Missing a connecting flight
When an itinerary with a connection counts as one journey, and why one booking differs from two.
When an itinerary with a connection counts as one journey, and why one booking differs from two.
The principle
On connecting itineraries, how a delay is judged depends on how the trip was booked and which rules apply to it. A short delay on the first leg can still cost you hours by the time you arrive, and that is usually the part that counts.
One booking or two
Where both flights were bought on the same booking, the itinerary usually counts as one journey. Entirely separate bookings are looked at differently, even if the flights were on the same day.
What to keep
The booking confirmation showing both legs, the boarding passes, and whatever you were offered at the airport after you missed the connection.
Worth knowing
Even if the airline rebooked you, the disruption is not erased. What gets examined is the gap between the journey as planned and the journey as it happened.
Questions about this situation
The airline rebooked me the same day
That affects how big the disruption was, but it does not erase it. The check looks at the gap against the original plan, at both ends of the flight.
The two flights were with different airlines
It usually matters more whether they were bought on one booking than whether one airline operated both.
I missed it because of a long security queue
That works differently from a delay caused by the flight itself. It is still worth checking.
More guides
- Flight cancellation: what to do
What matters at the airport and in the days after, and how it affects the check.
- Flight delay: what is actually measured
Why the departure time matters less than the landing time, and what is worth documenting.
Want to know whether you are owed?
The first check takes a moment and costs nothing.