Missed Flight on American Airlines from Miami

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Introduction: The Long Way to Costa Rica
Missed United Airlines Flight from OKC
Irregular Operations on United Airlines
Review: Landry’s Seafood – Houston Intercontinental Airport
Missed Flight on American Airlines from Miami
Review: Springhill Suites by Marriott – Miami Airport South
Review: American Express Centurion Lounge Miami
Review: American Airlines (737-800) Economy Class Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica
Review: El Camino Del Vino

After stopping by Landry’s Seafood for a short time, we made our way to the gate for Miami.  When we arrived boarding had already begun.  This proved to be problematic because all of the overhead bin space in Economy was full (I put my bag in a First Class bin) so my friend had to check his bag at the door.  This is usually not an issue because the bag will be waiting for you on the jet bridge at your destination.  The flight was a normal regional flight on United Airlines.

Upon arriving in Miami, we waited at the door for my friend’s bag.  After some minutes of waiting, one of the flight attendants asked why we were waiting on the jet bridge.  We told her that we were waiting on a carry on luggage that had been checked at the door.  She then delivered the most infuriating news of the day…the day will sent to baggage claim with the checked luggage. 🤯

If you have never transited Miami International Airport, let me be the first to tell you that you should allow plenty of time for connecting flights. The airport felt like one humongous, sprawling terminal.

The only choice that we had was to exit security so that my friend could retrieve his bag. While on our way to baggage claim, I approached a United Airlines counter so that the agent could print our American Airlines boarding passes. The agent in Houston had only printed our names and confirmation numbers.

The first thing that he said to me was that I no longer had a seat on the American Airlines flight to San Jose. This was becoming my worst travel day ever.  At this point, my friend left to grab his bag. I asked the agent if he could book us on the flight since boarding was due to begin in a few minutes. He stated that he could not rebook me but my friend’s ticket was still in the system.

I had the agent print his ticket so that at least one of could make it to Costa Rica. My friend ran to the American Airlines counter, which was about 10 minutes away, while I began the process to be rebooked for the next morning.  The agent was taking exceptionally long.  It was not long before I heard a familiar voice, it was my friend, he had missed the American Airlines flight to Costa Rica.  OMG.

The United agent had to now rebook both of us on the American Airlines flight for the next morning.  The entire rebooking process seemed like it took an eternity, but it was really about 45 minutes.  In addition to being rebooked, we were both provided a hotel voucher that could only be used at the Springhill Suites worth $110 and a $20 food voucher.

Final Word
This had to be my longest day of travel…EVER. My friend was a good sport about it all, but I felt bad because it was his first time traveling international for vacation.  Luckily, the trip got exponentially better from this point.