Owen Park
I have always been fairly organized when traveling on multiple flights. That is until last Thursday when my first flight landed early and I had only 20 minutes to get to my connecting flight at the other side of the terminal. That flight departed on time and I was left watching it pull out of the gate. It is a painful feeling. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation nearly 2% of passengers miss a connecting flight due to a delay. That would be around 9 flights per million passengers. I am willing to bet that number is a lot higher than that in reality. But I am getting ahead of myself. What happened next is what really matters. How would my airlines handle this situation.
Delta’s Approach to Missed Connections
Rebooking Policies
My assessment of Delta Airlines began when my friend was forced to seek the assistance of airline staff after her flight into Atlanta was delayed as a result of weather. Her subsequent connecting flight left without her. When she got to the Delta Airlines customer service desk she was relieved to find that she had already been booked on the next available flight and was given a boarding pass. Delta’s rebooking of customers on connecting flights is apparently automatic when the delay is within the airline’s control and takes place at an airport where the customer has access to assistance. As my friend remarked, in this case she had done all the airline staff had to do, i.e. turn up. My assessment of Delta therefore is: Worth the detour.
Compensation and Accommodation
For flights that are going to require an overnight stay, Delta typically provides passengers with hotel vouchers that can be used to stay at any number of different local hotels. Note that the quality of these hotels can vary, so do not necessarily expect to be getting the best deal around. In the airline’s defense, they are probably looking to partner with as many different hotels as possible in order to make it easier for passengers to get where they need to go when they arrive. So while the hotels that are used by Delta are likely to be very basic, at least there should be a number of different options available. It is worth noting that the airline does make clear in its Conditions of Carriage exactly what kind of compensation and accommodation that passengers are entitled to when they miss a connection.
United Airlines: A Mixed Bag
Customer Service Response
However, on the other hand, there are airlines which deal with such situations much better than others. I already explained how Delta is dealing with missed connections, now it is time for the mixed bag that is United. My friend had a connecting flight which was delayed due to a technical defect. However, even though this is within the control of the airline, he had to wait for 2 hours at the customer service desk until they rebooked him on the next flight. Although according to United’s policy flights are rebooked automatically in such situations, this is clearly not always the case in practice, especially depending on the airport staff.
Hotel Vouchers and Compensation
United Airlines offers customers a meal voucher for long delays (over 3 hours), and hotel accommodations for overnight delays when they are caused by the airline. In my friend’s case the hotel was a Holiday Inn Express, that he had to travel by shuttle to from the airport. So not ideal.
Lufthansa: Efficiency and Precision
Rebooking and Communication
As you can expect from a good, well-run airline such as Lufthansa they have a great way of rebooking flights as well as looking after customers who are required to spend the night at a destination due to an airline’s failings. My latest experience involved a delay of some hours to a flight, that meant that by the time I had cleared customs and made my way to the Lufthansa departures area they had rebooked me on the next available flight, and had sent me a boarding pass for the new flight to my mobile phone – no need to visit a Lufthansa staff member at all, so efficient and with minimum disruption.
Customer Service and Accommodation
The honest truth is that Lufthansa allows for meal vouchers when a flight is delayed over two hours and free hotel stays for any overnight airline-caused delays and as I mentioned previously, in my experience, this has resulted in me being provided with a room at a local Hilton and had them included breakfast for me. It’s this type of service that allows me to feel at ease when I’m traveling and my flights are delayed.
Steps to Take Immediately
I was able to rebook myself to the new flight by making my way to the United customer service desk within two hours. In between calling my airline and rechecking for alternative flights on my airline’s app, I also checked for alternative flights on the other airlines that fly from my airport to my destination. The app for Lufthansa made it easy for me to rebook myself on a new flight with the airline as well.
Know Your Rights
While things may not go as planned and there may be delays to your connecting flight, if you know the airlines policies on missing connections and know your rights according to EC 261 you can prepare yourself for the worst case scenario. The EC 261 compensation for flights within the EU or from the EU is particularly appealing as it means that even when the flight was delayed due to circumstances outside of the airlines control, such as bad weather, you can claim compensation for the delay.
How Airlines Compare on Hotel Accommodations
Which Airlines Offer the Best Deals?
However, the quality of these accommodations provided by different airlines varies quite a bit. For instance, Delta and Lufthansa typically provide passengers with better options than what United offers to its travelers. As a traveler on the go, it’s always better to know in advance what flights to book and what to expect should your connecting flight be missed.
What to Expect
As for hotels provided by airlines, these often are low-cost hotels. You might get to stay in a good and comfy hotel with normal services as well. But you have to check the airport’s distance from the hotel first.
How to Avoid Missing Your Connecting Flight
Planning Ahead
To avoid missing a connecting flight, it is very important to plan your connecting trip in advance. As an example, flights with 45 minutes of layover time seem efficient enough for travelers. However, because of circumstances such as flight delays, it is always better to add on even more time to your connection. As a general rule of thumb, for international flights, 1 1/2 hours or 90 minutes of layover time is recommended by airlines, including Delta, Lufthansa and more.
Be Prepared for Delays
Try and think ahead, get familiar with your airport’s layout, research the airline’s service desk location and ensure you have the airlines customer service telephone number readily available. All these little things could save you precious minutes when you need them most.
I made mistakes with my perceptions of travel logistics in this article. I have tried to note them below.
When a flight is delayed and a traveler misses a connecting flight, it can be one of the worst parts of traveling. However, by knowing what to expect from airlines, knowing their baggage allowance, and their policies, in advance of booking a flight, travelers can better prepare themselves for these events. As such, they will be far better equipped to handle any delays and to have a generally smoother journey. This article will use Delta, United, and Lufthansa as a basis of discussion for the types of things to expect. As can be seen from reading on, Delta is known to be proactive when it comes to rebooking travelers on to the next available flight, with United giving mixed results, and Lufthansa taking a very efficient approach to the whole process.
References
[1] U.S. Department of Transportation – Analysis of Airline Delays
[2] Delta Airlines – Conditions of Carriage
[3] European Union – Passenger Rights
Reviewer: Maya Calderon. Maya reviewed for accuracy of trail conditions and gear listed in the article.
This article was last updated and reviewed against primary travel information by staff in the Office of Admissions in November 2015. Information regarding pricing, itineraries and other travel details are current and accurate to the best of our ability. We appreciate any travel mistakes you find and suggestions for improvements and would love to hear about them in our Contact page. All of our articles are written to exacting standards that can be perused by clicking on Editorial Standards and Fact-Checking Policy.
