An airport clock is the culprit when flight plans go awry

Six friends and I flew from Boston to Florida on US Airways for a long-awaited weekend of relaxation and football. Our trip was a great success, but getting home turned out to be something of a nightmare.

We left our hotel in plenty of time to catch our 7 a.m. return flight, but on our way to the airport in West Palm Beach, we ran into a terrible traffic jam that slowed us down considerably. Still, we raced to beat the clock and made it to the airport 25 minutes before our departure. A skycap told us that he would phone the appropriate airline personnel to let them know that we were on our way, and urged us to head immediately to the gate. Heeding his advice, we bolted straight to the boarding area with our luggage in tow, arriving at exactly 6:43 a.m., as indicated by the departures monitor.

We rushed up to the check-in counter, but as soon as we got there, the agent informed us that the gate was closed and that we would not be permitted to board. When I asked her why, she repeated, in a very condescending tone, that the gate was closed and that no further explanation was needed. I insisted that she tell me what the rules for boarding were, at which point she explained that the gate closes ten minutes prior to departure. I told her I thought that was a perfectly reasonable policy, but that since the clock on the departures monitor indicated we had seven whole minutes before the gate was scheduled to close, she should honor the airline's policy and let us board. She replied that clearly the clock was wrong, since her computer showed the time to be precisely 6:50. That was the end of the story, as far as she was concerned, and no amount of pleading on my part would change her mind.

Because of work commitments, several of us absolutely needed to be in Boston the next day. The agent told us that there were no other available flights, and that the only way we could get home in time would be to drive all the way to Orlando and buy tickets on another airline. Since we had no choice, we rented a car and drove to Orlando, where we did catch a flight home. Back in Boston, I learned from my travel agent that there were indeed seats available on other US Airways flights from West Palm Beach, and that there had been no need for us to drive to Orlando. I complained to US Airways and received an apology for the way the situation was handled, as well as $100 vouchers for each member of our party. I appreciate the gesture, but find it inadequate considering that we were unfairly barred from our flight and were greatly inconvenienced by the cavalier attitude of a US Airways agent. Can you help?

Thomas Gianfrancesco Wrentham, Massachusetts

Unlike more freethinking types, Ombudsman believes that rules are meant to be adhered to by everyone, including the companies that write them. According to the clock on the departures monitor, which one could reasonably expect to be correct, Gianfrancesco and his group arrived within the acceptable time limit established by US Airways, and should therefore have been allowed to board. Since they were refused permission to do so, Ombudsman thought that they were due at least the compensation offered to passengers who are denied boarding because of an overbooked flight. When we shared our opinion with US Airways and asked it to reconsider its decision, the airline agreed with us and gave Gianfrancesco and each of his six friends a voucher for a domestic round-trip flight. Ombudsman sees this as a fair resolution to Gianfrancesco's complaint and appreciates US Airways" willingness to reopen this case and rethink its position.