1. Check your ticket terms and conditions: how much does a missed flight cost?
Budget carriers like Air Asia have straightforward policies: “If you fail to check in on time or fail to board the aircraft by the time the aircraft departs, the fare you paid will not be refunded to you for any reason whatsoever.” Meanwhile, premium airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Emirates have no-show fees (which can cost between USD$75/SGD$104 and USD$400/SGD$552 for economy class tickets) where you’ll be put on standby for the next flight.
These fees are unfortunate but usually cheaper than buying a new ticket. But what happens if you’ve missed your flight due to circumstances beyond your control (traffic delays or illness)? You’ll need to ask your insurance company how to get compensation.
2. What to do: Missed flight connection
It can be very stressful to figure out what to do if you’ve missed a flight connection. If you’ve missed a connecting flight due to circumstances beyond your control, such as heavy air traffic or bad weather, and you’re flying with a major carrier like Singapore Airlines or Qatar Airways, you can expect to be issued a brand new boarding pass and booked on the next available flight for no fee.
Budget airlines, such as Air Asia, will also protect you, provided that your booking is done under one booking number (Fly Through service) rather than two separate bookings.
3. If you’re already checked-in but miss your flight, can you rebook a missed flight?
Contact ground staff and get “decontrolled”; they’ll take you back through immigration so you can find your lonely luggage waiting for you. Then you’ll be led back into the glaring light of the arrivals hall to the check-in desk where you can pay the no-show fee to rebook your missed flight. In this scenario, be as polite as possible, flash your frequent flyer cards and you might save on the fees.
4. Check out other flights on offer to your destination
Don’t panic! Check out Skyscanner and the airport departure boards and see if there are any other flights heading to your destination. See if you can get the best deals. From Changi there are numerous daily connections to major Asian capitals and if you whip out your phone, you may be able to book yourself on to a flight departing a little later in the day (though you’ll need to pay for it). Maybe you’ll even end up with a better flight!
5. Consider alternative airports
If you miss your flight in from Changi, you might still be able to salvage the situation. Nearby airports include Batam’s Hang Nadim and Johor’s Senai, both of which have plenty of cheap airline tickets and planes that are frequently half full flying to places such as Jakarta, Bangkok, KL, Kuching and Bali.
6. Know your airports
If you get rebooked on an early morning flight, or run out of money for another night in a hotel, you may be forced to spend the night in the airport. In this scenario, check out our 10 must-read tips for sleeping at airports and The Guide to Sleeping in Airports to find out about how to make your airport stay less gruelling. If you’re in Seoul, you have a free museum, showers and quiet areas with Wi-Fi to keep you comfortable; and in Taipei, you can have a rest in a quiet zone, enjoy a free shower and browse books in a library.
7. Be positive!
If you can’t get home today, or even tomorrow or need to dash to another airport, see it as an opportunity to discover somewhere new. If you must stay at the airport, check out on how to make missed flights or flight delays more bearable. Or if you can head out of the airport, take the time to visit those galleries, restaurants or sights that you didn’t have time to see before. You’ve just gained a bit of extra holiday, so take it easy and make the most out of the situation. Instead of sitting around glumly at the airport, get your tickets sorted and then use Skyscanner and book yourself into a nice hotel.
Start planning your ideal vacation now! Book cheap flights, hotels and car hire via Skyscanner or check out and download our free mobile app for easy browsing and booking on the go.
Originally published on 19 June 2017 and updated in October 2018. Any prices are lowest estimated prices only at the time of publication and are subject to change and/or availability.
