9

I booked separate tickets for a multi-leg journey (e.g., New York to Paris on one airline, then Paris to Rome on another). If my first flight is delayed and I miss the second flight, what are my options? Since they are separate tickets, the second airline isn’t responsible for rebooking. Would travel insurance cover this? Is there a way to ask the airline for flexibility in such cases? Any strategies to minimize financial loss if a missed connection seems likely?

Improve this question
3
  • 5
    Very strongly related: travel.stackexchange.com/a/191514/30703 Commented Mar 12 at 7:54
  • The only flexibility you can realistically expect from the second airline is to sell you another flight at the going rate for a last minute booking. Commented Mar 12 at 8:58
  • One of the strategies is to pad the connection time to accommodate the delay. In this example, arriving in Paris a day (or two days) early is a common approach. Add a day of sightseeing and overnight stay in Paris. Commented Mar 12 at 21:38

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
10

Would travel insurance cover this?

Some may, but you most definitely need to read the fine print. Not all policies will cover it, and most will have conditions, restrictions, exclusions and limitations.

Is there a way to ask the airline for flexibility in such cases?

  • You can book flexible tickets. Check the rules for flexibility, some require you to make any changes at least 2 or 3 hours before scheduled departure. Others will allow you to make changes even after check-in. Note that you may still have to pay the fare difference, based on the current price, which may be much higher than when you booked.
  • Some airlines have a “flat tire” policy which will allow you to be rebooked on the next available flight in some conditions. This is (bizarrely) more common in the US than elsewhere, but such policies tend to disappear, and they are usually at the good will of the airline or its agent.
  • Some airlines allow you to “save” your ticket and be rebooked on another flight for a fee (and possibly fare difference, again). The fee is often suite high, but it may be less expensive than a new ticket bought at the last minute.

Any strategies to minimize financial loss if a missed connection seems likely?

In advance:

  • Have as much buffer as possible, especially if the second flight is expensive or infrequent. In some cases, an overnight stay is a good idea.
  • Try to find tickets with at least some flexibility.
  • It may sometimes make sense to buy a second ticket for a later flight, especially if you can buy tickets very cheaply in advance while last minute tickets are expensive.
  • You could also buy a second ticket for a later flight on a flexible fare (and get a refund if you don’t need it).
  • You could book a flexible ticket on a flight with more margin, and move it forward if you can make an earlier flight.
  • Know the alternatives in advance (airlines, schedules...) so you know where to look if you need to rebook.
  • Know the rules which apply to your tickets (change, cancellation, time limits, penalties/fees…)
  • Optimise your connection: get a seat upfront, know your way through the airport, don’t check bags, have all your paperwork ready, have the relevant apps loaded and logged into on your phone…

When things go bad:

  • Try to change your ticket as early as you can.
  • Try to talk them nicely to see if something is possible. Generally, try to avoid saying your incoming flight was delayed (especially if the second airline sells connecting flights).
  • Rely on the alternative plans you prepared.

Also, remember that a delay on the first flight is not the only case you may have an issue with a self-transfer. Other possibilities include:

  • A schedule change of either flight which makes the connection more difficult or outright impossible
  • Delays during passport control
  • See this for many more.

Booking a direct flight or a "real" connecting flights remain the best options for peace of mind.

Improve this answer
5
  • Genuine question: if the OP booked a same day/same airline back up ticket, would the airline’s system see a reservation that is impossible to keep and cancel one of them (or both)? Commented Mar 12 at 10:17
  • @Traveller I think there was a discussion on this topic a few years back, I don't remember how it unfolded. I'm pretty sure LCCs (which are often involved in self-transfers) wouldn't care at all. I don't think incumbents would care, but they would probably bump up their "overbooking potential". Commented Mar 12 at 10:21
  • 2
    I would be careful with "flexible" ticket: they can (and often are) a rip off. In most cases this simply means that you don't have to pay a change fee but you are still in the hook for any difference in ticket price which will often be very large for last minute tickets. I've certainly seen airlines offering "flex tickets" where the price adder much more expensive than the change fee and even in cases where there is no change fee at all. You need to read the terms and conditions carefully and (at least in the US) it rarely makes sense to buy flex. Commented Mar 12 at 12:25
  • 1
    @Hilmar Yes, nowadays flex may only make sense if you need to cancel the ticket rather than move it. But indeed, reading the fine print is essential, airlines sometimes have a weird notion of what "flexible" means. Commented Mar 12 at 12:39
  • Yeah many businesses have a policy of buying flex tickets, and few private travellers will buy them, so that effectively allows airlines to bump up the prices because business travel seems to be a lot less price-dependent. Commented Mar 12 at 14:07
4

Clearly none of the airlines has any responsibilities for your missed flight. None of them are likely to be benevolent as far as I understand.

As for travel insurance, it might be applicable. I have checked a number of travel insurances in Sweden, and they seem to cover a missed departure "missad avresa". At least one explicitely mentions when a delayed train connecting makes you miss a departing flight. This could possibly be applicable for a missed connection? There is a limit on the amount that can be paid (up to 20.000 SEK, currently 1990 USD). And as always a lot of other reservations apply.

If this can be relevant to you depends on the exact details in your travel insurance.

Improve this answer
1

This happened to me more than twenty years ago, when terms and conditions of air fares were different than they are now. I arrived at my penultimate airport more than 2 hours late, after my connecting flight had departed. (It was the last flight of the day.) The airline graciously extended me the offer to fly standby on the first flight out the next morning, which was half empty anyways, but they reminded me that they were under no obligation to extend me any assistance whatsoever. (I spent the night on a bench in the airport.)

Standby flight availability is much harder to come by now, too.

As for flight insurance, in 2010 Travel Guard started offering insurance for split tickets and claimed it was the world's first policy that would cover such missed connections. I would recommend that you read the fine print on your travel insurance very carefully before assuming that it will cover a missed connection on a split ticket.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.