'Embarrassing' airport mistake people keep making - how does it even happen?
OPINION - It keeps happening over and over again and I just don't understand why.
As someone who has travelled a fair bit - even before it was my job - there is one thing that has been instilled in me from a very early age - check and double check.
When it comes to flying - whether you're travelling an hour or 10 hours - you need to check your flight details. Then double check and check again.
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Airports can be overwhelming, but it's on you to make sure you're in the right place. Getty
When you're already dealing with the stress of getting through an airport, the last thing you want is to end up somewhere you weren't planning to travel.
Like, on a plane to the wrong country.
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This week, two travellers went viral on social media for their own flight misadventure.
They ended up on a plane to Tunis, in Tunisia, when they had in fact asked for a plane ticket "to Nice" in France.
One of the travellers, named Brittney, has shared regular updates on her TikTok account about her and her friend's ordeal.
"When the airline employee misheard us when we said we needed a flight to Nice, France and we land in Tunis, Africa," she wrote on one clip.
She added in the caption: "I wish I was joking".
Brittney and her friend ended up on a flight to Tunis instead of Nice. TikTok
The travellers eventually found their way back to France.
However, plenty of people online were incredibly confused by the mix up.
"Who doesn't READ their tickets until they are in the sky heading to the wrong country," one person asked.
"And you didn't notice the gate agents saying 'flight to Tunisia' or the gate sign saying 'Tunisia'?" another questioned.
"I'm confused how you didn't see the gate said Tunis not Nice….or looked at your ticket?" another person quipped.
Brittney responded to the question, stating: "Every time we asked a worker if this was going 'to Nice' they all said yes."
In her defence, when you say "to Nice" in a foreign accent it does sound like "Tunis".
Nice is the destination the girls actually wanted to visit. Getty
Now, Brittney and her friend are not alone in mixing up travel destinations. It happens more than you think.
Just last month, two pensioners ended up on a flight to Menorca instead of Majorca.
Yes, both are Spanish islands in the Mediterranean Sea. But, they're not the same.
The pensioners ended up on the wrong island despite multiple people reportedly "checking their tickets".
Earlier this year, friends went viral on TikTok for accidentally booking a ticket to San Jose, California, instead of Costa Rica.
Similar too, there have been instances where booking a flight to Sydney, Australia has ended in Sydney, Nova Scotia in Canada.
There is even a running joke about the existence of a help desk in Austria for people who have arrived thinking it's Australia.
Your ticket should be treated - and checked - like your most important document. Getty
I'm actually baffled this keeps happening. How aren't people checking and triple checking their bookings?
If there is a language barrier, Google Translate really does come in handy.
Also, if you think about it, there are countless opportunities to check where you're actually going - from receiving your boarding pass and ticket, to checking where your boarding gate is located, to standing at the gate waiting for your flight.
Yes, we all assume airport staff know what is going on 100 per cent of the time, but human error still exists.
I get it, airports can be overwhelming.
But it's on you to make sure you're in the right place.
You're the one packing your bags, with a plan of travelling to another country, the responsibility is on you.
Remember, check and check again.
