A new viral airport hack is now making some passengers miss their flights because they’re showing up to the gate too late, and this is all coming from a misunderstanding
Holidaymakers are advised to avoid taking part in the popular ‘airport theory’ trend, after dozens of travellers miss their flights for showing up to the gate too late. A new TikTok trend has taken social media by storm, where travellers ignore the airport advice of showing up to the airport hours before their flight.
Instead, passengers are showing up 15 to 20 minutes before their scheduled boarding or departure time. If you’re carrying a cabin bag, you can save yourself some time by having to go to the airport two to three hours before and avoid the long queues.
READ MORE: Airport worker shares tip to make your suitcase the first off the plane
As long as you have a digital boarding pass and your suitcase has the permitted measurements and weight, you shouldn’t have any problems. But there’s one thing you should know.
Social media users have posted videos of their attempts to make it to their flights on a short timeframe, but this has led to some missing their flights, the Daily Mail reported.
TikToker @momlifewithtiff, whose name is Tiffany, documented the moment that she and her husband almost missed their flight by trying out the challenge. She wrote: “Definitely do not recommend trying the airport theory. Will certainly be getting to the airport 2 hours early from now on.”
Posting different time frames of this stressful situation, she filmed from the moment they got stuck in security whilst boarding had already begun, to begging people to cut in line, and finally, being the last two passengers to board the plane before the doors closed.
In a similar situation, another TikTok user @jenny_kurtzz, known as Jenny, said that she found out the plane had left without her showing up at the gate at the time of departure.
READ MORE: ‘I worked at Heathrow Airport and this overweight baggage hack fails every time’
As a former check-in agent, I’ve had situations where passengers would be at the gate as soon as the doors had closed, or even when the plane was about to take off. Unfortunately, in these circumstances, there isn’t anything that the airline can do.
When this happens, passengers have to book another flight at their own expense. However, this can change depending on the circumstances and their status with the airline.
It’s important for passengers to understand they must arrive at the gate at least one hour prior to departure time. During this hour, passengers board the plane. The departure time is the slot planes should take off, not when boarding begins.
Another tip for holidaymakers is to expect agents checking the number of bags you’re bringing on board. Planes have a capacity and weight allowance, reflected in their strict rules of one cabin bag and one personal item per passenger.
Although the ‘airport theory’ trend might work on some occasions, it’s best to be on the safe side and avoid the situation of having to spend hundreds of pounds for a new ticket. No one wants to start their holidays on the wrong foot!