The first thing to check is your booking confirmation. One booking reference covering every flight means the airline sold you a journey to the final destination and is responsible for getting you there. Two bookings mean two contracts, and nobody is responsible for the gap between them.
Single booking or separate tickets
| Your situation | Who is responsible |
|---|---|
| One booking, connection missed because the first flight was late | The airline re-routes you free of charge, provides care, and may owe compensation |
| One booking, legs operated by different airlines (codeshare or partner) | Same as above. Claim from the airline that operated the delayed flight, or the one that operated the first leg |
| Separate tickets bought by you (self-transfer) | Each flight stands alone. The onward ticket is at your own risk |
| Missed the connection because of your own delay in the terminal | No rights against the airline |
Good to know
A booking made through a travel agent that issued one ticket for flights on different airlines still counts as a single journey with connecting flights, even when the airlines have no agreement with each other (CJEU, flightright v American Airlines, C-436/21).
The delay that counts is at the final destination
Regulation 261/2004 defines the final destination as the destination of the last flight on the ticket (Art. 2(h)). The Court of Justice drew the consequence in Air France v Folkerts (C-11/11): compensation depends on the delay when you arrive at that final destination.
The first flight can be a few minutes late. If those minutes made you miss the connection and you arrived three hours or more behind schedule, you are entitled to compensation.
| Distance, first airport to final destination | EU / EEA | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
| Over 1,500 km within the EU, and other journeys of 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km, arriving 3 to 4 hours late | €300 | £260 |
| Over 3,500 km, arriving more than 4 hours late | €600 | £520 |
Distance is the straight line between the first departure airport and the final destination (CJEU, Bossen, C-559/16).
The airline can refuse only by proving extraordinary circumstances under Art. 5(3). The same amounts and thresholds are explained in flight delay.
Connections outside the EU
EU rules follow the journey, not each leg.
- Departing from the EU with a stopover outside it. A single booking from Berlin to Agadir via Casablanca is one flight departing from the EU. The delay on the leg leaving Morocco is covered, even on a non-EU airline (CJEU, Wegener, C-537/17).
- Second leg flown by a non-EU partner. A passenger booked Prague to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi with České aerolinie. The Czech airline flew the first leg on time; Etihad flew the second and arrived 488 minutes late. The passenger could claim from the Czech airline, which had sold the whole journey (CJEU, České aerolinie, C-502/18).
- Flying into the EU on a non-EU airline from outside the EU. Not covered. EU rules apply to inbound flights only when the operating carrier is an EU airline (Art. 3(1)(b)).
The UK applies the same logic to journeys departing from UK airports. See UK261.
What to ask for
- Re-routing. Go to the transfer desk or the airline’s app and ask for the next available flight to your final destination, on any airline. This is free (Art. 8(1)(b)).
- Care. Meals and drinks while you wait, and a hotel with transfers if the next flight is the following day (Art. 9).
- A refund instead. If the delay makes the trip pointless, you can ask for a refund of the whole ticket and a flight back to your first departure point (Art. 8(1)(a)).
- Your bag. Ask where your checked bag is going. If it does not arrive, file a report before leaving the airport. See lost baggage.
- Proof. Keep both boarding passes, the new itinerary and the actual arrival time at your final destination.
Tip
Then claim compensation in writing. The calculator works out the distance band, and the claim letter gives you the text.
Brazil and the United States
Brazil. When you miss a connecting flight for a reason attributable to the airline, including a change of airport, you choose between re-accommodation, a refund and transport by another mode (Art. 21, IV, ANAC Resolution 400/2016), with material assistance while you wait. See ANAC Resolution 400.
United States. No federal rule gives compensation for a missed connection. Airlines re-book passengers on a single ticket under their own contract of carriage.
If the re-booking makes you arrive three hours or more late on a domestic itinerary, or six hours or more on an international one, and you decline it, you are entitled to a refund (14 CFR Part 260).
From 23 October 2027
Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 writes the case law into the text. A new Article 6b:
- Makes the airline that operated the disrupted flight responsible for re-routing and care.
- Offers a refund when re-routing is not possible within five hours of the missed flight’s departure time.
- Confirms compensation when you reach the final destination more than three hours late.
Good to know
Journeys before that date follow the rules above.