Although the fate of the missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 is still unknown, the fact that it has been gone with no contact for more than 24 hours is an indicator the jet possibly had the same fate of the still missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Just that fact makes an Indonesian woman grateful that their missing the flight could possibly be a blessing in disguise; otherwise, their relatives would now be joining the kin of the 162 people inside the Airbus anxiously waiting for news about the jet, hoping against hope it didn't crash.

Christianawati and her extended family of 10 members failed to make it to Surabaya Airport on time and missed the aircraft by minutes because her husband, Ari Putro Cahyono, didn't read an email advisory as well as answer a phone call from AirAsia advising them that the flight was moved to 5:20 am, instead of the previous schedule of 7:20 am, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

They arrived at the airport for a New Year holiday in Singapore aboard two vehicles. The first car arrived at 5 am. Inside that car was Ari and a brother-in-law. They even witnessed two passengers in the same flight run to the departure door and reach the boarding lounge.

The second car with Christanawati and the children arrived later, causing them to miss QZ8501. While they were negotiating with the AirAsia ground crew to book the party at a later flight, 37 minutes after the plane left at 5:35 am, the pilot asked permission from the control tower to change path to avoid a storm.

After another five minutes, the plane lost communication and became out of reach of the radar, indicating a possible air mishap.

At 9 am, an airport official informed her the good and the bad unconfirmed news. Christianawati recalls him saying, "This must have been the best Christmas gift your family ever received. The flight you were supposed to be on has crashed."

She told Fairfax Media that she and the rest of the family felt limp upon hearing the news.

Ari wishes that the miracle that happened to his family would likewise be extended to the families now waiting for news at the airport.

Unfortunately for those relatives, the miracle they are now praying for hasn't arrived yet.

Or it may never happen as the missing plane may by now be submerged at the ocean floor with the 162 people on board, said Henry Bambang Soelistyo, chief of the National Search and Rescue, at a press conference on Monday.

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"Based on the coordinates that we know, the evaluation would be that any estimated crash position is in the sea, and that the hypothesis is the plane is at the bottom of the sea," Foxnews quotes Soelistyo.

So far, 12 navy vessels, five aircraft, three choppers and several warships are helping in the search for QZ8510.

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au