Stop Whining About Missed Flight Connections:

So here’s a little tale from the Tyrolean tarmac: I missed my flight. Properly. Fully. Irrevocably. Gone. Vanished into the crisp Austrian sky while I stood there at Innsbruck Airport holding a sad little boarding pass and muttering unspeakables under my breath.

Let’s rewind.

I was in Austria for the first time in my life (bucket list entry: accidental). It wasn’t a holiday, it wasn’t planned, and it definitely wasn’t glamorous. This was a last-minute business trip, the kind where you pack in a panic and hope your passport isn’t expired. Anyway, I didn’t fly into Austria. I drove through the Alps, like a Bond villain, minus the Aston Martin and with much more traffic. The plan? Catch a flight home from Innsbruck to London via Vienna. A quick hop, easy peasy, a brisk 30-minute connection in Vienna. What could possibly go wrong?

Spoiler alert: everything.

The plane out of Innsbruck was delayed by 20 minutes – which, in aviation terms, is just long enough to ruin your whole day but not long enough for anyone to actually care. By the time we landed in Vienna, my connection was nothing but a vapour trail in the distance. I basically missed my flight connection

Now, under normal circumstances, this is the part where you’d expect me to throw a tantrum, demand to speak to three managers, and start writing a passive-aggressive tweet thread about Austrian efficiency. But instead, I took a deep breath, looked around, and decided not to be that traveller.

Was I annoyed? Yes. The next day, I had a big meeting in London that I ended up missing. But perspective, dear reader, is everything.

A few weeks earlier, the Voepass ATR-72 tragically crashed in Brazil, with all 62 souls on board lost. That sort of thing rattles you – and it should. It’s a harsh but powerful reminder that sometimes, being stuck in an airport isn’t the worst thing that could happen. In fact, it’s a privilege.

So, next time you miss a flight? Don’t be a d***. Don’t bark at the gate agent like it’s their personal fault the weather exists. Don’t make it a drama. Missed connections are part of the gig if you travel enough – ask any frequent flyer; they’ve probably missed more flights than you’ve had hot meals.
Instead? Use it. Go into the city, try a pastry, and see something weird in a museum. I once missed a connection in Munich and accidentally found myself at an Oompah band festival. Life has surprises, even in transit.
And hey – the Tyrol Lounge is lovely. If you’re going to be stuck somewhere, and have a missed flight connection, it might as well come with mountain views and decent coffee.