[AirlinesMustPay]

I cannot believe that a passenger hearing an announcement to board immediately will not immediately head to the boarding area. For the 5 passengers of the OP's post who did not make it, obviously they did not hear the announcement, if one was made at all. I myself wonder if some of these airline agents have any brain cells.

Jim raises an important question in asking how is the passenger to know. In a contractual situaion, what is relevant is what is known by the parties at the time. I travel frequently and I have to say I have never seen after an airline announces a delay, they bring the time forward. On one occasion on checking in for a flight scheduled to leave at 9 a.m., the airline gave a new departure time of 5 p.m. They told passengers including me that they needed a part that was being flown in from somewhere in the U.S. The check in agents apologised for the delay and gave each passenger vouchers for breakfast and lunch at the airport restaurant. In those circumstances passengers correctly accepted the explanation and the delay. After all, if the aircraft needed to change a part, a passenger would much prefer that they took the time to change the part than to take off with a defective part. I however did not stay in the airport. I left and returned at 3 p.m.

If there was an announcement at say 1 p.m. that the flight was ready to leave, I would not have heard it. No one told the passengers to be sure to wait in the airport. I would have been taken aback to find when I got there at 3 p.m. that the aircraft had already left.

The passengers contract was to fly at 9 a.m. and then the airline changed the time to 5 p.m. Upon the passengers acceptance of the meal vouchers and walking away from the check in counter, all are bound by the new time. If the airline wants the passengers to wait in the airport, they must say so. If circumstances so justify (e.g. if the repair was not complete), they can push a departure time further again, but not bring it forward, at least not without having to compensate passengers left behind. The validity of the terms of any contract and any variation depends on what is known by the parties.

Apart from the one lengthy delay above, I have experienced many shorter delays of an hour or two, but I have never heard any airline personnel say to stay around the boarding area.