Last week, we as a society rejoiced at the announcement that we no longer have to remove our shoes when going through TSA at the airport. But despite giving us a few extra minutes of precious time back (and maybe a smidge of dignity), one thing’s for certain: people are still going to miss their flights. According to data compiled by AirHelp, of the roughly one billion passengers who took off from U.S. airports in 2024, almost one in four experienced a flight delay or cancellation. Keeping our shoes on isn’t going to fix that.
Whether you miss a flight because of TSA chaos, or you tried to be one of those cool people who gets to the airport 20 minutes before the flight and it backfired, or because the flight is just plain canceled, it’s nice to know you have options:
- Curl up into a ball on the floor and sob like a child.
- Scream and cry to the employee at the ticket counter who has nothing to do with the flight being canceled. (Satisfying in the moment, maybe, but you risk going viral on social media.)
- Hang out in a swanky airport lounge, have a Margarita and snacks, and turn your FOMO into JOMO.
Though options one and two are always available, option three is now possible as well.
This week, ready-to-drink Margarita brand Cayman Jack is opening The Cayman Club: A Missed Flight Lounge, a pop-up exclusively catering to travelers facing canceled, delayed or missed flights, at the swanky TWA Hotel at JFK International Airport. On July 17 from 3-8 p.m. and July 18 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., guests who show proof that they didn’t catch their intended flight for one of those three reasons can get access to the brand’s oasis of Margaritas, “elevated bites” and “spa-style services.”
“You know how the things you don’t plan end up becoming some of your best memories? That’s the idea behind The Cayman Club,” said Kevin Brady, vice president of marketing at Cayman Jack, in a statement. “It takes annoying travel hiccups and turns them into excuses to slow down, take a breath and get into that margarita state of mind — even at the country’s busiest airport.”
If you find yourself at another airport in a missed-flight predicament, don’t crumble just yet — Cayman Jack has set up an online hub for all of you, too. Through September 1, travelers facing a canceled, delayed or missed flight can head to missedflightlounge.com, share their story and get a free Cayman Jack Margarita (via rebate), “plus the chance to win travel-themed perks like spa experiences and gift cards.”
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Editor-approved essentials that’ll make your travels betterThis lounge can’t come soon enough. While June is historically the worst month for travel, it isn’t exactly smooth sailing in July or August either. According to data from LendingTree, after looking at the on-time arrival percentage for 50 airports across the U.S., more than two-thirds of them had the worst scores between June and August. And though Newark Liberty has managed to retain its title of America’s most delay-ridden airport in the summer months, neighboring LaGuardia came in at second worst in the nation while JFK took fourth.
With Airlines for America forecasting another record summer travel season, with a predicted 272 million passengers flying between June 1 and August 31, we’ll take all the free Margaritas we can get.
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