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How one minute can cost you $530 at Calgary International Airport
Last Friday at Calgary International Airport (right), 22-year-old Florida student Samantha Hydes learned a new lesson: Hydes arrived at 7:01 AM for her 8:00 AM flight home to Tallahassee and was unceremoniously denied. She had driven in from Banff. Guess she should have driven just a hair faster, not paused so long at stop signs, and walked faster from the car to the check-in.
Northwest Airlines does "recommend" that travelers arrive two hours in advance of international flights, but Hydes said there was no mention of the one-hour rule which left her stranded. The Northwest Airlines attendant told her the computer had "closed for booking."
According to the Calgary Sun: "She eventually booked a flight departing five hours later with Delta Airlines, Northwest's corporate cousin, shelling out $530 above the $750 round-trip fare she'd already paid. Of that sum, $150 was for a flight change fee, said Hydes."
Okay. She was late. But not very. And nobody told her there was a one-hour rule. Airports do need time to process their passengers, especially international ones, so definitely take your airlines "recommendations" seriously.
As for Northwest Airlines in this particular case? We think that's lame. We are suspicious that the gate attendant stood there typing "asdfjkl;" into the computer while the 7:00 turned to 7:01.
Check out these other stories from the airport checkpoint!
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 8)
Dana Mar 18th 2009 9:58AM
That is ridiculous for the airlines to do that. They should
refund the money and more. What about all of the constant cancelled flights and flight delays? The passengers do not get refunds! How rude.
pjchilds Mar 18th 2009 10:02AM
My first impulse was to feel sorry and outraged for her, but then again, I'm a frequent flier and it irks me when clueless dimwits like her arrive at the very last second and get pushed to the head of the line in front of me.
Who's to say that our young traveler wasn't a self entitled little princess who threw a big hissy fit because the world didn't bend to her wishes.
Attitude is everything, when dealing with airport personnel (and people in general). The airlines can be very friendly when you are very calm and friendly to them.
LCS Mar 18th 2009 10:40AM
Northwest is the most in-ept airline I have ever flown. My son has to fly NW to see his father a couple of times a year. EVERY TIME there are issues of them being late, and he (a minor) misses his connecting flight. I can NOT tell you how many times the plane has been broken and they can't get it fixed and he has had to wait in the airport for up to 12 hours, and we still had to take him home and bring him back the next day for a flight. They have "accidentally" cancelled his flight, lost his bags, and just do NOT seem to care. DON'T fly Northworst!
Jeff Mar 18th 2009 10:09AM
I have flown over 75,000 miles a year for the last 5 years with NWA. I can say from my extensive experience that the 60 minute rule is mandated by the TSA. Depending on the airport the check in time for domestic flights is 30 or 45 or 60 minutes prior to departure; however, the 60 minute rule is standard for international flights.
That being I know that for domestic flights they are able to bypass the check in window manually but it is totally up to their discretion and they must justify doing so. Saying someone arrived late would not be justification. International flights are another matter.
Also I can say that the person saying they tried to check in for a flight 1:30 minutes early in Orlando and were denied because they were late clearly has their facts mixed up as this would not happen.
The fact is this girl was late and saying “no one told her about checking in 60 minutes ahead of time” is non-sense. The check-in information is available at NWA.com, on the paper tickets, and e-tickets.
Stop whining and follow the procedures.
Dee Mar 18th 2009 10:12AM
We arrived 1:56 minutes early for a Rome to NY flight in 2004. Alitalia adheres to the 2 hour international rule so they would not seat us, sold our seats, I had to buy two more seats only to watch the plane from my original flight sit on the tarmac for 3 hours. My new flight left 10 minutes after my original one.
Very frustrating.
diane Mar 18th 2009 10:21AM
My family and I willNEVER fly on this airline SHAME ON YOU ripping off a student no less. GIVE THE GIRL HER MONEY BACK!! NOT SOME AIRLINE VOUCHER HER MONEY!!!!!!!
IH Mar 18th 2009 10:38AM
I will never fly Northwest again either. I was one minute late because of THEIR connecting flight and the plane was just sitting there. They didn't even try the computer! Some companies deserve the bad press.........I learned my lesson......hope you do too!
TJ Mar 18th 2009 10:26AM
Airlines were SO much more efficient before the government hijacked them.
MK Mar 18th 2009 10:32AM
It is entirely the girl's fault. Everyone is saying that she was one minute late, but she wasn't. She was an hour and one minute late. It is general knowledge that you should arrive at least two hours before an international flight. This woman should have read all the information when she booked her flight. She deserved to pay the difference. She doesn't deserve pity just because she neglected to inform herself.
Laura Mar 18th 2009 10:31AM
I arrived over 2 hours early for an international flight at Houston IAH only to stand in line to check in with baggage for 1.5 hours and then had to fight to get on. In my case there were about 50 people still in line behind me for the same flight so they actually ended up delaying it for 2 hours to get everyone through the ridiculously slow process.
David Mar 18th 2009 10:30AM
There are certain airlines that will not be missed when they cease to exist. Northest & Delta are at the top of the list. The gate agent really felt POWERFUL that day. What a SLOB. A heafty lawsuit is in order.
mike Mar 18th 2009 1:14PM
i wonder why the airlines are in trouble? could it be instances like this? you know if my job security was on the line, my pension my 401 k my employee stock option if all these things were at stake in an economy like this i would not only check her in, i would carry her down to the boarding gate. i hope one day this girl has a chance to do something nice for tye cklerk and doesn,t
Mike Mar 18th 2009 10:47AM
What a lot of folks don't undersand is that with many time cutoffs the computer doesn't allow the airline agent to do certain things beyond that time frame. If the agent overrides the computer time limits, it generates a report to their management, the agent gets called in and is reprimanded for not following the timelines.
Example, if baggage check-in cutoff is 45 mins, exactly 45 mins before flight time the computer will only print a bag tag that has a code on it showing you were late and the airline will not be responsible for bag delivery at your arrival airport because you checked in late.
With the increase of technology at the airlines they have cut back tremendously on agents to wait on customers relying on computers to lots of the work. Customers want cheap rates and ontime flights and in order to get that there are certain rules that must be adheared to, plain and simple. Airlines are not making enough money to cover costs, which keep going up for them, like landing costs, fuel, new airplanes, and salaries.
Not to say that many times the airlines screw up, but in this instance it was most likely the computer which is programmed to follow the rules. Even though the planes are full, many full flights don't fully cover the cost of operating the flight let alone make money. Most airlines have already cut salaries, taken away pensions, and cut staff to levels that only allow for a perfect operation, and we all know a perfect operation is rare these days.
Annee Mar 18th 2009 10:50AM
True story: years ago, we were scheduled to leave Detroit Metro with our children on a Northwest Flight.
We arrived at the gate on our ticket with plenty of time, only to be told that the gate had been changed to one as far away as you could get (a mile?) We trekked with our children and carry ons, got half-way there, looked at the departure board and saw our flight again listed at the original gate. My husband picked up a phone and demanded a confirmation. Back to the original gate just in time to board. NO apology. THEN the flight was held up for a group that made it all the way to the other gate and had to come back. Wouldn't happen today would it? tough luck to you, book another flight.
Adam Mar 18th 2009 10:55AM
1 minute late. That's a load of crap. What if the person in front of her decided that she had a million questions to ask. Or maybe the person checking her in took a phone call. I'd tell that airline to go kiss my......
Rocky Raccoon Mar 18th 2009 12:09PM
Screw the airlines..Bunch of money crubing bastards..hope they all go out of business....What a joke, one hour rule....kiss my ass....
Andyb61670 Mar 18th 2009 10:56AM
Flying to NY to MI I was also denied entrance unto my plane. I had checked in the required two hours before. When I had 45 minutes to my departure time I went to my boarding gate. I watched two people go thru the door and then it was closed. I asked the attendant to open the door so I could get on. (Flight still was not scheduled to leave for 30 minutes) she said the flight was leaving early (no annoucements) and they couldn't let me on. After much fighting, a manager upfront (at check-in) admitted the flight had been overbooked. I got a free ticket for the next flight.
Fight and stick up for yourselves. Overbooking happens all the time!
jamie Mar 18th 2009 10:58AM
Just like my internation flight last month right? They told us we had to be there at a certain time in the morning for checkin (I think it was an hour and a half prior to scheduled depart). However, we arrived at the airport and the counter wasn't even open. By the time they decided to show up to work and check us in it was only 45 minutes til departure. Double standards, always.
texanna33 Mar 18th 2009 11:01AM
I think it is outrageous. 1 minute! There policy should be clearly stated if they are going to be that rigid.The problem is, at that point the airline holds you hostage, you have no alternative but to allow them to extort more money from you, if you really need to be somewhere. I wish Southwest flew over seas, I would never fly any other carrier. I fly them at least 3 - 4 times a year and they may not have all the extras but they have the nicest people, the most efficient system and they believe in having some fun. The trade off is worth it.
David Lovitt Mar 18th 2009 11:11AM
I have flown virtually all of the domestic airlines at one time or another and Northwest will always be my LAST choice. Several years ago we flew to Hawaii with a group (special low fare.) My wife twisted her knee while there and needed to keep it extended on the return trip. Northwest not only would not allow us to upgrade our original ticket to first class but would not sell us first class tickets when we offered to pay the full walk-up fare (against some rule.) Thankfully a flight atttendent took pity and moved my wife up front shortly after takeoff. First class was less than 50% filled! Most of NW's employees are great but the company's rules suck. I wrote a letter to NW's CEO about this; his response was basically "rules are rules." Why would any smart business turn down additional revernue? My conclusion; NWA is not a smart business!