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Missed flight — what are your passenger rights?
To get flight compensation or a refund for your missed connection flight, both of your flights must be under the same booking. This means both flights are on the same ticket/reservation. It does not matter whether both flights are operated by the same airline or not. Also, as the British and EU regulations state, you can claim flight compensation or a refund if you were not at fault for missing your flight and you checked in on time. The airline must be the party at fault for the delay or cancellation.
When can you claim your missed flight compensation?
You experienced a flight delay and missed your connection? Compensation may be available to you under passenger rights regulations, depending on the circumstances. In order to be eligible for missed flight compensation, your situation needs to meet the following criteria:
- You missed your connecting flight due to a delayed flight, cancelled flight or denied boarding due to an overbooked flight
- In the event of a flight delay: your missed flight led to more than 3 hours of flight delay to your final destination
- Your connecting flights are part of the same booking
- The airline was the party at fault for the disruption that caused your missed flight. However, if the delay or cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as bad weather, you are likely not eligible for compensation. You can read more about extraordinary circumstances below.
- You missed your flight due to a circumstance beyond your control. For example, if you have missed your flight because you checked in late or were denied boarding because of a missing ID/passport, you likely will not be able to claim compensation.
Claim your missed flight compensation!
Can I claim compensation if I miss my flight due to a flight delay?
Did missing your connecting flight make you arrive more than 3 hours later at the final destination? According to the British and EU regulations, you may be entitled to missed flight compensation up to £520.
Two things must be considered:
- Your connecting flights must be under the same booking (e.g. both flights must be on the same ticket/reservation)
- The airline must be the party at fault for the delay.
In the event of a missed flight due to a flight cancellation, you have several options:
- If the airline did not provide you with an alternative flight, you can ask for a full refund of both of your connecting flights.
- If the airline did provide you with an alternative flight, but you declined their offer, you can ask for a full refund of your connecting flights.
- If the alternative flight offered by the airline makes you arrive more than 3 hours later at the final destination, you can claim flight compensation!
- If your initial flight was cancelled fewer than 14 days prior to departure, you can claim missed flight compensation AND a ticket refund (missed flight refund is applicable only when you don’t accept the alternative flight proposed by the airline).
Did you miss your connecting flight?
Claim flight compensation, the refund of your entire trip or both!
I was flying to a non-European country, can I still get flight compensation and refund for my missed flight?
You are eligible for flight compensation under one of the following circumstances:
- You are flying with an airline headquartered in the UK or the EU
- You are flying with an airline NOT headquartered in the UK or the EU but took off from the UK or the EU
Connecting flights count as one trip as long as they are booked under the same reservation. Therefore, if you were flying from London to Los Angeles and you missed your connecting flight in New York because of a delay or cancellation of your first flight, you can be eligible for flight compensation and a refund under the British and European regulations.
How much flight compensation can I get for my missed flight?
It will depend on the distance of your whole trip. When taking connecting flights, you are probably travelling further away — meaning, that your case will likely fall in the last category from the list below. Check out the amount of missed flight compensation you can get per distance according to the UK261/EU261!
- For flights shorter than 1,500 km, the compensation is £220.
- For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is £350.
- For flights of over 3,500 kilometres within the EU, the compensation is also £350.
- For flights of over 3,500 kilometres outside of the EU, the compensation is £520 —but if your flight was delayed by fewer than 4 hours, the total amount might be reduced by 50%.
Can the airline deny my missed flight compensation claim?
The airline must be the party at fault for the delay or the cancellation that caused you to miss your connecting flights. If a third party and or a force majeure has caused the initial delay or cancellation, these are the so-called extraordinary circumstances in which you may not be eligible for flight compensation.
Here are a few examples of situations where you might not be eligible for flight compensation:
- Bad weather conditions, such as heavy rain and dense fog.
- A strike, specifically caused by workers within the aviation industry but not related to the airline (eg. baggage handlers). But keep in mind that workers associated with the airline, such as pilots and flight attendants, are NOT considered an extraordinary circumstance and you can claim compensation!
- Natural disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes, and floods. However, remember that sometimes airlines may lie and claim that the delay or the cancellation is not their fault but are extraordinary circumstances. By submitting your claim at Flight Delayed UK, we can further investigate whether this is true or not.
How long can I claim flight compensation or a refund for my missed flight?
In the UK, you can claim for up to 6 years after your missed flight. However, this time limit changes according to:
- The country of the departure
- The country of the destination
- The country where the airline is based
For example, if you are flying with Air France from London to New York, you will be able to choose between the legislations in France (5 years) and the UK (6 years) to exercise your rights according to the British and EU regulations.
=> Unsure if you can still claim your missed flight compensation? Check it now in a few seconds with our free, no-obligation Claim Calculator!
How long will it take to receive my flight compensation/flight refund?
Passengers who use Flight Delayed UK to claim flight compensation or a refund typically receive their money within a few weeks or months.
However, if the airline is unresponsive and/or the claim must be filed in court, the wait time could be extended by several months or even years.
No matter how long the claim takes, our team will keep you informed of any significant developments in your case and will be available to answer any concerns you may have.
How to claim flight compensation/refund?
Claim with Flight Delayed UK: it only takes a few minutes and increases your chances of getting flight compensation!
If you are eligible for missed flight compensation/flight refund, you can choose to let our team of experts handle your claim. It will only take a few minutes to upload all the required documents on our platform. Our legal experts will take it from there, assessing your claim, preparing legal papers, contacting the airline's decision-makers, and, if necessary, taking your claim to court.
Why claim with Flight-Delayed
1m passengers helped
9 legal teams in 9 countries
98% of court cases won
If you wish to learn more about our fees, please visit our Price List page.
Otherwise, if you are ready to claim, start the process right away — you can do it straight from your phone or your computer!
Frequently asked questions about missed flight compensation
What happens if I miss my Ryanair flight?
If you missed your flight due to a delay or cancellation of the first flight, Ryanair needs to offer an alternative flight for you. Moreover, if you arrive at your destination with more than 3 hours of delay, then you might be eligible for flight compensation as well.
Does British Airways pay compensation for a missed connection?
Your eligibility for missed British Airways flight compensation depends on the cause of the missed flight. You can claim your flight compensation or a refund if British Airways was the party at fault for the delay or cancellation, which led to a missed flight.
What to do if you miss your connecting flight?
First, contact the airline to inform them you missed the flight so that they don’t declare you as a “no show”. Second, explore the options of alternative flights provided by the airline. Third, submit a claim with Flight Delayed UK and claim missed flight compensation of up to £520 as EU261 states!
What happens if you miss a non-refundable flight?
If you were at fault for missing your flight, then you are not entitled to any compensation. However, if the airline was responsible for the missed flight, you may still be eligible for flight compensation.
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