Missed Connection Compensation

Table of contents

Why Do Missed Connections Happen?

There are many reasons for missed connections occurring, and all of them can be particularly frustrating to passengers. After all, one missed connection could have a knock-on effect, causing yet more missed connections further down the chain. There are times when the missed connection is not the fault of the airline, however the majority of times the problem is caused directly by the airline in question – meaning that you are able to claim compensation for the inconvenience and possible financial loss you’ve incurred.

But what are some of the more commonly seen reasons for people missing their connection? A few of them are listed below…

• Scheduling errors by the airline
• Luggage mishandling
• Issues with the routing of flights
• Delays in the screening process
• Overbooking

As can be seen, all of the above problems are caused by the airline, and therefore they should be held accountable for them. After all, why should you lose out financially due to their mistakes? To start the process of missed flight compensation, simply fill in the form at the top of this page and we’ll do the rest.

Why Do Airlines Overbook?

Of the points on the above list, overbooking is perhaps the one that causes the most anger amongst passengers. It is the process whereby airlines deliberately overbook seats on a place, meaning that, should everyone turn up, some passengers will not be given a seat. The reason the airlines do this is simple: they want to ensure that every seat is filled, and rely on some people not turning up for the system to work properly.

This policy clearly causes problems for those with set itineraries – those who have to be somewhere at a certain time in order to catch another flight. If you have been the victim of airline overbooking, and have missed a flight due to it, contact us today to find out if you can claim compensation for a missed connection.

Policy of Overbooking

Many EU airlines make it a policy to overbook flights because empty seats reduce their profits. In doing so, they hope to account for a pre-determined amount of no-shows. The problem is that things do not always go as anticipated. Often, more passengers show up for a flight than what there are seats for. Since the airlines cannot accommodate all of them, it leaves them with no other option than to bump certain people from their flights.

The problem with this is that people expect to depart and arrive as scheduled. When passengers are bumped, connecting flights in other cities may need to be rescheduled as well. An entire itinerary can quickly spiral out of control for an innocent traveller who wants nothing more than to get to his or her destination without incident.

Are There Laws Surrounding Missed Connections?

It used to be the case that no laws were in place to protect consumers in the event of a missed connection, and this lack of regulation caused a number of people to lose out massively. EU Rule 261/2004 remedied this though, as it stated that those missing a connecting flight due to the fault of the airline were entitled to compensation. What’s more, it is possible to make these claims for missed connections that occurred up to six years ago. It should be noted that a missed connection must have resulted in a delay of over three hours – those made to wait less time than this are not entitled to compensation.

The law only covers certain flights though, due to the fact that the EU only has jurisdiction over flights and companies from its own territory. Any flight from any airline, regardless of where they are based, is covered if the plane is departing from an EU airport though. It gets trickier when the plane is only landing in the EU though, as this means that the company must be one registered in the EU. So, for example, if the plane was from BA or Air France, you would be covered; if it was from American Airlines or Etihad, you wouldn’t. It should be noted that EU airports also include those in Iceland, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein, even though they are not in the EU.

This law is the same one that governs compensation for cancelled flights. If you’ve ever experienced this before, why not take a look through our flight cancellation compensation page?

Are There Any Times Compensation Can’t Be Claimed?

Airlines won’t be obligated to pay compensation when the delay was due to circumstances beyond their control, which is only fair. It’s also very important to reiterate that airlines don’t have to pay if you are inconvenienced for less than three hours. This means that you should always stay close to the check-in desk for three hours after your flight departed (this is obviously not the case if you missed the flight by more than three hours) so that you can find out if they have any plans to remedy the situation immediately.

Some of the reasons for not being able to claim compensation include:

• Delays due to bad weather
• Issues caused by staff strikes
• Delays caused by an organisation other than the airline (such as the airport itself)

It isn’t always entirely clear whether connecting flight compensation can be claimed though, as the law is slightly vague in this regard. In this case, it is best to speak with us and ascertain your rights, based on your own specific circumstances. Just fill in the form on this page to begin the process and we will let you know ASAP whether your claim is likely to succeed.

How to Claim Compensation for a Missed Connection

There are a few ways to claim compensation for a missed connection, with the first of these being going directly to the airline yourself. As you might imagine though, airlines aren’t ever too keen on paying out money, so they will almost certainly attempt to fob you off with excuses and confusing arguments. The result is usually a frustrated passenger, with no compensation at all to show for their missed connection.

Then there’s the option of hiring a legal professional to represent you. It’s usually the case that you’ll end up getting the compensation in this case, however it is a huge risk to take. After all, the legal bills are often larger than the compensation itself, so unless the case is won and the airline covers costs, you could find yourself in serious debt. Solicitors also don’t often have a huge amount of expertise in this area, as it is not something they’ll deal with too often, which could affect your chances of getting compensation.

The final way is to use the service found at this site, just like many other people have done in the past. It’s completely free to get the process started, and we’ll deal with the airline on your behalf, so you don’t have to go through the stress of liaising with them. We’ll only charge if your claim is successful, so you will never lose out financially. Our success rate is extremely good, so why not start on the road towards compensation today?

How Much Compensation Can Be Received?

The amount of compensation you can receive depends on the length of your journey. The maximum that can be received for a journey of less than 1,500km is €250 (approximately £200), while journeys between 1,500km and 3,000km can be compensated up to €450 (around £300). The maximum amount that can be received is reserved for flights over the distance of 3,000km, in which case a passenger can claim up to €600 (about £470).

The amount of compensation you receive will be influenced by a number of factors though, with the biggest being the amount you paid for your ticket. The amount of time you were forced to wait will also be taken into consideration when you apply. Regardless of your own personal circumstances though, we’ll always fight for the maximum amount.

Why Use Our Service?

There are many reasons why you might want to use our service, but the biggest is undoubtedly convenience. The amount of work it takes to finally get an airline to pay compensation is often a lot, and many people simply don’t have the time or energy to pursue a claim for too long. We have the experience needed in getting compensation for missed connecting flights though, so can streamline the process and get favourable results faster.

Money also plays a role in why many people choose to use our service, as pursuing a claim via a solicitor can often get prohibitively expensive. You’ll never have to pay us any money upfront though, and you also have the added assurance that we’ll never charge a fee unless your compensation claim is successful.

Finally, we have a track record of success, as you’ll see by the recent examples at the bottom of this page. We’ve worked on behalf of hundreds of disgruntled passengers in the past, always trying our best to get them the compensation they deserve. We know exactly how to approach the airlines, and exactly how to get around the various objections they might make. The result is that airlines know we are skilled at our job, and often don’t put up too much of a fight when we act on a customer’s behalf.

Claim Your Compensation For Missed Connecting Flights Today!

So, now you know all you need to know about how to claim the compensation you deserve. If you want to get up to €600 back for the hassle and inconvenience you’ve been caused by an airline, all you need to do is fill in the small form at the top of this page, and we’ll do the rest. There’s are no upfront fees to pay, and our high success rate means that your case will have an excellent chance of leading to a payout.