Silly ? about (if) you miss your connection!

Flying a week from today to San Juan!!! We have 1 hr. 10min. to get our connection in Newark(EWR). With the weather and watching the flights usually have about an hour. Seems flight to SJ always leaves on time!!!

Never had it where I got to an airport and my connecting flight left, if this happens do you go to the ticket counter right there to get seats on the next flight or do you have to go back out of security, etc????? The flight after ours has seats, and I am just trying to be prepared. Thanks for any info, and sorry for such a silly ? but guess I just don't want to be totally lost. But hey, we are going to have a beautiful flying day and all will be well!!!!!:D

I've had this happen a couple of times and I did not have to go back through security. The last time it happened I just spoke with the attendant at the gate where we deplaned and she took care of the seat reassignments there. If no one is at the gate there should be other customer service islands nearby.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation.

The airline should help you right away. The person at the counter is supposed to rebook you, immediately. But, if they don't, there is usually a special desk for the airline on the concourse that does it, instead. They should get you on the next flight. There is a legal limitation on how long they have to get you there on time.

The better airlines will already have a packet waiting for you with your new boarding pass when you arrive at the gate or the rebooking counter. My flight arrived late on a Delta connection and they made us all line up and handled the rebooking as they went through the line. My flight arrived late on a United connection and they were standing there with rebooked packets that they handed us as we got off the plane. Obviously, that's the way it should be done. (Though, I went to the United desk and had them reroute me, since I knew that there was an America West flight available, while with United, I would have had to stay overnight in a hotel at their expense.)

I usually look up all the possible ways to get to where I'm going and keep a print out of it, including what other airlines can get me where I want to go if that connection is missed. I keep that with me, so I can pull it up if I need to ask them to reroute me. And I assure you, I have used it.

Then, remember to ask about your luggage.

If they must reroute you with another airline, ask them to "rule 240" you. They HATE it, because they have to pay the other airline full price, but they will do it, if they need to. In the case of a cruise, you need your luggage, so you have to ask them to manually pull your luggage. Remind them how important your luggage is and that they will have to reroute it via air because of your cruise if it's late, but do it nicely. Yelling only gets them to shut down. They will usually bend over backwards for people who are calm and polite about it.

The airline should help you right away. The person at the counter is supposed to rebook you, immediately. But, if they don't, there is usually a special desk for the airline on the concourse that does it, instead. They should get you on the next flight. There is a legal limitation on how long they have to get you there on time.

 

The better airlines will already have a packet waiting for you with your new boarding pass when you arrive at the gate or the rebooking counter. My flight arrived late on a Delta connection and they made us all line up and handled the rebooking as they went through the line. My flight arrived late on a United connection and they were standing there with rebooked packets that they handed us as we got off the plane. Obviously, that's the way it should be done. (Though, I went to the United desk and had them reroute me, since I knew that there was an America West flight available, while with United, I would have had to stay overnight in a hotel at their expense.)

 

I usually look up all the possible ways to get to where I'm going and keep a print out of it, including what other airlines can get me where I want to go if that connection is missed. I keep that with me, so I can pull it up if I need to ask them to reroute me. And I assure you, I have used it.

 

Then, remember to ask about your luggage.

 

If they must reroute you with another airline, ask them to "rule 240" you. They HATE it, because they have to pay the other airline full price, but they will do it, if they need to. In the case of a cruise, you need your luggage, so you have to ask them to manually pull your luggage. Remind them how important your luggage is and that they will have to reroute it via air because of your cruise if it's late, but do it nicely. Yelling only gets them to shut down. They will usually bend over backwards for people who are calm and polite about it.

I often wonder what would actually happen to our luggage that goes domestic flight via LHR ( or similar) and onward to USA and has a chance of being lost so you on your cruise has to continue without it???What does "Rule 240" achieve for PAX not using US airlines that would be helpful to UK residents ?

Our cruise air usually uses BA but we have sometimes been put on their codeshare partner (AA) to the states.

On our transatlantic cruises this potential luggage loss is always a worry as it is unlikely it would ever catch us up.

Any info appreciated.

WOW! Thanks for all the great info! We are flying Contiental and there are 2 flights after ours. Would they just automatically put our luggage on the next flight with us or do we need to request that????

As of right now both flights after ours has seats. Just not sure about if they do the luggage automatically or not. Thanks again!

If they must reroute you with another airline, ask them to "rule 240" you. They HATE it, because they have to pay the other airline full price, but they will do it, if they need to. In the case of a cruise, you need your luggage, so you have to ask them to manually pull your luggage. Remind them how important your luggage is and that they will have to reroute it via air because of your cruise if it's late, but do it nicely. Yelling only gets them to shut down. They will usually bend over backwards for people who are calm and polite about it.

Repeat after me -- THERE IS NO LONGER A RULE 240. For comfirmation, please see this page on the FAA website. What was Rule 240 is now incorporated into each airline's Conditions of Carriage -- and each airline is free to have its own rules, with its own specifications. And rarely does it come close to the old rule from the days of the Civil Aeronautics Board (whose rule it was, back in the days of regulated airline fares). You may also want to read this page on Fly-Rights.

What you have is a contractual relationship between yourself and your airline. Part of that contract is the Conditions of Carriage, which is available on the airline website, or at the ticket counters. The terms in that document govern what you get, or don't get. Some airlines (mostly the BigSix) have fairly generous CoC's regarding endorsing your ticket over to another airline, and in general, getting you to your destination. Others, including AirTran, JetBlue and Southwest have much more restrictive CoC's, often precluding any travel on another airline. AirTran's is especially non-consumer friendly.

Now, that is not to say that you might not get more than the CoC allows from any particular airline or particular airline employee. I does mean that the baseline for what you are legally entitled to varies from airline to airline, and that you need to be aware of what you are dealing with. Go to the CO website (assumed since you are connecting in EWR) and download the CoC and read what their particular rules are.