Missed connecting flight due to a delay: what you are owed

If you miss your connecting flight because the first flight is delayed, you are entitled to an alternative flight to your final destination, care at the airport and, if you reach your destination 3 hours or more late, compensation of €250, €400 or €600 per passenger. This applies when the flights are on the same booking and the journey is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004. This guide explains when you can claim, how much, what to do at the airport and how to get your money.

When a missed connection gives you the right to compensation

Compensation does not depend on the delay of the first flight but on how late you arrive at your final destination. You can claim if all of these apply:

• One booking: all flights are on the same ticket or booking reference, even if different airlines operate them.
• A final delay of at least 3 hours: what counts is when the aircraft doors open at your final destination, not when the first flight lands.
• The journey is covered by the Regulation: the first flight departs from an airport in the European Union (any airline), or arrives in the EU with a European airline. Iceland, Norway and Switzerland count too.
• No extraordinary circumstances: the delay was not caused by events beyond the airline's control, such as severe weather or an air traffic control strike.
• You checked in on time for the first flight.

If you bought the flights on separate bookings, the airline of the second flight owes you nothing: you can only claim for the delayed flight, if that flight on its own arrived at least 3 hours late. We cover this in our guide to connecting flights with different airlines.

How much you can get: €250, €400 or €600

The amount depends on the distance between your departure airport and your final destination, measured in a straight line rather than by adding up the legs. The stopover does not count.

The amount is per passenger, children included, and does not depend on the ticket price.

What the airline must do when you miss your connection

With a single booking, the airline has to look after you until you reach your destination. You can choose between:

• an alternative flight to your final destination, as soon as possible or on a later date that suits you;
• a refund of the unused part of the ticket, plus a flight back to where you started if the trip no longer makes sense.

While you wait, you are entitled to free care: meals and drinks, two phone calls or emails and, if you have to fly the next day, a hotel and transport to it. Care is owed even in extraordinary circumstances.

If the airline offers nothing and you pay for meals or a hotel yourself, keep the receipts: you can claim reasonable expenses back together with the compensation.

What to do at the airport, step by step

1. Go straight to the airline's transfer desk and ask to be rebooked on the first available flight to your final destination.
2. Ask for meal vouchers or a hotel if the wait is long. If you do not get them, keep your receipts.
3. Keep everything: boarding passes for all flights, your booking confirmation and any messages from the airline about the delay.
4. Note your arrival time at the final destination: it decides whether you are owed compensation.
5. Do not sign any waiver or accept a voucher instead of money unless you want to: compensation is owed in cash.

When the airline does not have to pay

The airline can only refuse compensation if it proves that the first flight's delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances, meaning events it could not have avoided even with all reasonable measures: dangerous weather, airspace closures, strikes by airport or air traffic control staff. A technical fault or a crew shortage is not enough. See our guide to extraordinary circumstances for details.

Even then, rerouting to your destination and care at the airport are still owed.

How to claim your compensation

The general rules are on our page about delayed flight compensation. You can write to the airline directly using its claim form, giving the details of all flights and your final arrival time. The first reply is often a generic refusal or a voucher.

With DelayFlight24 you can check for free in 2 minutes whether you are owed compensation. If you go ahead, we handle the claim, the reminders and, if needed, court action: you pay nothing upfront and our fee is 25% + VAT only if you get compensated. You can also claim for flights from a few years ago: the time limit depends on the law of the country where the claim is made (judgment C-139/11).

Frequently asked questions about missed connections

My first flight was only one hour late: can I claim?

Yes, if that delay made you miss your connection and you reached your final destination 3 hours or more late. What counts is the delay on final arrival, not the delay of the first flight.

The flights were with two different airlines: who pays?

If they were on the same booking, the airline that operated the delayed flight that made you miss the connection pays.

I booked the flights separately: do I have any rights?

Only for the delayed flight, if on its own it arrived at least 3 hours late. The airline of the second flight does not have to rebook or compensate you for the missed connection.

The airline put me on a flight the next day: am I owed a hotel?

Yes: accommodation, transport between the airport and the hotel, meals and drinks are on the airline.

How long do I have to claim?

The Regulation sets no deadline: the time limit of the country where you make the claim applies. You can often still claim for flights from a few years ago.

Find out more

• Air passenger rights
• Delayed flight: when you can claim compensation
• Cancelled flight: refund and compensation
• Overbooking: what you are owed
• What our service costs

Article updated on 22/10/2026 by the DelayFlight24 editorial team.