Published by Flight HelpPage revision published

What can I claim when a delayed flight makes me miss a separately booked onward flight?

A separate onward ticket is not automatically protected as part of the first flight’s EU journey. Keep the claims separate: assess the delayed flight on its own, then ask the onward carrier about that ticket. Missing the second gate because the first airline was late does not automatically make the second carrier responsible for denied boarding.

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What this answer depends on

  • Flights and passengers within Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. Check departure, destination, operating carrier and the specific conditions below; the airline name alone does not establish coverage.
  • Commission guidance distinguishes separately booked flights from a single-reservation connecting journey for final-destination and misconnection analysis.
  • A passenger who misses a separately booked onward flight because the first flight was delayed is not thereby entitled to denied-boarding compensation from the onward carrier.
  • The first flight may still qualify for its own EU delay compensation if its arrival delay and the other legal conditions are satisfied.

Important exceptions

  • This page does not rule out a contractual, insurance or damages claim for a self-transfer loss. It does reject the shortcut of treating every missed onward flight as involuntary denied boarding by that second carrier. Agency-assembled single-price arrangements can be legally more complex than a simple self-transfer.

What to do next

  1. Collect both tickets and establish whether they really are separate contracts. A common agency invoice is evidence to examine, not a reason to assume either outcome without checking.

  2. Notify the onward airline as soon as the connection becomes doubtful. Ask for available changes or assistance under that ticket’s terms, explaining the disruption without calling it a protected through connection unless it is one.

  3. Record the first flight’s own scheduled and actual arrival and pursue any claim it supports. Do not substitute the destination on the separate second ticket as though it automatically belonged to the first contract.

  4. Keep replacement costs and any separate-ticket protection or insurance documents for review under their own terms. A protection product needs its own evidence; it is not the same as EU261.

  5. Have both ticket contracts, booking references, separate payment records where available, first-flight timing, second-flight boarding deadline and the onward airline’s response.

More booking questions

Does using the same airline for both tickets make them one booking?

Not automatically. The actual ticket and contractual structure matters.

Checked against2024 Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004

Can I still claim for the first delay?

Yes, assess that flight’s own scope, arrival delay and other conditions separately.

Checked against2024 Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004

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