Do you always book a hotel by the airport just in case you miss you flight? Or am I the only

[richard_smith237]

41 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'll try that again this trip...  In the past, I was never able to check in online to China.  My visa is in an old passport, and they usually want to see evidence of onward travel.  But I haven't tried it in awhile.  I fly to BKK tomorrow and back on Jan 20.  I'll pay more attention to the gate announcement board and try to check in online this time.  Maybe they've changed...

 

If you're flying tomorrow you should be able to check-in online now...  (airline dependant of course)

[richard_smith237]

46 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

I like to fly business class so checking in is always a breeze I aways get there early enough to put in a couple of hours lounge time. Might as well since I paid for it.

 

Is your home not more relaxing and comfortable than a business class lounge full of other people ?

 

 

Also...  I don't view the lounge in the same manner as glutton getting their monies worth of prawn tempura at the seafood buffet !!!... 

 

 

 

 

[HK MacPhooey]

11 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Damn...   6 hours ??  you can't be serious, surely ?

 

I only ever get to the Airport 2 hours before the flight... (quite often less than that - about 1.5 hrs)... 

In and out so frequently...  at least 8x departures per year...  never even came close to missing a flight.

 

------

 

With regards to the Op ?... Why on earth booking anything 'just in case' you miss a flight ?

IF in the event a flight was missed - it takes moments to book one of the many many hotels nearby the airport on Booking.com...   

... This idea was never on any radar at all... certainly not something anyone would consider consider, at least I would have thought so until I read this thread. 

 

With regards to the op: the title is a bit misleading but I think he means that he books a hotel the night before the flight which makes sense if he lives move than a few hours from the airport or has a ‘crack if sparrows’ flight.

[JoseThailand]

Do you always carry a toilet paper roll with you just in case? 

[arick]

A hotel beside the airport in Canada sets you back a minimum of $800 a night so I don't think you would be pre-booking or missing your flight that often.

[alex8912]

16 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

I aways ain to get to the airport at least six hours before my flight .

I have regular nightmares where I am trying to get to the airport for s flight and there's numerous delays like traffic jam and train cancellations are numerous other things , like my flight leave in 40 minutes and I am an hour away stuck on a bus stuck in a traffic jam .

   So, I always get to airports extra early

You can't check into most flights until 3 hours before so you actually hang out in the entry area for 3 hours?? Seems insane 

[Nick Carter icp]

57 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

You can't check into most flights until 3 hours before so you actually hang out in the entry area for 3 hours?? Seems insane 

All my long haul international flights have been 4 hour check in opening prior to departure .

   Now , arriving at airports early is in no way "insane",

Its not "insane" to plan to arrive anywhere early ,

You do seem to have used the wrong word there

[sanabavy IV]

yes ,I like to stay in the vicinity of the airport the day before I return to my home country. In my case it's mainly that I need to cool down a little and get mentally prepared to the next episode of my life. A transition night.

[ujayujay]

Yep, it seems to be you are the only

[Wavel]

Being an offshore worker I did the return flight eleven times a year for twenty year's. Not once held up in Bangkok, that’s a lot of money spent needlessly on hotel bookings. You Dumb Plum

[alex8912]

On 1/15/2025 at 7:51 AM, Nick Carter icp said:

All my long haul international flights have been 4 hour check in opening prior to departure .

   Now , arriving at airports early is in no way "insane",

Its not "insane" to plan to arrive anywhere early ,

You do seem to have used the wrong word there

Yes it is. Also completely unnecessary. 
 

INFORMAL•US

shocking; outrageous.

"they were making insane amounts of money"

[Nick Carter icp]

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

Yes it is. Also completely unnecessary. 
 

INFORMAL•US

shocking; outrageous.

"they were making insane amounts of money"

 

   There are quite often delays in public transport in London , so its necessary to plan to get to the airport early if you want to make sure you don't miss the flight .

   Its really not "insane" to plan to get to an airport promptly , allowing for delays and arriving with enough time to be there when the check in gates open and enough time for  bite to eat .

   "Its insane to get to an airport when the check in gates open" ?

Nope, its definitely not insane to do that

[alex8912]

On 1/16/2025 at 9:58 AM, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   There are quite often delays in public transport in London , so its necessary to plan to get to the airport early if you want to make sure you don't miss the flight .

   Its really not "insane" to plan to get to an airport promptly , allowing for delays and arriving with enough time to be there when the check in gates open and enough time for  bite to eat .

   "Its insane to get to an airport when the check in gates open" ?

Nope, its definitely not insane to do that

You simply are a worry wart and know this. You don't have to add 6 hours to get from London to Heathrow. There are not big major delays everyday and you can go on line and see where in real time. In fact if I think like you, think about this. You leave 5/6 hours early. There is a train breakdown that takes two hours that you get trapped in , then it's fixed. I leave 3 hours before go a different route and  I get to airport earlier and you miss yours!!! 
Did you have a traumatic missing plane event in your life?   Also since you are soo extremely early do you know that airports easily let people go ahead at check in AND get though security prioritized so they can make the flight??

[Roger Groves]

No, hotels are cheap and easy to get if needed. No need to waste money.

[black tabby12345]

On 1/14/2025 at 1:54 PM, marin said:

Never, in fact I have never even thought of it. 

 

I haven't either...

[Nick Carter icp]

2 hours ago, alex8912 said:

You simply are a worry wart and know this. You don't have to add 6 hours to get from London to Heathrow. There are not big major delays everyday and you can go on line and see where in real time. In fact if I think like you, think about this. You leave 5/6 hours early. There is a train breakdown that takes two hours that you get trapped in , then it's fixed. I leave 3 hours before go a different route and  I get to airport earlier and you miss yours!!! 
Did you have a traumatic missing plane event in your life?   Also since you are soo extremely early do you know that airports easily let people go ahead at check in AND get though security prioritized so they can make the flight??

 

   I like to get to the airport early and have a bite to eat there before a long flight .

   Yes, I get stressed out if I am sat waiting for  bus and the check-ins already open at the airport .

  I like a leisurely trip, I don't like rushing 

[Watawattana]

No, never.

[SiSePuede419]

No, I don't miss flights.

You must live like a kilometer from the airport and always leave late because there's never any traffic in Bangkok.

Rule of Thumb: People who live the closest to the airport are always the latest 😅

[PeterA]

Always try to stay  nearest the airport as possible. I prefer morning flights. The 5 hour drive to the airport is a drag, so I can take an easy drive the day before and not worry about being late for my flight. If I lived in Bangkok, it would be different. 

[georgegeorgia]

On 1/17/2025 at 6:46 PM, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   I like to get to the airport early and have a bite to eat there before a long flight .

   Yes, I get stressed out if I am sat waiting for  bus and the check-ins already open at the airport .

  I like a leisurely trip, I don't like rushing 

Kudos to you Sir 

 

30 years in your job and you were never late once nor took a sick leave day from work ,not even once , you are truly a inspiration 

Thanks for your service 

 

[Nick Carter icp]

Just now, georgegeorgia said:

Kudos to you Sir 

 

30 years in your job and you were never late once nor took a sick leave day from work ,not even once , you are truly a inspiration 

Thanks for your service 

 

 

   I used to be late for everything , that is why I make an extra special effort to get to airports with plenty of time to spare 

[Skeptic7]

No

[Millian]

You think if someone is organised enough to book a hotel in case they miss thier flights, then the chances of them actually missing flight would be very slim!

[still kicking]

On 1/14/2025 at 5:08 PM, UWEB said:

Never, for 10 years was flying out of Thailand every two month for work but never needed a Hotel. Just be on time at the Airport.

I arrived at the airport on time five hours before departure and still missed my flight because the airport staff gave me the wrong information.

[richard_smith237]

31 minutes ago, still kicking said:

I arrived at the airport on time five hours before departure and still missed my flight because the airport staff gave me the wrong information.

 

?? how so... ?? 

 

Error on boarding Pass ? - Screens not working ?

 

---------

 

I nearly missed a flight from KL to BKK...  International flights (nearly) always depart from C gates at the satellite terminal.

My Boarding Pass showed C 12 (or something similar for the gate).. so I travelled across to the satellite terminal, chilled had a couple of beers, went to the gate and it was empty...  

I checked the screens.. my Gate was G12 and I had to rush to get back across to the main terminal - the printing on the boarding pass was sketchy and it wasn't easy to make out the gate letter was G and not a C...  

 

 

 

 

[still kicking]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

?? how so... ?? 

 

Error on boarding Pass ? - Screens not working ?

 

---------

 

I nearly missed a flight from KL to BKK...  International flights (nearly) always depart from C gates at the satellite terminal.

My Boarding Pass showed C 12 (or something similar for the gate).. so I travelled across to the satellite terminal, chilled had a couple of beers, went to the gate and it was empty...  

I checked the screens.. my Gate was G12 and I had to rush to get back across to the main terminal - the printing on the boarding pass was sketchy and it wasn't easy to make out the gate letter was G and not a C...  

 

 

 

 

I cued up on a line that was shown on the screen in the terminal for a few hours but was advised by the airport staff to use another line which was wrong, by the time I got to the check-in I was told it was too late and the gate was closed. I had to rebook the flight for the next day paid extra and book into a hotel. Lucky I had friends in BKK who sent me Thai Baht by currier since the hotel did not accept Australian dollars.

. 

[Hanuman2547]

No!  I've never even thought about doing that.  

[Upnotover]

10 hours ago, still kicking said:

Lucky I had friends in BKK who sent me Thai Baht by currier since the hotel did not accept Australian dollars.

Lucky indeed.  Otherwise you'd have had to find an exchange place to change them, never easy in an airport.

[Chivas]

On 1/14/2025 at 7:01 AM, Nick Carter icp said:

I aways ain to get to the airport at least six hours before my flight .

I have regular nightmares where I am trying to get to the airport for s flight and there's numerous delays like traffic jam and train cancellations are numerous other things , like my flight leave in 40 minutes and I am an hour away stuck on a bus stuck in a traffic jam .

   So, I always get to airports extra early

 

I'm in total agreement takes me door to door around 30 hours to get home whats an extra hour early at Suvarnabhumbi when leaving

[still kicking]

11 hours ago, Upnotover said:

Lucky indeed.  Otherwise you'd have had to find an exchange place to change them, never easy in an airport.

You can call that lucky alright that was the last flight to Perth before Thai stopped direct flights to Perth