, when travelling hand luggage only & checked in online. I suspect the answer needs much more carefully worded.

You could say that following the advice in the answer would lead you to think 1 hour is sufficient - check with airline, check in desk closes 1 hour before, 1 hour must be enough.

Also technically the EasyJet website says BFS is in the all other flights, 2 hours & 40 minutes, group - it is certainly not in Belfast & thus the flying from Belfast reference can only mean BHD.

Jemma01

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82116355#Comment_82116355

Why are you barking at ppl? You shared your opinion we get it. No one cares if you got lucky one day and made it in an hour!! How does that help OP? Oh I see, it doesn't. No one can anticipate what the load is like, failures happen, issues happen.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82116355#Comment_82116355

While accepting that I hadn't made it clear that the BFS FAQ reference to two hours was in response to a question about arrival for check-in, that doesn't in itself mean that it's irrelevant, or at least any more so than airline pages!

The issue as I see it is that the passenger journey from airport entrance to gate involves processes separately controlled both by the airport and the airline, so neither is in any position to offer guarantees about timescales as they can't make commitments on behalf of the other.

Therefore a case can be made that neither the timescales quoted by the airport nor the airline can actually be exclusively relied on, especially in the context of trying to support a formal reimbursement claim, i.e. they should be seen as indicative rather than binding…

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82116355#Comment_82116355

My husband once caught a plane as it taxied away.

He threw his case in and then the air hostess grabbed his arms and helped him in.

As they came o to land the captain announced over the tannoy ‘ would Mr Xxx please leave the plane by the correct exit,’

I don’t think you could do that nowadays.

zagfles

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82116398#Comment_82116398

Barking? You're roaring then 😉The post is helpful because the point is perfectly valid - if the airline/airport allow you to check your luggage in an hour before departure, they clearly consider an hour enough time to get through security etc. Why would they take your luggage if they don't think you've left enough time to get to the gate?

In reality an hour is nearly always enough and where it isn't because of major delays in security etc the flight is often delayed, they aren't going to take off if half the passengers are missing. Flying back from the Canaries last autumn there were big delays at security and passport control, it was chaos, we got to the gate about 5 mins after the "gate closure" time and there was no-one there, we thought we'd missed the flight. But we hadn't - we were the first there and they hadn't even started boarding!

OP was just unlucky as something happened which just significantly delayed them and not other people. Personally I usually allow 90 mins if travelling with hand luggage only but I like to be a bit cautious.

zagfles

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82116934#Comment_82116934

I think you've been watching too many James Bond movies 🤣