Unfortunate stories like this show why it is essential these days to get to the airport very very early. Always aim to get there at least three hours before an international flight. Airlines are observing the cut-off times very strictly these days, thirty minutes domestic or forty-five at the busiest US airports, an hour for international flights and will not relent even one minute after the cut-off time. Also the earlier you are the less likely they are to lose your luggage or bump you off the flight. Better to have to wait around for hours at the airport than have to go through the kind of stress and expense you describe. Traffic jams, storms, accidents do happen, so leave time for these kind of events.
|