Why people keep boarding the wrong flights & how it could happen to you too

A NUMBER of travellers have recently found themselves on the wrong plane – and ending up flying to a completely different country than they planned.

However, it is easily done and could happen to you.

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Last November, a woman from the US was meant to fly with Frontier from Pennsylvania to Florida, only to end up in Jamaica when the gate changed after visiting the bathroom.

A Brit almost flew home from Turkey to Gatwick rather than Birmingham after boarding the wrong easyJet plane.

And a grandma ended up in Poland rather than Slovenia after a boarding blunder with Wizz Air.

While it may seem obvious when boarding a flight, the issue is becoming more frequent due to the higher volume of flights taking off.

Passengers are able to get through security with their passport and boarding pass, but it is up to them to find the correct gate.

Crew will also usually check passports both at the gate and while boarding – but this can sometimes be bypassed, resulting in being on the wrong flight.

If it is a full flight, your error is more likely to be caught before take off – but if the plane is half empty, you might take off before you realise the mistake.

Some airlines take liability – both Wizz Air and Frontier apologised to their passport and offered compensation when it happened.

However, airlines such as Ryanair say the onus is on the passenger to find the correct plane.

A spokesperson previously said: “It is each passenger’s responsibility to ensure they board the correct aircraft.”

It isn’t always that simple – as some airlines have multiple flights to the same destination in one day.

One couple from Manchester only realised they were on the wrong flight to Alicante because their seats were taken – as there were two flights leaving at a similar time.

To avoid it happening to you, here are some ways you can make sure you end up at the correct destination.

• Double-check your gate flight number before boarding the plane
• Ask crew at the desk for the destination you are heading to
• Check with flight attendants while boarding
• Flag with crew if someone claims to be in your seat

Here are some other big airport mistakes you could be making.

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