Why trying to leave the airport after getting a boarding pass could get you detained

On Quora, a man recounted being detained at an airport after failing to board a flight to Goa despite having a boarding pass. He had booked the ticket only to accompany a friend travelling abroad. After seeing the friend off, whose flight was scheduled to depart later, he tried to exit the international terminal, assuming it would go unnoticed. However, what followed was far from smooth.

The airport staff flagged his movement, escorted him to immigration, seized his phone, and questioned him as a potential security risk. Officers reviewed CCTV footage, checked flight manifests, and even verified details of his friend’s transit flight. After several hours and multiple interviews, he was finally cleared and released with a written undertaking. “To be honest, I was scared, but I had not done anything wrong yet, so I was a bit relaxed,” he wrote.

He said, “If your flight is cancelled after you’ve taken a boarding pass, the airline must refund you and compensate you for the inconvenience. But if you take a boarding pass and fail to board, you are a no-show. You lose everything—you get no refund.”

But what if you choose not to board your flight after entering the international terminal? Here’s what you can expect: If your boarding pass isn’t scanned at the gate, the airline classifies you as a no-show.

If you checked in luggage, the airline must remove your bags before the flight leaves. This is a required security step.

Screen grab of a Quora user’s query (Photo: Quora)

Captain Lumba adds that being detained is likely in such cases. “It is illegal to do so, and anyone attempting such a move will be rightfully detained.”

Since you accessed an international, secure area but did not fly: This process ensures nothing suspicious was attempted.

Missing the flight doesn’t directly harm your visa or passport record. However, an unmatched exit stamp (if not cancelled) can lead to: Explaining the internal process at an international terminal further, Ankit Yadav, a former airline staffer, shared, “If you don’t show up at the boarding gate, airline staff search for you. If they can’t find you, your checked-in bags are offloaded, and the flight departs. You must then locate the airline staff to retrieve your bags. You also cannot leave the airport without an escort. You’ll be marked as a GNS (Gate No Show) and will almost certainly lose most of the ticket value. The airline bears no responsibility because you didn’t show up.”