If You Missed the Connection, Contact the Airline Immediately
Back in August, we wrote about the risks of the so-called ” selling tickets to the hidden city “, when a traveler deliberately skips a connecting section, because it is cheaper than flying a direct flight. Airlines don’t look at this with such affection, so it comes with a very real risk of canceling your entire itinerary (which is set in stone in the contracts of carriage of several airlines ). But what if you accidentally miss a piece of connection and run into the same risk?
On the Elliot Advocacy User Forum, one commentator mentioned a recent incident where their son accidentally missed a stop on an American Airlines route. “When he checked in for his return flight from PHX to London, he found that AA had canceled his trip,” they wrote. “They didn’t notify him. They wouldn’t have resumed his flight if he hadn’t paid $ 150 for a replacement and paid the difference in fares (which was more than $ 600), even if there were a lot of empty seats on the flight and he bought a ticket. ”
If you end up missing a connection – and are still planning your return flight – here’s a key tip: contact the airline immediately to let them know that you are likely to be late or have already missed your flight. They will most likely ask you to change your flight for a fee and not cancel the rest of your itinerary. (Check out our guide on change fees; fees ultimately depend on whether you’re flying international or domestically, and time.)
If, on the other hand, the connection was due to the fault of the airline or there was a delay due to weather conditions, then you have nothing to worry about; Typically, airlines will rebook your connection automatically and your return flight will not be canceled.
And if you’re going through a hell of a nightmare travel day and end up getting kicked out of your rescheduled flight, here’s exactly what to ask the airline for.