Lost in transit ... some passengers get distracted after check-in, others back out.Credit: Peter Braig
There are many reasons why passengers fail to make the departure gate on time, writes Sheriden Rhodes.
'This is an urgent page for passengers Barrat, Carter and Steel who have failed to board flight JQ 627 to Melbourne. If you are in the terminal, please proceed immediately to the gate where your aircraft and fellow passengers are awaiting an immediate departure."
Anyone who travels regularly would have heard a version of that familiar call ringing out across airports around the world. Many of us have been delayed by the departure of an aircraft due to engineering issues, a late-arriving plane or cancellations. Even more frustrating are delays caused by passengers who check in but don't board the aircraft.
How do they manage to disappear between checking in and the gate? Are airports a "Bermuda Triangle" where they vanish? Are they in the bar, engrossed in a best-seller in the newsagency or have they simply decided to go home?
As departure is imminent, the calls for missing passengers grow more frantic and ground crew can be seen running through terminals, asking, "Anyone for Auckland, Bangkok or Melbourne?"
A Sydney travel specialist, Richard Davey, recalls a delay on a Qantas flight out of Singapore because a gold frequent flyer was detained for shoplifting in the terminal.
The manager of media and communications for Sydney Airport Corporation, Michael Samaras, says there are more common reasons for passengers failing to show after checking in: they become ill, leave the airport for a family emergency or lose track of time while sightseeing somewhere beyond the airport.
The public relations manager for Singapore Airlines, Susan Bredow, says passengers usually go missing because they are too ill or too frightened to travel. "It's surprising the number of people who have a fear of flying," she says.
The manager of public affairs for the Virgin Blue group of airlines, Colin Lippiatt, says missing passengers have sometimes used the internet check-in service and never actually stepped into the airport. He said about 2.7 per cent of all the airline's flights are delayed by boarding-related issues.
A Jetstar spokeswoman says late passengers get distracted, lose track of time and, on occasion, have a last-minute change to their plans.
She says Jetstar does its best to locate late passengers as soon as possible with public announcements. "On the rare occasions that a passenger does not board but has checked in bags, we are required to offload the bags prior to departure [for security reasons, airlines cannot take off with unaccompanied bags] and we do this as quickly as we can to minimise the disruption."
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