Missed Connection Compensation: When the Airline Owes You

Your first flight was 40 minutes late. You sprinted through the terminal. The connection left without you. Here's the part airlines hope you don't know: on a single booking, EU261 treats the whole journey as one flight — and compensation is based on your final arrival delay, not the first leg.

The single-booking rule

This only works if both flights are on one reservation. Two separate tickets = two separate contracts = the airline owes you nothing for the missed connection (though travel insurance might). Always book connections on one ticket when you can.

How the math works

• Final arrival 3+ hours late → full EU261 compensation (€250/€400/€600 by total journey distance).
• Distance is measured across the whole journey (great-circle, origin to final destination) — which often pushes you into a higher tier.
• The airline must also re-route you and provide care (meals, hotel) while you wait.

US flights

No EU261-style fixed compensation for US domestic missed connections — but the DOT refund rule still applies if the delay is significant, and the airline must rebook you at no extra cost. If the missed connection was their fault and you incurred costs, document everything.

What to collect at the airport

1. Proof of the delay — screenshot the departure board, keep the delay notification.
2. Your rebooking details — new boarding passes showing the revised arrival time.
3. Receipts — every meal, hotel, taxi.
4. The booking confirmation showing it was a single reservation.