What do I do if I miss my flight?
The first ten minutes at the airport, why the reason matters more than anything else, and the rule that quietly cancels the rest of the ticket.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 30 min
- Read
- 3 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Go straight to the airline's desk in person and do not leave the airport. If the airline caused the miss — a late inbound connection they sold you — they must re-route you. If you were late, you are usually buying a new ticket, and the sooner you ask the cheaper it is.
The critical distinction is whose fault it was, because everything follows from it. A missed connection on a single booking is the airline's problem to solve. Arriving late to the airport is yours. The second critical thing is the no-show rule: miss one leg and airlines routinely cancel every remaining leg of the ticket, including the flight home.
Safety
Step by step
- Call the airline while you are still travelling if you know you will be late.Some carriers will move you to a later flight for a fee before you are formally a no-show, which is much cheaper than after. This is the only step with a time limit that has not passed yet.
- Go to the airline's own desk in person, not a handling agent's.Airside transfer desks for a missed connection, landside ticket desk otherwise. Queue and phone at the same time if you are travelling with someone — whichever gets through first wins.
- Establish the cause and say it plainly.A delayed inbound flight on the same booking, a cancellation, or a security queue that overran a published time is very different from oversleeping. Be accurate; they can see the timings.
- Ask specifically to be re-routed if the airline caused it.Where the airline is responsible you are generally entitled to be carried to your destination at the earliest opportunity, and to care — food, and a hotel with transport for an overnight wait. Ask for both explicitly; neither is usually offered.
- Check whether the rest of your ticket has been cancelled.Many airlines automatically cancel all subsequent legs when a passenger no-shows for one. Ask this question in the same conversation, before you leave the desk, or you may discover it on the day you fly home.
- Get the cheapest way onto the next flight if it was your fault.Ask about a same-day change fee, standby, and the price of a new one-way ticket, and compare all three. Some carriers have a flat rebooking fee that is far less than a fresh fare.
- Check the travel insurance for missed departure cover.Many policies include it for specified causes — a traffic accident, public transport failure — and require evidence and prompt notification. Read the wording before you spend money if you can.
- Tell everyone downstream.Accommodation, transfers, car hire, anyone meeting you. A hotel told in advance usually holds the room; a no-show is charged in full.
- Keep every receipt and the paperwork.Boarding passes, the delay notice, taxi and hotel receipts, and the name of whoever you dealt with. Any later claim to the airline or the insurer runs on this.
Tips
- Book connections as one ticket wherever possible. A self-connected pair of separate bookings makes a missed connection entirely your problem and your cost.
- If you deliberately skip a leg to save money, expect the remaining legs to be cancelled. Airlines enforce this routinely.
- Do not leave the airport before speaking to the airline. Almost every option gets worse once you have gone home.
Questions people ask
Do I get a refund if I miss my flight?
Generally not if the miss was yours — most fares are non-refundable, though unused taxes can sometimes be reclaimed. If the airline caused it through a delay or cancellation on the same booking, re-routing and care are usually owed instead.
Will the rest of my ticket still work?
Often not. Many airlines cancel all remaining legs when a passenger no-shows for one, including the return. Ask that specific question at the desk before you leave.