You push through the security checks and run to your terminal…only to see the airline attendants closing the doors for your flight! It’s too late. At a moment like this, you’ll likely panic and find it hard to keep your mind clear or even breathe.
What do you do now?
Preventive Measures
As with so many things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to missing a connecting flight. So, when you are booking your flight, look carefully at the layover times to make sure there is enough time to allow for any complications that may occur. We all hate long layovers, but if you plan things too close to the bone, you make regret not leaving enough time in between flights when you hear the announcement that you’re arriving at gate A42 and your flight is leaving in five minutes from gate G54.
Whose Mistake Was it?
The first step to take after missing a connecting flight is to figure out who’s to blame for the mishap. Occasionally, the missed flight may be on you, whether it difficulty finding the terminal, interminable traffic you didn’t plan for, or an unexpected illness in the family. Mistakes happen, so you will need to contact the airline as soon as you realize you will either miss the flight or miss a connection. They key here is to be nice and reasonable with any airline employee you interact with. If it’s not the airline’s fault, then they don’t really need to do anything to accommodate you. So, anything that they decide that they will do for you will be from the good graces of that employee. So, again, be NICE.
If It’s the Airline’s Fault
The easier problem to work with is if missing a connecting flight was due to an error on the airline because you will likely be compensated for your frustration. There are some requirements for ensuring compensation if the airline is at fault, so make sure you keep documentation of everything involving your flight. If your flight was canceled, or experienced a delay of over three hours, and is outside the United States, you may eligible for compensation. This is not to say that airlines won’t help you out with flights within the United States, but it may be more difficult.
If your flight was canceled without sufficient notification, or if it was overbooked, then you can talk to the airline about making amends for your troubles. In most cases, airlines will try to accommodate travelers so they do not lose business or develop a bad reputation on social media. When you talk to the airline, ask about what their plans are and what assistance they intend provide in booking a new flight, securing accommodations for you while you wait, and providing food vouchers.
Personal Reasons
It is harder to receive compensation when you miss a connecting flight for your own mistakes. This does not mean you should not contact the airlines to see what you can do. Missing a connecting flight because you stop in a store to get food or are slow to get to the terminal will generally leave you without any luck.
However, if you miss the flight because you are having to take a shuttle to another area and there are complications with that or you have a sudden illness, you may be met with a sympathetic airline employee. When you contact the airline, let them know you still want to make the trip, and would be grateful for any help they could provide. Depending on the airline, they may only charge you a service fee to cover the change in tickets. It is vital that you remain patient, because, again, they have the right to decide not to help you at all.
Subsequent Steps to Take
After you have contacted the airline to find out what your options are, make sure you contact the baggage claim to locate your luggage. You will want to make sure that your luggage did not travel on without you. Finally, whether you’re trip is domestic or international, make sure you contact any rental car companies, hotels, and any people who are waiting on your arrival to let them know the new arrival time. Some hotels will cancel your reservation if you do not arrive when you specify, while others might charge you for any night that you did not stay. Finally, if you have traveler’s insurance, consider contacting your policyholder and see how they can help you with the process to take some of the stress off yourself.
Do you have any tips on what to do when you miss your connecting flight? Let us know in the comments below!
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