airline delayed my flight but closed check-in early?

We planned an international trip and our flight was supposed to leave at 1:30 am. Like most folks, I know the drill: get to the airport 2-3 hours early, especially for those long-haul flights. But here’s where things got weird. Fourteen hours before takeoff, the airline texted me that our flight was delayed to 3:30 am. Great, I thought—more time to relax at home before heading out. So, we showed up at the airport around 12:45 am, thinking we were well ahead of the 90-minute check-in cutoff. The place was almost deserted. But when we tried to check in, the staff told us the desk was already closed. I pointed out the new departure time, but they insisted the check-in deadline was still based on the original 1:30 am schedule. I had to practically beg before they finally let us check in, but the whole thing left me baffled. Honestly, I get that airlines have their rules, but if they delay a flight by two hours and give you a heads-up, shouldn’t the check-in times shift too? Are we really supposed to show up at the airport hours before the new departure, just in case? I’ve never run into this before, and it makes me wonder if I missed something or if this is just how things work now. It’s frustrating when you try to follow the rules and still end up almost missing your flight. Anyone else run into this kind of mess? #airlinestories #travelwoes #flightdelays #Travel