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World desk6 min

What to Do If a Flight Delay Makes You Miss a Connecting Flight

A delayed flight can leave you stranded, but your next steps are clear: contact the operating airline, ask for rerouting, keep proof and receipts, and check the rules that apply to your route and booking.
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If a flight delay makes you miss your connection, contact the operating airline immediately and ask it to get you to the final destination on your ticket. Tell staff whether both flights are on one reservation or were booked separately: that distinction, along with where you are traveling and why you missed the connection, can determine what help you can claim. Keep your booking records and receipts, and get the airline’s options in writing before paying for a replacement flight.

What to do at the airport, step by step

  1. Contact the airline operating your flight. Go to its transfer or customer-service desk, use its app, or call its customer-service line. Give the staff the delayed flight number, the missed onward flight, and your ticketed final destination. If both legs are on one reservation, say so clearly and show the itinerary.
  2. Ask for a route to your ticketed destination. Ask whether the airline can rebook you, protect the onward segment, or arrange another way to complete the journey. Also ask whether meals or overnight accommodation are available under the rules that apply or the airline’s policy.
  3. Keep proof of the disruption and your booking. Save boarding passes, the booking confirmation, delay or cancellation notices, and screenshots of airline messages. Keep proof that both legs were sold as one itinerary if they were.
  4. Get any offer or explanation in writing. Before buying a replacement ticket yourself, ask the airline what it will cover and how to make a claim. Reimbursement is not automatic just because the original delay caused you to miss the connection.
  5. If you booked a package holiday, contact the organiser too. In the UK, the package organiser may need to rearrange or refund package arrangements when disruption materially affects the holiday; contact it as well as the airline. The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s guidance explains what to do.

Why one reservation versus separate tickets matters

When connecting flights are part of one reservation, the airline can see the full journey and, in some jurisdictions, specific passenger-rights rules apply to the missed connection. With separately purchased tickets, the second airline may treat you as a passenger who did not arrive in time for a separate flight; do not assume it will rebook you for free or that the first airline must pay for the new ticket.

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The UK Civil Aviation Authority advises passengers whose connection on one reservation was missed because an earlier flight was delayed or cancelled to speak to the airline, which should help arrange an alternative. It warns that airlines may not be able to help when the flights were bought on different bookings. If special-assistance arrangements contributed to the delay, raise that with the airline as well. The same UK guidance applies to package-holiday disruption: CAA flight delays and cancellations.

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What your rights may be in different regions

Rights are not identical worldwide. The applicable rules can depend on the route, the airline, the booking, the cause of the disruption, and whether you accept an alternative or decide not to travel. The points below describe the cited official guidance, not a guarantee that a particular claim will succeed.

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United Kingdom

For a missed connection after a preceding delay or cancellation, the UK guidance says to speak to the airline if the connection was part of one reservation; it says the airline should help arrange an alternative. Separate bookings may be treated differently. If you are on a package holiday and disruption materially affects it, contact the organiser as well as the airline. See the CAA’s passenger guidance.

European Union: care while you wait

For eligible passengers covered by EU air-passenger rules, the airline’s care obligations while you wait for rerouting can include food and refreshments, hotel accommodation if an overnight stay is needed, transport between the airport and hotel, and communications. If the airline does not provide eligible assistance, EU guidance says necessary, reasonable, and appropriate expenses may be claimed. Keep receipts. See the European Commission’s air-passenger rights guidance.

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European Union: possible compensation for a missed connection

Under the European Commission’s 2024 interpretive guidelines, a missed connection within the rules’ scope may qualify for compensation if the flights were on one reservation and you reach your final destination more than three hours late. The relevant delay is at the ticketed final destination, not simply the time you spent waiting at the connecting airport. Extraordinary circumstances can defeat a compensation claim. The cited guidance also says this compensation right does not apply when the connection was missed because of security delays or because you failed to meet the boarding time. Read the European Commission’s interpretive guidelines and check whether the rules cover your itinerary.

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United States: delay help and refunds

For ordinary domestic flight delays or cancellations, U.S. passengers generally have no federal legal right to compensation. Airlines set their own policies for amenities such as meals, and federal rules do not generally require meals or phone calls during a delay. An airline also is not required to endorse your ticket to another carrier; the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fly Rights guide says, “Remember, however, that there is no rule requiring them to do this.” Check the airline’s commitments and the DOT’s Fly Rights guidance.

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Refund rights are a separate issue from compensation or an airline’s delay policy. Under current DOT refund guidance, a traveler may be entitled to a refund after a cancellation or significant delay or change if they choose not to travel or accept credits or alternatives. The listed significant-change thresholds include an arrival at least three hours later for domestic itineraries or at least six hours later for international itineraries. If you choose to take an offered alternative, you generally are not entitled to a refund under those refund rules. See the DOT’s refund guidance.

On an international itinerary, a traveler may be able to claim delay-related damages under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention, depending on the treaty’s application and the facts. This is not the same as an automatic cash payment for a missed connection; the DOT discusses international delay claims in its Fly Rights guide.

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Before you buy another ticket or leave the airport

  • Ask the airline to explain its available rerouting options and whether it will cover lodging, meals, or transport while you wait.
  • Ask for the reason for the disruption and the airline’s decision in writing.
  • Keep itemized receipts for any necessary expenses. For EU-covered care, reasonable, necessary, and appropriate costs may be reimbursable if assistance was not offered, but keep expectations within those limits.
  • Do not treat a self-purchased replacement flight as automatically reimbursable. The governing rules, airline offer, booking structure, and circumstances matter.
  • If deciding whether to accept a U.S. airline’s alternative or ask for a refund, distinguish the refund rules from any separate claim for damages or airline-policy benefits.

Check whether a newer EU rule applies

On 15 June 2026, the Council of the EU announced that the Council and Parliament had reached a political agreement on stronger passenger rights, including a proposed rerouting offer within three hours in certain cases. That announcement alone does not establish that the changes are formally adopted or in force. Check the current legal position before relying on the proposal; the announcement is available from the Council of the EU.

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What to have ready when you make a claim

  • Your full itinerary and proof of whether the flights were on one reservation.
  • Boarding passes, delay or cancellation notices, and written messages from the airline.
  • The scheduled and actual arrival times at your final destination.
  • Itemized receipts for expenses you are claiming.
  • A short timeline of what happened, including when you contacted the airline and what it offered.

If the airline rejects your claim, check the relevant regulator’s current complaint process for the country and route involved. A case-specific outcome depends on the itinerary, the applicable law, and the facts of the disruption.

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