airlines was an overly optimistic decision. My Expedia reservation was intended to take me from Lisbon to Vancouver, with layovers in the Azores and Toronto. What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a bit.
Following a delayed arrival in Toronto and a grueling wait to clear customs and immigration, I was informed that I had missed my flight to Vancouver. It was late at night, I was exhausted, and my luggage was nowhere to be found. So, what now?
“Other than an airline misplacing your bag, there’s really nothing more frustrating during a journey than missing your connection,” says Chris Chamberlin, senior writer and editor at Point Hacks, a website about air travel. “What happens next though can depend on so many things – how you’ve booked, where you’re <a re flying with, and sometimes, even your frequent flyer status."
While passenger rights vary significantly by country, Chamberlin notes that if you hold a valid ticket, you should expect to reach your final <a s interline department, which is industry terminology for the team that manages the needs of passengers on multi-airline itineraries.
“There’s no hard and fast rule,” Chamberlin says. “Every connection is different, every itinerary is different, and every airport is different.”
Sarah King from Expedia agrees that airline ticketing staff are typically the best people to rebook you on a new flight in real time. “If they are not able to rebook you and you have booked with Expedia, contact us immediately so that we can help you find the best option,” she says. Whether the cost of overnight accommodation is covered depends on the specific airline’s policy, King adds. Interline staff at Toronto airport booked me on a flight for the following morning and arranged for a hotel room, meals, and transfers. In some regions, you may be eligible for financial compensation beyond accommodation for major travel disruptions.
Chamberlin notes that it is important to remember that if you book two or more flights separately, airlines are under no obligation to assist you if a delay on one leg causes you to miss the next.
“Book connecting flights on one combined itinerary wherever you can,” he says. “If you can’t do it yourself, a travel agent may be able to. It can really take the stress out of flight disruptions.”