Missed Connection Due to Airline Delay: Your Rights

The most important factor in missed connection claims is how you booked. If your entire journey is on a single booking (one confirmation number covering all legs), the airline is responsible for getting you to your final destination. If you booked separate tickets for each leg, the second airline has no obligation to help if you miss the connection due to the first airline's delay.

Check your booking reference. If all flights share one confirmation number, you are on a single ticket and the airline is fully responsible. If you have separate confirmation numbers, each segment is independent.

When you miss a connection on a single ticket because the airline delayed the first leg, the airline must rebook you on the next available flight to your final destination at no additional cost, provide meals and accommodation if the delay results in an overnight wait, and offer a full refund if you choose not to continue traveling.

Under DOT rules, the refund right applies if the total delay to your final destination is 3+ hours domestic or 6+ hours international. For more on the refund process, see our refund guide. For a detailed look at missed connection scenarios, read our connecting flights guide.

Under EU261, the key question is whether you arrived at your final destination more than 3 hours late, not whether any individual leg was delayed. If you booked a single ticket from London to Los Angeles via Frankfurt, and a 1-hour delay in London caused you to miss the Frankfurt connection and arrive in LA 5 hours late, you are entitled to €600 per person.

EU261 measures delay at the final destination. A 30-minute delay on the first leg that snowballs into a 4-hour delay at your final destination triggers full EU261 compensation.

1. 1

   Go to the airline's transfer desk or customer service counter immediately after landing.

2. 2

   Show your boarding pass and explain that your delay caused a missed connection.

3. 3

   Request rebooking on the next available flight to your final destination.

4. 4

   If the next flight is the following day, request meal vouchers and hotel accommodation.

5. 5

   If you prefer not to continue, request a full refund for the unused portion.

6. 6

   Keep all documentation: boarding passes, rebooking confirmations, receipts.

If you booked separate tickets and miss a connection, your options are more limited. The second airline is not responsible. Your best approach is to request a refund from the first airline for the delay that caused you to miss the second flight, then rebook the second flight separately.

Travel insurance is particularly valuable for separate-ticket itineraries. If you regularly book separate tickets to save money, consider trip interruption insurance. Check your flight eligibility with TravelStacks to see what rules apply to your specific situation.