If the flights are on one protected itinerary, the airline will usually reroute you after an operational disruption. With separate tickets, the onward airline may treat you as a no-show and a replacement can be your responsibility.
First, tell the airline. Then confirm the new flight, your bags and any care it will provide — before paying for anything yourself.
✓ Official sources linked◷ Reviewed 2 September 2026◇ Built for real airport decisions
The first ten minutes
Missed your connection? Do this now.
01
Tell the airline immediately
Open the airline app while you walk to the gate, transfer desk or service point. Ask whether you have already been rebooked.
02
Secure the new itinerary
Confirm the date, airport, terminal and all remaining flights. Do not accept a refund if you still want the airline to carry you.
03
Locate your checked bags
Ask whether they will be retagged, held, delivered or sent to baggage reclaim. Keep the bag-tag number.
04
Document the disruption
Save boarding passes, screenshots, messages and receipts. Ask the airline to state the cause of the missed connection.
The question that changes everything
Are the flights on one protected itinerary?
✓
Usually one ticket or a contract covering the full journey
Protected itinerary
The airline normally arranges rerouting when its disruption breaks the connection.
Checked bags are often retagged automatically — but confirm.
Applicable care and compensation rules assess the journey and cause.
!
Two independent bookings, often called a self-transfer
Separate tickets
The first airline is not normally responsible for the second booking.
The onward airline may apply its no-show or change rules.
You may need to collect bags, enter the country and buy a new flight.
Not sure? Check whether both flights share the same ticket number — not only the same booking email — and ask the operating airline.
Ask before you spend
Know what the airline may cover
Rebooking is not the same as care or compensation. Cause, location, waiting time, airline commitments and the ticket contract all matter.
Rebooking
A protected itinerary is normally rerouted to the final destination. Ask about the earliest reasonable option.
Baggage
Confirm whether bags move to the new flight, stay with the airline or must be collected.
Meals and hotel
Care may apply during a long or overnight wait. In the US, commitments vary by airline and controllability.
Reasonable expenses
Get instructions first. Keep itemised receipts if the airline cannot provide eligible care directly.
Do not guess where it went
What happens to your luggage?
A missed connection does not automatically mean a lost bag. It may be retagged to the new flight, held for instructions, sent ahead or placed on the carousel.
Show the bag-tag receipt at the transfer or baggage desk.
Ask for the bag's recorded destination and new flight number.
If it does not arrive, file a baggage report before leaving the airport.
Keep receipts for necessary replacement items and follow the airline's claim rules.
The table is a starting point, not a legal decision. Coverage depends on departure, arrival, operating airline, cause and whether the journey is protected.
United States
Airline commitments govern much of the rebooking and care response for controllable disruption; federal refund rights apply if you reject a cancelled or significantly changed trip.
Legal note: Passenger-rights information changes and is reviewed quarterly. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your case with the operating airline and the relevant authority.
Before leaving the desk
Five answers to get in writing
What is my confirmed new flight?
Where are my checked bags?
Will you provide meal, hotel or transport vouchers?
What caused the disruption?
Where and when should I submit receipts or a claim?
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Will the airline rebook me if I miss a connection?+
Usually when the missed flight is part of one protected itinerary and the miss follows an airline or operational disruption. Separate tickets do not normally carry the same protection.
Do I have to pay for a new ticket?+
Often not on a protected itinerary. With separate tickets or if you caused the miss, fare rules, same-day options or travel insurance may decide the cost.
Can the connecting flight leave without me?+
Yes. A connection does not guarantee the aircraft will wait. The airline may instead protect the wider schedule and reroute affected passengers.
Will my checked bag be transferred automatically?+
It may be, but never assume. Ask the airline to confirm the bag's status and recorded destination after rebooking.
Can I claim compensation?+
Possibly. It depends on the jurisdiction, ticket, cause and final arrival delay. Care, rerouting, refunds and compensation are separate rights.
