Missed flights are the worst! In my 33 years of flying, I’ve only missed two flights. The first was many years ago on my first solo adventure and because of my amateur booking skills, and as luck would have it, my second due to plane delays on my connecting flight to Spain while traveling with a toddler. I’ve read horror stories about this but have never experienced it first hand until our trip to Spain this summer. Our flight route was as follows: Los Angeles International to Dallas Fort Worth to Madrid, Spain. However, due to a delay at LAX we missed our connecting flight out of DFW to Madrid.
Now let me tell you why this was such a dreadful experience. First of all, we boarded the plane in LAX at the correct boarding time. Then after sitting on the plane for about 30 minutes we were told just a few more minutes, then 30 minutes later told just a few more minutes, and so on. This went on for 2 hours! If you’ve ever flown with a toddler you know that 2 hours on a plane is valuable time so that plane better be flying! So for two hours we sat there. We weren’t allowed to deplane to stretch our legs, there was no drink service, and there was the anxiety of missing our connecting flight. As we talked amongst the other frustrated passengers, we found that there were actually a ton of people who were also on our connecting flight to Madrid. We tried to hold out hope that they would wait for us but as we deplaned in Madrid we were met with emails, gate agents, and screens telling us a different story – the flight to Madrid had departed on time and just 10 minutes before we deplaned in Dallas. Yes, our flight from LAX was actually on the ground in Dallas before our Madrid flight took off. It was very frustrating.
Anyways, the next set of events is what I want to make sure everyone is prepared for. First, the airline will not give you your checked baggage. Instead the luggage is stored and the tags are updated on the computer system to be put on the flight that they reassign to you. Second, you have to wait in a line with the million other customers who have missed connecting flights to see about hotel options. In this instance, the people we spoke to the next day said they waited in line for 2 hours only to be told that American Airlines wasn’t paying for hotel rooms because the delay was “weather related” and not “mechanical”.
Lucky for us, we had family in Dallas that we were able to stay with. This was HUGE! Since it was 10 pm before we arrived, it was nice that we didn’t have to wait in line with an exhausted toddler to get a hotel room (which we found out weren’t giving anyways) and we were able to call and rebook our flight for the following day. It would have also been impossible to find an uber, lyft, or taxi to pick us up since we were flying internationally and hadn’t brought our car seat.
So let me tell you what I learned from this whole thing…
- Always have a plan if you miss your flight or if it is delayed. Talk it over with your spouse, partner, or flying companion before you leave so that it’s figured out when you are both level headed and not running on fumes.
- Budget for it. Airlines are the worst. Period. They will find any excuse not to pay for anything extra. In our case we were told by the pilot the first time that it was a weather delay and the second time a fueling mechanical issue but when it came down to paying for rooms and we arrived in Dallas, American Airlines but it all on the “weather”. Look at nearby hotels. Can you afford to stay in the airport hotel? Are you a member of a certain hotel and prefer to stay there? Where is it in relation to the airport?
- Always pack the essentials in your carry on. Luckily for my husband and I, we are both seasoned travelers and know things like this happen. We each had packed the essential toiletries and a change of clothes in our carry on. And as always, I had packed all of the essentials for Jacob in his diaper bag. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I always pack extra diapers and formula in case of delays or unforeseen traveling events. You may also want to quickly research where the nearest market is if you miss your connections and need additional diapers, formula, etc. in preparation for the next flight.
- Make sure you have the appropriate transportation for your child. Unless you plan to stay at the airport hotel, make sure you have proper transportation for your little one. I cannot attest to how airlines handle things like checked car seats, but when we asked for our luggage, we were told we couldn’t get it and it would be checked onto our next flight. I am not sure if this same logic applies to checked car seats so make sure you ask your airline their policy.
- Mentally be prepared for anything. This is not to scare you; this is to empower you. If anything comes your way, you’ll be able to handle it! I remember I had specifically picked this flight to Spain because it was convenient for our nap schedule, well that all didn’t go as planned either. Not for the original flight or the rescheduled flight the next day. Prepare yourself to be flexible more than anything!
Even after the nightmare of missing a flight, our trip to Spain was one of our best, most memorable trips yet!