✈️
Preparing your journey...
Preparing your journey...
Check how much the airline owes you. It's free and takes 2 minutes.
We help you enforce your passenger rights
Missing a connecting flight is a nightmare setback on a long journey. But if you were traveling to or from Europe you might be protected by regulation EC 261.
If you miss a connecting flight due to flight delay, cancellation, or being denied boarding, you could be entitled to up to €600 compensation.
If you missed a connecting flight because of delay, cancellation or overbooking you could be eligible for up to €600 in compensation.
You can claim EC 261 compensation for a missed flight connection if…
The simplest way to find out if you are owed compensation is to use an eligibility checker.
Missed connections are only eligible where both flights were part of the same reservation. That means you booked a single journey and received a ticket for connecting flights.
A simple check: if the booking reference number is the same for all flights, they are considered part of the same reservation.
EC 261 applies to all passengers on flights within Europe regardless of nationality. It covers flights departing Europe, and flights landing in Europe on a European airline.
| Itinerary | EU air carrier | Non-EU air carrier |
|---|---|---|
| From inside the EU to inside the EU | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| From inside the EU to outside the EU | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| From outside the EU to inside the EU | ✔ Yes | No - unless your journey originated in EU* |
| From outside the EU to outside the EU | No - unless your journey originated in EU* | No - unless your journey originated in EU* |
* If flights were purchased under one booking, EC 261 considers them part of the same journey. Journeys departing the EU are generally covered regardless of where disruption occurs.
EC 261 also applies in Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and outermost regions.
Under EC 261, passengers are eligible to claim compensation when airline fault causes one of these disruptions:
Extraordinary circumstances are excluded.
Extraordinary circumstances are events outside the airline's control (lightning strikes, medical emergencies, air traffic control strikes, serious adverse weather, acts of sabotage, political unrest, terrorism, etc.).
Airline strikes do not fall under extraordinary circumstances.
EU courts have ruled that internal strikes by flight staff are generally not “extraordinary circumstances”, so airlines must compensate when a strike is to blame.
Missed connections for personal reasons are not covered.
If you are responsible for missing the connection (late at gate, missing documents, etc.) you will not be entitled to compensation under EC 261.
Even if you're on a business trip, it is still you (the passenger) who is entitled to compensation, not the person who paid for the ticket.
The most common reason for a missed connection is flight delay. For delay-based missed connections, compensation is based on distance and how late you arrive at your final destination.
| Distance | Less than 3 hours | 3 – 4 hours | More than 4 hours | Never arrived |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All flights 1,500 km or less | € - | €250 | €250 | €250 |
| Internal EU flights over 1,500 km | € - | €400 | €400 | €400 |
| Non-internal EU flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km | € - | €400 | €400 | €400 |
| Non-internal EU flights over 3,500 km | € - | €300 | €600 | €600 |
You may be entitled to different amounts if you missed a connection due to cancellation or denied boarding.
When claiming compensation for a missed connection, it is the total length of the journey that matters, not the leg you missed.
In many cases airlines are responsible for all affected flights in the same journey, even if later flights are with a different airline.
If you missed your connection due to the fault of the airline, the airline should rebook you on the next available flight to your destination.
If the missed connection means the trip no longer serves your travel plan, you may also use your right of reimbursement. This applies if a flight is delayed five hours or more, canceled, or you are denied boarding.
You may ask the airline for a return flight to the first point of departure AND a refund for the journey not made. Refunds must also include parts already made if the trip no longer serves its original purpose.
After several hours of delay, your airline must provide meals and refreshments and access to communications (two telephone calls, fax messages, or emails).
If overnight accommodation becomes necessary, they must provide a hotel room and transportation to and from the airport.
If your delay exceeds five hours, you are entitled to a full or partial refund of your original ticket and a return flight to your point of departure, if needed — in addition to compensation.
Your new flight should be of a similar standard. If you are offered an upgrade, the airline can't charge extra. If downgraded, you can get 30–75% reimbursement of the price you paid.
Compensation under EC 261 doesn't affect your right to request further compensation, though the EC 261 amount may be deducted from additional compensation.
In most cases you have the right to be rebooked on the next available flight, or ask for a refund and flight back to your point of departure.
We make the claim process simple. Share your flight details and what happened, and our team can handle the case and negotiations.
Takes just 2 minutes