Thanks to European regulations, it is often not necessary to buy a new ticket if you miss a flight or train connection. But certain rules must be respected to benefit from assistance or compensation.
«I never choose a flight with a stopover, I prefer to pay more for a direct flight and ensure I arrive at my destination“, confides Aurélie Bedros, a 23-year-old student. However, she herself acknowledges it: journeys with several stages often cost less. But she shares the fear of many travellers, that of missing your connection. A situation which, at best, makes you arrive at your destination a few hours late or, at worst, ruins an entire carefully prepared itinerary.
By plane or train, European travelers benefit from rights that are often unknown and yet very protective. Very often, a broken connection does not incur any additional costs and may even entitle you to compensation, but it all depends on how the tickets were booked. Le Figaro helps you see things more clearly.
Are you traveling by plane…
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- …and have made only one reservation
«From the moment an airline has sold a plane ticket with several legs, it has the obligation to take charge up to the final destination“, says Yves Removille, a lawyer specializing in tourism and transport law. According to European regulation on air passenger rights No. 261/2004, if a second flight is missed due to the delay of the first, the airline is obliged to take care of the passengers. Several solutions are proposed, such as financial compensation from three hours of delay on arrival at the final destination. It ranges from €250 for flights of less than 1,500 km to €600 beyond 3,500 km (see conditions on the government website). This compensation is not due if the passengers land on time.
A replacement on another flight to the initial destination is also possible, but delays may lengthen. “It’s always complicated to organize, especially in summer, because the planes are full well in advance“, qualifies Yves Removille. In this case, the gratuities are reduced by half if the new flight arrives at the same time as the initial flight at the final destination. In the event of a delay of at least five hours, the passenger has the right to cancel their trip, to be reimbursed for the entire cost of their plane ticket (even for flights not taken) or to request rerouting free of charge to their original airport. The airline must provide assistance and reimburse the necessary expenses incurred: meals, telephone, hotel night, transport from the airport to the place of accommodation, etc.
- …and purchased your tickets separately
If the flights are not listed under the same reservation number, the airline will not be held responsible in the event of a delay resulting in a missed connection. It is then impossible to request a refund or re-routing. Only the delay of the first flight (if it is more than three hours) can give rise to compensation.
L’unique exception ? «If the passenger goes through a travel agency and buys an all-inclusive package (hotel, flights, activities, etc.), this is the only case where the agency will be able to reimburse and take care of it.“, assures Jean-Pierre Mas, Tourism and Travel Mediator. As a result, it is recommended to make a single reservation when taking several flights, or to take out additional insurance. “Also be sure to allow at least three hours for connections, to allow for delays and security checks.“, recommends Jean-Pierre Mas.
You are traveling by train…
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- …and have made a single booking (“single ticket”)
In the event of a missed TER due to a late TGV inOui (or vice versa), you are placed on the next available train free of charge.or at a later date at your convenience“, indicates SNCF Voyageurs, provided you have a “billet direct“. This refers to one or more tickets purchased as part of a single payment. It “guarantees the traveler assistance in the event of a connection interruption. It also allows you to obtain compensation based on the time of arrival at the final destination and on the total price of the ticket“, as provided for in European Regulation No. 2021/782 on the rights and obligations of rail passengers.
Covered connections must be made between TGV inOui, Ouigo, Intercités and TER and international services (France-Germany, France-Switzerland, etc.) provided by SNCF Voyageurs. To benefit from this assistance on a Grenoble-Paris with a change, for example, it is better to buy an end-to-end ticket rather than two separate tickets (Lyon-Grenoble by TER and a Paris-Lyon by TGV).
If the departure of the postponed train cannot take place until the following day, meals, snacks and drinks are covered, as is the night’s accommodation. The refund request is made on a dedicated website. Finally, if you ultimately decide not to continue your journey due to the missed connection, the SNCF offers free re-routing to the departure station and a full refund of the journey, both for the journeys used and unused.
- …and purchased your tickets separately
The principle is the same as in air travel: when tickets are purchased as part of different reservations, the travel contracts are not linked. If train 1 causes you to miss train 2, the operator providing train 2 is not subject to any obligation towards you. At best, you will be able to obtain compensation for the delay of train 1. If the ticket is not flexible, the solution is unfortunately to buy a new one.
For international travel, the rules are different thanks to theAgreement on continuation of the journey (Agreement on Journey Continuationor AJC) Who “covers cases where current European or international legislation does not help passengers», Indicates the European Rail Community (CER) which set it up. Even if you have tickets booked separately and on different sites, you can take the next train free of charge with the 19 participating operators (see list), including SNCF, DB and Renfe. To benefit from this right, you must have planned a “reasonable” connection time between two trains. “The original ticket(s) as well as [la] confirmation [de retard ou d’annulation] must be presented to the staff of the railway company whose train was missed», adds the CER.
Other device to know: HOTNAT (Hop On The Next Available Trainor “Board the next available train”). The service allows passengers who miss a connection between two Railteam alliance trains to take the next available train departing from the same station, even if they have separate tickets. The alliance includes Eurostar, NS, SNCB, the high-speed trains of DB (ICE), SNCF (TGV inOui) and ÖBB (Railjet), as well as associate member TGV Lyria.
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