What Happens if I Miss my Connecting Flight?

We have all been in a situation where we are rushing to get to a connecting flight and we are worried we won’t make it. We start to wonder: what will happen? Will they rebook me? Will they reimburse or compensate me? Will I make it to my destination? 

We are here to clear up any doubts by explaining what happens if you ever miss a connecting flight, and when you can get compensation.

Who is responsible if I miss a connecting flight?

If you miss your connecting flight due to a delay, normally the airline is responsible for ensuring that you are rebooked on another flight. This is specifically the case if you book your entire trip through one airline. They will most likely find you a seat on the next available flight to your destination. They will either inform you through email or text messages about any updates to your situation. You can always go to their counter and ask for any further information if you have received no information. 

However, if you miss a flight due to losing track of time in the airport and the responsibility falls on you, you may have to bear the cost of a new flight. Indeed, the airline is under no obligation to rebook you or to compensate you, as there were no airline-affiliated circumstances leading to your missed flight. 

If you experienced a flight delay that led to missing your connecting flight, you may be eligible for up to 600€ compensation ! Check out your eligibility below.

Is there a penalty for not getting on a connecting flight?

Technically, if you miss a connecting flight purposefully, there is no penalty. However, if the airline is not at fault, they do not have the obligation to rebook, refund, or compensate you for the missed flight. This means you may need to rebook a flight at your own expense, which may be costly. Furthermore, you will also be marked as a no-show. If you are not in the habit of skipping flights, you will just be marked as a no-show, and nothing will happen, short of forfeiting any chance at refunds for your flight. However, if you have previously been in the habit of skipping flights (especially with a specific airline), you may be marked down and prevented from using them or their affiliates in the future.

In terms of luggage, if you have checked luggage and decide to skip the second leg of your journey, your luggage will still be processed through to your final destination. You will have to pick it up at the airport. If you cannot pick it up from the carousel, you can pick it up from one of the offices of the airport. 

Ultimately, there is no penalty for missing your flight per se, but there may be monetary implications in the form of having to rebook your flight at your own expense, or logistical implications such as picking up your checked luggage. However, if you skip connecting flights on a regular basis, the airline may blacklist you and deny you any services in the future.

What happens if I miss a connecting flight due to a short layover?

There are multiple scenarios that could occur in this case:

• Missing a flight that was booked on one booking reference, with the same airline as the departing flight: Although this should be a rare occurrence, as airlines tend to ensure that there is enough time between your departing flight and your connecting flight. However, if it does happen, your airline will have you on standby for the next departing flight to your destination. They will reroute your checked luggage onto that flight as well, but there may be delays on this. If your airline is part of a larger group (e.g., Star Alliance), you may get a flight on an affiliate airline. For example, if you booked your flights on Lufthansa, but you missed your connecting flight because of the airline, the next available flight may be on a SWISS flight, as opposed to Lufthansa. This will all be done free of charge, provided the reason for your missed flight is the airline’s fault.
• If you missed a flight booked on one journey but on separate booking references: You may need to rebook your flight at your own expense. If you don’t book through a single airline, both legs of the trip are independent from one another, and therefore no airline is liable for your booking. It is always recommended that you leave a safe margin between your flights if you are building your own itinerary.

Will a connecting flight wait for me?

In most cases, no, airlines will not wait for passengers coming in from a connecting flight. However, if, for example, multiple passengers are coming from the same flight and everyone is late, there is a higher probability that the airline will hold the plane a little longer. Although sometimes airlines do wait, the most likely scenario is that they will take a look at how much impact waiting will have on their schedule and arrange around that. If they deem that it will have a significant impact on their schedule, it is very likely that they will not wait for you to board. 

Always try to plan for a longer layover where you feel comfortable that even with a slight delay you can make the plane. Naturally, if the airline is at fault for the delay and you miss your connecting flight, the airline will rebook you on the next possible flight. If your flight is delayed for more than three hours, you may be eligible for compensation. Check out our claim calculator to see if you are eligible for compensation!

What is considered “too short” for a layover?

Many factors determine what a short layover is. This may include your resistance to stress, or your time-management, or the period of the year. But the biggest determining factor would be what your destination is.

• Domestic flights: If you are flying within your own country, you can get away with shorter connection times. In these cases, since you don’t have to go through passport control and such, the recommended layover time would be a minimum 45 minutes to an hour. This may seem like little to some, and in that case you can always book longer layovers. But it is highly recommended to give yourself at least 45 minutes of layover time. If you are changing terminals, it is recommended to give yourself at least a 1 hour layover time. These recommendations also apply for flights that happen within the EU. Indeed, there will not be many domestic flights here, but flights within the Schengen area fall under the same principle.
• International flights: If you are flying outside of your own country, it is always advised to give yourself at least 1h30 minutes for a layover. Indeed, when flying internationally, there are more steps involved than flying domestic or within Schengen. Once off the plane, you are generally required to go through both security and passport control again. Depending on the time of year and how many flights arrive at the same time as yours, the queues may be long. You need to make sure your layover is long enough to clear all these steps. If you are booking a whole trip with one airline, under one booking reference, the airline crew is likely to help you through faster if you have a tight layover. However, this is not always the case, so it is always safe to plan for more time, in case a delay may occur. 
• Separate tickets: If you booked tickets under different airlines, using separate booking references, you do not have the security of the airline rebooking you in case of a missed flight. In this case, a longer layover is recommended, with a minimum of 2h30 minutes, in case a delay occurs. If you are flying within Canada or the US, your checked luggage needs to be picked up and rechecked between flights. Please also account for this when choosing layover length. This will also require going through customs again, so perhaps adding another hour to your layover is a good idea. This would bring you to a minimum layover time of 3h30 minutes.

Conclusion: short layovers

To conclude this section, minimum layover times depend on where you are flying to. Indeed, international layovers will naturally demand longer layover times, especially if you are booking on separate airlines. 

Can I get compensation for a missed flight?

Under the EU261 regulation, all passengers on flights within and departing from the EU, as well as flights arriving to the EU on a European carrier are eligible for up to 600€ compensation. The three-hour rule for compensation relates to the minimum delay time that makes you eligible for compensation: your flight must have a minimum 3h delay to benefit from compensation. 

AirRefund will fight for your compensation if your flight was disrupted. If you experienced a missed connection due to a short layover, and the airline is at fault, you may be eligible for up to 600€. Use our claim calculator below to check your flight !