When a connection is missed due to a late arrival of the first leg of an international flight, does the psgr have a choice of which available flight they take to finish their flight. (Assume this is all on one ticket using a regional codeshare flight for the first leg.) For example, the missed flight is a non-stop, long but preferred. There are 3 later flights the smae day but with 1 or 2 stops and 4-6 hours longer. Can the psgr choose to wait for the non-stop the next day, or must they take the first available flight even though it’s very undesirable? Assume too, that a small pug dog will be included.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23268 posts
Generally you take the first available simply because you might not have additional options. Remember, if you miss a flight, you are late to the party and may have to take any seat available. Direct flights are often the first to fill up. You can ask and negotiate anything but you could be limited. A few years ago we had the first leg cancelled and it took two days to get a seat. Good luck.
Posted by
901 posts
I've had only one experience. Due to a French air traffic controllers' strike, my husband and I missed our connecting Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Newark. Our journey had begun in Marseilles on the same ticket. Lufthansa tried to put us on a red eye (I'll only do that on the way to my vacation) to JFK which is on Long Island! Our car was in Newark. They tried to tell us it was easy to get to Newark from there (after a red eye, no less!) We opted to spend the night in Frankfurt at our expense and take an afternoon flight to Newark the next day. There were no fees or charges of any kind and our seats were comparable to our original ones. We had a nice drink at the bar, a nice dinner, great night's sleep, etc.
Posted by
New York, NY
4000 posts
You can wait for the nonstop the next day but you risk being bumped if elite status pax want to fly standby on that flight or the airline opts to sell last minute tickets. How much of a gambler are you?
If you have a tight connection, I suggest making alterations to your itinerary to give yourselves a bigger cushion especially that you’re flying with your dog.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8381 posts
My understanding is that some airlines have a limit on the number of pets that they will transport on any given plane. The fact that you will be transporting your dog may decrease the number of options that are available last minute. I do think that most airlines will do their best to work with you to find a replacement flight that meets your needs. They are limited by seats available and pet transport spots available.
EU261 may have impacts here as well. In certain circumstances the airline must pay compensation for your late arrival. They will seek to minimize late arrival times.
Posted by
Reno, NV, USA
2427 posts
We had a missed connection on our second leg coming back from Europe to Dulles which was the airline’s fault (long story and won’t go into it). We arrived at Dulles pretty late in the evening. The rebooking agent was going to put us on a red eye to SFO to arrive at zero dark thirty and our subsequent flight to RNO was going to depart the first flight the next morning.That would have meant arriving at a closed SFO airport in the wee hours with no services at all and sleeping in the terminal. We insisted on a hotel room for the night at Dulles and a departure the next morning. The agent argued with us but finally coughed up the hotel room and the next day flight. This was several years ago and planes are flying fuller now but you can at least ask what’s possible. Our last missed connection was from Dublin to LHR and the rebooking agent gave us a reasonable flight home the next day and the airline gave us a meal voucher and hotel room for the night at the airport. Every case is different as to what you will get and what is possible.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11180 posts
Why do you think the 1st flight will be late?
As Carol noted, the dog is an additional complicating factor
What accommodation someone got from 'an airline', last week or 3 yrs ago, has no real bearing on what your airline might do, next week, next month, or whenever your travel is.
The way to get a 'real' answer is to call the airline.