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A connecting flight occurs when you need to transfer to another flight to reach your final destination. This means your journey consists of more than one direct flight.
In such cases, it’s crucial whether you booked your journey as a whole, under one reservation (one booking reference or PNR) or as separate individual flights. Usually, a single reservation is made when you book your flights with one airline, meaning all flights are operated by the same carrier. If you purchase separate tickets (e.g., a flight from Prague to Milan with Ryanair and a subsequent flight from Milan to Athens with EasyJet), it’s likely you have two separate reservations.
The same applies if you book connecting flights through ticket intermediaries like Pelikan, Kiwi, etc. Flights combined from two different airlines will most likely be considered two separate reservations.
Why is this important?
If your journey goes as planned, having multiple reservations typically doesn’t matter. However, problems arise if one of your flights is disrupted. For instance, if your first flight is delayed and you miss your connecting flight to your final destination, whether you have a single or multiple reservations becomes crucial.
If your entire journey is under a single reservation and you miss your connecting flight due to the airline’s fault (e.g., delay or cancellation, overbooking, or other issues), you have rights under EU regulations. Specifically, you’ll be entitled to an alternative flight to your final destination and possibly compensation of up to €600 per person.
If your journey consists of multiple reservations, you do not have these rights. You’ll need to arrange an alternative flight at your own expense, and you’ll only be entitled to compensation if one of your flights meets the conditions for delayed or canceled flight compensation.
To illustrate, here’s an example:
You have a flight from Prague to Milan and a connecting flight from Milan to Athens. Both flights are operated by Ryanair under one reservation. The first flight is delayed by 2 hours due to the airline, causing you to miss the connecting flight to Athens.
However, if your flights are booked under separate reservations, you are not entitled to an alternative flight or financial compensation. You will need to arrange transportation to your final destination at your own expense.
Under EU Regulation No. 261/2004, you are entitled to claim compensation of up to €600 if:
The most common reason for missing a connecting flight is the delay of a previous flight. It is important to note that the length of the delay of the initial flight is not as crucial as the total delay upon arrival at your final destination (this applies to situations where all flights are under one reservation). For example:
Below is a table to help you determine the amount of compensation you may be entitled to:
The distance of your flight is crucial for calculating the financial compensation you are entitled to when you miss a connecting flight. Since the primary focus is your final destination, the distance is measured between the airport of the initial departure and the airport of your final destination.
For instance, if your journey consists of a flight from Prague to Milan, followed by a flight from Milan to Athens, the distance will be calculated between the airport in Prague and the airport in Athens. The delay or cancellation of the flight from Prague to Milan does not affect the calculation of compensation. If you arrive at your final destination more than 3 hours late, you are entitled to €400, as the distance between Prague and Athens exceeds 1,500 km. This calculation applies only if all flights are booked under a single reservation, as explained above.
As previously mentioned, in addition to an alternative flight and financial compensation, there are other entitlements if you miss a connecting flight. These include:
These rights help ensure your comfort and well-being during unforeseen disruptions in your travel plans.
Simply put, you are entitled to compensation only if the disruption of your journey is caused by a situation for which the airline is responsible. If the airline is at fault and the necessary conditions are met, you are entitled to compensation.
However, if your flight is delayed or cancelled due to what is known as an extraordinary circumstance, the airline is not required to pay you financial compensation. It is important to note that you are always entitled to a refund of the ticket price (or an alternative flight) and accommodation in case of an overnight delay, regardless of whether it was due to an extraordinary circumstance or not. Extraordinary circumstances only affect financial compensation. These include situations such as:
However, not every situation qualifies as an extraordinary circumstance. For example, a technical fault with the aircraft will generally be considered a situation for which the airline is responsible, and you will therefore be entitled to financial compensation.
It's important not to panic. Before your trip, take photos of your boarding passes or save them to your phone. Try to find out the reason for your flight's delay or cancellation at the information desk. Get information about possible alternative flights from the desk or the airline. If an alternative flight is not available until the next day, ask for hotel accommodation. If the airline does not provide a hotel or alternative flight, you can purchase them yourself, and the airline must reimburse you later. Read up on your rights in this situation and contact us through our form. We will handle everything for you, and you will receive the compensation you are entitled to by the next day.
You can submit a compensation claim in two ways. You can try to negotiate with the airline yourself to obtain compensation for your missed flight, or you can fill out the form on Refundio.cz and let us handle the entire compensation process.
To be honest, you can obtain compensation for your cancelled flight on your own without using our services. However, you must be prepared for a potentially lengthy process (it can take up to 12 months). Airlines often ignore passengers regarding compensation and only respond to requests after many follow-ups over several months. The entire process also comes without a guarantee of success. Understanding what you are entitled to in case of a missed flight is not straightforward either. Thus, you may not receive any compensation even after many months.
If you don't want to go through this process, whether because your time is more valuable or because you don't know how to proceed, you can simply leave everything to us.
In just 5 minutes, you can fill out our form. We will evaluate everything and get back to you with a compensation offer on the same day. We will secure compensation for your flight, and if possible, we will send you the compensation in advance. No waiting, no stress, and with the certainty of receiving compensation. The amount remains yours even if we subsequently lose the dispute with the airline.
I missed my connecting flight due to a flight delay. The airline offered me an alternative flight. Am I also entitled to financial compensation?
Yes. If the conditions are met (see What compensation are you entitled to?), you are entitled not only to alternative transport to your final destination, but also to financial compensation of up to EUR 600 per person.
How do I know if my flight was under one booking?
You can find the reservation number (PNR) on the ticket or on the flight booking confirmation. This information should also be given to you before you buy your tickets. If you are buying your tickets as part of a tour from a travel agent, the travel agent should give you this information on request.
My flight was disrupted due to bad weather, am I entitled to compensation?
Unfortunately, no. Bad weather is considered an extraordinary circumstance for which the airline is not responsible. Therefore, you are not entitled to financial compensation, but you are entitled to a refund of the ticket price or an alternative flight, and hotel accommodation or refreshments.
The airline rejected my claim for extraordinary circumstances. What can I do?
Fill in our form. Even though the airline has rejected your claim, we will try to do something about it. However, in future it is easier to contact us directly to avoid these situations.
My employer bought my ticket and I was flying for a business trip. Am I still entitled to compensation for missing the connecting flight?
Yes. It doesn't matter whether your employer bought the ticket or you did, what matters is who was on the flight or should have been on the flight. You will be entitled to compensation at the same rate as if you were on holiday with your family.