You’re at the airport and ticketed. You’ve gone through security and your flight has been announced. What could cause you not to board or to bail?
Some people call it intuition. Other travelers state they don’t like how others passengers look or appear. There are myriad motives. But, they may not be ones you think.
Ten reasons:
1 – Change of equipment: You expected a larger plane only to find that older and smaller equipment had been substituted. Some people are leery of prop planes rather than jets.
2 – Weather you perceive as threatening even though the flight was departing.
3 – Boarding the plane, feeling sick and not wanting to proceed with the trip.
4 –Discovering the plane had originated from a country where there had been an outbreak of a communicable disease.
5 – Some people have bailed from budget planes that looked as if they hadn’t been well maintained. This is especially true during inclement weather.
6 – One person boarded a flight to be greeted by other passengers, who were intoxicated and decided not to proceed. The take-off was delayed since the airline had to unload her luggage. She didn’t care in spite of being chastised by airline personnel.
7 – Believing the flight might not be safe. One person reported passengers had been deplaned because there were technical and engine problems that included overheating. After the third false start, he decided to cancel and booked another flight. The plane took off without him.
8 – Being alerted of sudden illness at home that necessitated not traveling. Or, being seated next to a sick passenger and not being change seats?
9 – Seeing the pilot and perceiving he or she might have been drinking and/or was not in condition to be in charge of your life and/or well-being.
10 – One person reported he deplaned when there was an announcement that the majority of the WC’s on the plane weren’t operative and there was a shortage of water. He attributed it to shoddy maintenance.
I’d want to avoid a long-haul flight where the caterer was unable to stock any food or drinks. I suspect I’m not alone.
Please add any and all reasons you’d decide not to take a specific flight. The above ones must be the tip if the iceberg. And, how would a $150 or $250 change fee affect your actions?
Karen Fawcett is president of Bonjour Paris.
Karen Fawcett loves to travel anywhere. Karen was a founder & president BonjourParis.com while living in Paris for more than 25 years. She has traveled across Europe and the rest of the world. She is now based in Washington, DC.
