Does this mean that in the US, if I miss my flight, my ticket is still somehow valid? I have never heard of this.
The main reason for that is that there was never really a seat booked with your name on it. If you don't make it, it simply goes to someone else who was on standby.
Of course the flip side of it is that in rare cases you won't get your seat even if you do make it in time, as was the subject of some famous incidents.
That being said, I do care if I miss my flight, because it's obviously a pain even if you do get rebooked!
At least I'm usually sat in a comfortable lounge for the extra time, and can get a few things done, or just relax and read.
I recall connecting in Vancouver with Air Canada and asking the same and the answer was “thatll be $130 to change your ticket”. This is with a half empty flight leaving in 30 min.
I know United started charging some fee for last minute flight changes, but it’s way better than other airlines.
They kinda like it when you do this: it gives them more flexibility. Better to keep the later flights in the day emptier just in case there’s a sudden need. And reduces their chances of owing you compensation.
I saw a video recently of a person who was denied boarding due to being visibly intoxicated. The process started with the gate agent offering to book them on another flight, and devolved into the person being banned from the airline. But they still received a full refund for their unused ticket.
People who miss their flight on purpose aren't great for revenue (no vastly overpriced food, overweight luggage fees etc), but people who miss flights by mistake end up paying €250 (rather than €20) for the next flight.
More that a decade ago I was doing standards work in Amsterdam, after a long weekend of sitting in a conference room with 12+ people going over excel spreadsheets to edit a bunch of recurring text all over the place that was then used to generate the documentation / schema for the standards under discussion we were to catch a flight back to Copenhagen.
My coworker and I went to get a late lunch before heading back, I don't drink but he did so he took a big Heineken. Then we went to the airport. We checked in fine, and then we went to wait for the flight in the boarding area.
While waiting my coworker went to the bathroom. I decided what I really needed to do was some stretches because of how excruciatingly cramped up my muscles were from sitting for a whole weekend.
At the time I was in exceptionally good shape as I did Capoeira 3-5 times a week 3-4 hours a training, yoga classes, and weight training. So of course I was doing all sorts of funny stuff like balancing with one leg and the foot of the other held in my hand for several minutes, and going in a bridge pose, doing pushups, jumping jacks, standing on my hands, doing handstands and other stuff like that. My coworker was a long time in the bathroom, maybe there was a line.
While I was exercising one of the attendants from the flight we were supposed to get on came out and told me I would not be allowed to fly because I was obviously intoxicated.
Now I towered over the guy, I was in a bad mood from the weekend already, and frankly, he was just the most alcoholic looking Dane you could imagine, with a comical little pug nose red and purplish like the cartoon vision of a town drunk from the 1940s. So I nearly lost my temper at him, and was near to getting stranded in Amsterdam because of how irritated I was by the ludicrous assertion that anyone doing the things I was doing could possibly be drunk!
Just then my coworker came out and saved me, when he was told I was being accused of being drunk he started laughing because of course in Denmark a person who doesn't drink is already sort of funny.
So after some convincing I was let on to the plane. Later, after we lifted off, the little dipsomaniac steward came to apologize to me and as a way of making up for it said my coworker and I could have free drinks! He suggested a nice beer, or some wine, or some champagne. Anything I wanted! I said - I will have a Coke thank you. (but I was not able to do it without sounding annoyed)
My coworker took a red wine. He had laughing bouts several times on the flight back.
When traveling, easy to be surprised at what aspects of my behavior would be considered way out of the local ordinary...
The carrier for the second constituent booking said FOAD when asked about a rebooking after the flight had left. The reseller (I forget if it was Kayak or Orbitz or Expedia) refused a refund. We ended up having to book a replacement ticket for over $1000, and an overnight hotel stay.
American Express eventually sided with the merchant when I tried to do a chargeback for being sold an impossible itinerary. It made the trip substantially more expensive and +28 hours.
I'm not sure who should be liable for this, but I'm pretty sure it's not me. Every other party in the transaction chain passed the buck and I was the one who had to pay.
Think about it. A flight to Atlanta is delayed due to weather or a mechanical issue? That's 100 people that just missed their connection. Vs random people missing flights is very predictable.