You sprint towards the boarding gate. Your suitcase thumps behind you. Thoughts of thousands of wasted dollars bounce in your chest. Life sucks. You reach the boarding gate only to get zero, nup, nada from the airline staff.
“Sorry, it’s too late.”
This is a situation we’ve all seen and cringed at (if not experienced ourselves).
But rather than acting like a headless chook, you can now learn to handle the situation like a seasoned professional.
Posted to TikTok last week by flight attendant/social media personality Kat Kamalani, the following video shows you the best possible way to handle this situation, to give you the maximum chance of still getting on that flight.
Watch Kat explain how to still get onto a flight, even if you’re late, in the video below.
“Ok, we’ve all been there – we’re running late to a flight, we’re panicking,” Kat explains in the video. “Here’s the first thing you need to do. Always, always, always still go to your gate if your plane has not departed – the reason being is that a) it could be delayed and b) you could possibly get back on that flight.”
Kat continued: “If you are late to a flight what happens with the gate agent is they start putting stand by people on those seats. Those are people who have either got a ticket or people who work for the airlines and they are waiting for a seat if there is an open one.”
“This is what’s going to happen to you in the next 24 hours based on these things.”
“If you go up angry and mad I promise these gate agents are just going to put you on the next flight out – they’re not even going to worry about it.”
“But if you’re kind and pleasand and sweet then there may be a good chance the gate agent will help you out on that flight.”
One commenter wrote next to the video: “Good advice, I’ve been surprised by the number of times I’ve been given an advantage or had a gate agent gop out of way to help when I was just nice.”
Another chimed in with: “I can’t believe anyone things they will get anything by being nasty. Be nice to front line workers, always!”
Yet another claimed this exact technique had worked for them: “Yes one time my gate was closed but they got permission to reopen for me because they were waiting for the pilot.”
Then a gate agent provided their 2 cents, weighing in with: “She is right about being nice. I’m a gate agent! Nice goes a long way! Crazy thing is you’re late not me lol.”
Another airport workers (or at least, a TikTok user who claims to be an airport worker) said that it depends on the status of your luggage as to whether you get onto the flight.
“We still put you on the flight if your luggage hasn’t been found yet.”
Food for thought. And there you have it – much like if you want to get special treatment from the cabin crew on the flight – play nice.