6 Worst Excuses For Missing A Flight

We’ve all been there — rushing to the gate 5 minutes before takeoff, out of breath, lugging a heavy-ass suitcase and a backpack. With sweat dripping down your face, you’re running as you’ve never run before, dodging the typical airport passerby (who came to the airport on time — jerk), and wonder “Will I make it?”

We know that panic-induced feeling like it’s the back of our hands! Here’s a list of the worse excuses for missing a flight and how to avoid it next time.

• Went To The Wrong Airport

  You’re ready for your trip, you hop in an Uber requested to take you to Laguardia and when you get there, you realize that you’re supposed to be at JFK! It happens to the best of us! You book your flight and don’t pay attention to the correct airport. This happens especially if you’re used to going to a certain airport frequently or needed to change your flight (and assumed the airport location stayed the same). You’ll definitely add some excitement into your travel day and maybe let out a few swear words.

  Solution: Read your itinerary. Twice. Make note of the airport and put it in your calendar. Twice.

• Overslept

  You set an alarm for 6:30 a.m. so you could leave for the airport with plenty of time to spare, grab a coffee and chill. The alarm goes off, you hit the snooze button a few times. When you finally wake up and glance at the time, you realize that it’s 9 a.m. and your flight leaves in an hour! And you still have to pack! This is a recipe for disaster!

  Solution: Either have a backup alarm placed far away from your bed, or book a later flight.

• Long TSA Security Lines

  So, you actually made it to the airport on time but the TSA lines are so long, you may miss your flight! Even if you show up early and have to wait in line for 2 hours, your airline or airport are not required to help you make your flight. Sometimes, however, you’ll get a friendly bunch and TSA will shout out if there’s anyone who has a flight leaving in X amount of time and they’ll push you up front.

  Solution: Get to the airport extra early. Or just put on a smile and politely ask TSA if you can go ahead of the line to make your flight.

• Lost Track Of Time At The Bar

  If you have a couple hours to kill at the airport, there are a number of things you can do. Drinking is one of them. Sometimes people have a couple of drinks before their flight because they’re nervous flyers. And sometimes people have drinks before their flight because they’re bored. If you’ve had too many drinks and dozed off on your barstool, it’s likely you’ll miss your flight.

  Solution: Read a book and stay sober. Or just limit yourself to one drink and then have a drink on your flight.

• Didn’t Pack In Time

  Packing sucks. We almost hate it as much as lugging our stuff everywhere we go. When you’re too tired to pack the night before, you decide to pack in the morning and then oversleep (see above). The chances of making your flight on time are very slim. If you do wake up on time, you’re still in a rush and will likely forget key items to pack (i.e. toothbrush, dress shoes, etc.).

  Solution: Pack the night before (obviously!) or just pack a week in advance, use LugLuss to ship your stuff straight to your destination starting at only $15!

• Can’t Decide What To Wear

  Generally, people like to be comfortable when they travel but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to look like a slob, especially if you’re checking in on Facebook and uploading travel selfies on the gram. We get it, you want to look cute. However, spending too much in changing your outfit for your travel day can result in missing your flight. You may look cute but what good does that do if you’ve missed your flight?

  Solution: Lay out what you’re going to wear the night before. And don’t change your mind! The fashion police aren’t going to ban you from the airport.

Have you used any of these excuses for missing your flight in the past? If not — high-five! Missing your flight is the worst and can end up costing a fortune to get on a replacement flight and turn your travel schedule upside down! Travel smart and prepare in advance!

What has been your most ridiculous reason for missing a flight? Let’s continue the convo in the comments!