Tip - for a better outcome, don't wait until after you've actually missed your flight to talk to the airline. Try to be proactive, when it looks evident you're not going to make it, call the airline, explain, and get yourself on the standby list for the next flight. If needed, you might ask them to carry you over to another airline. At any rate, you're always better off doing this before you miss your flight and are recorded as a no-show, which cancels out your booking. Depending on the airline, you might need to pay to standby or change your flight, but better to do that than have to book a last minute one-way fare. Also, budget airlines aren't as easy to work with or have as many options as legacy carriers.