What to do if you miss your flight or connection
The first thing to establish is whose fault it was, because everything else follows from that. Here are the three situations and what to do in each.
Situation 1: you miss the connection because of the airline
If the first flight is delayed and you miss the second, and both are on the same booking, the airline must rebook you on the next available flight at no cost. You're also entitled to care, and if the final delay reaching your destination is significant, compensation may apply. Don't buy another ticket yourself: go straight to the airline desk.
The detail that changes everything
Both flights being on the same booking. If you bought the legs separately, even with the same airline, each ticket is independent and the airline has no obligation to rebook you. That's why cheap self-made combinations turn expensive when something goes wrong.
Situation 2: you miss it for reasons outside everyone's control
A transport strike, traffic, an accident on the way. The airline has no obligation here, but many will change the ticket for a fee, which is almost always cheaper than buying a new one. Ask before booking anything else.
Situation 3: you're late through your own fault
The most expensive option, but there's still room. Some airlines apply an informal rebooking policy if you reach the desk shortly after departure. It's worth asking before writing the ticket off.
The first thing to do
Go to the airline desk at the airport, don't call the helpline. In person it's resolved far faster, and desk staff have rebooking discretion that phone staff don't. If the queue is long, join it and call at the same time.
Keep everything
Boarding passes, delay confirmations, photos of the airport boards and any airline communication. Without those documents a later claim won't succeed.
How to avoid it
Leave at least two hours between European connections and three on international ones, whatever forty-minute connection the search engine offers you. And if you're combining separately bought legs, put a night between them.
Insurance
Many travel policies cover missed connections due to causes outside your control, including the cost of rebooking. Check whether yours does before absorbing the cost yourself.
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