Why You Should Always Contact Your Airline During a Close Relationship
On the Flyer Talk forums, one user explained why they missed their connecting flight due to an issue with their boarding pass on their phone. By their account, the United app smoothed out just like the passenger lined up in safety, and did not show proof of any actual boarding pass. “I mumble and mumble to the TSA guy that it can’t be,” uval44 wrote. “I am in the middle of my journey and my flight takes 10 minutes.”
As it turns out, the reason for this is a little more complex than a simple failure; the user said United “protected” them by sending them on a later flight, seemingly not contacting them in the first place to report the change. In return, the airline canceled their boarding pass, leaving them stranded and forced to miss their original flight.
What exactly went wrong here? Well, we can’t tell who is to blame without knowing the whole story, but many major airlines (like United) will automatically overbook passengers who risk losing connection if their first flight is delayed. In the case of the traveler in question, it is possible that United’s algorithm failed to make the correct judgment. (Or the traveler was wrong all the time, and the airline did accurately assess the situation.)
Either way, this is why it is always helpful to contact your airline during a particularly close relationship: if the airline does decide to reschedule your flight, contacting them directly is the easiest way to confirm any changes. You can also confirm the boarding gate number and terminal for your connection, which may or may not be immediately updated in the electronic version of your boarding pass. If you are running late and already expecting to miss your flight, you can easily reschedule your flight by contacting the airline directly.
Otherwise, you should always get in the habit of taking screenshots of your boarding pass, which will at least prevent situations where you get stuck in safety and make it easier for you to board without fiddling with your internet browser. (If you’re using an iOS device, adding it to your wallet works too.)
If you want to go analog, it’s also helpful to have a paper boarding pass in case your phone breaks or you can’t find a stable Wi-Fi connection. Some international airports even require paper boarding passes to board your flight. (In case you’re wondering, the controversy over paper versus electronic boarding passes is alive and well.) And if you’re running late and panicking, here’s our guide with other tips to help you get your connecting flight.