Missed Connections and Long Delays: How EU261 Treats Multi-Leg Trips

A short delay on the first leg of a trip can turn into a long delay at the end if it makes you miss a connection. Whether that triggers compensation depends on how the trip was booked and where it starts. This guide explains the rules for multi-leg journeys under EU261 and UK261.

Single booking versus separate tickets

The most important question is whether your flights were booked together under one reservation. The Court of Justice has held that connecting flights booked as a single unit form one journey for the purposes of the regulation. Separate tickets — two independent bookings, even with the same airline — are treated as separate journeys, and the airline of the second flight has no duty to you if you miss it because the first was late.

Online travel agencies sometimes sell "virtual interlining" or self-transfer itineraries that combine separate tickets. These look like one booking but are not one for the airlines. If a late first leg makes you miss the second, the regulation may apply only to the first leg's own delay.

Delay is measured at the final destination

In Folkerts (C-11/11), the Court held that for a journey with connecting flights, compensation depends on the delay at the final destination. The passenger's first flight left about two and a half hours late, which meant she missed her connections and arrived at her final destination eleven hours late. The Court ruled she was entitled to compensation even though the departure delay of the first flight was below the regulation's thresholds for care. What matters is how late you arrive where you were going.

Distance for connecting journeys

When calculating the distance band, use the great-circle distance between the first departure airport and the final destination, not the sum of the legs. The Court confirmed this in Bossen (C-559/16). A Rome–Brussels–Dakar trip is measured Rome to Dakar.

Journeys that start in the EU and leave it

If your single booking starts at an EU airport, the whole journey is covered, even legs operated by non-EU airlines outside the EU. In Wegener (C-537/17), a passenger booked Berlin–Casablanca–Agadir with a Moroccan airline and was denied boarding in Casablanca. The Court held that the regulation applied because the journey began in the EU. In České aerolinie (C-502/18), the Court went further: on a single booking from Prague via Abu Dhabi to Bangkok, the EU airline that operated the first leg could be required to pay compensation for a long arrival delay caused on the second leg, operated by a non-EU airline under a codeshare.

Journeys that start outside the EU

For a single booking from outside the EU, coverage depends on the operating carrier. New York–London–Rome on a British airline throughout: UK261 covers the first leg (an arrival in the UK on a UK carrier) and the second (a departure from the UK), while EU261 covers neither, because neither leg departs from the EU and a UK airline is no longer an EU carrier. If a US carrier operates New York–Frankfurt and an EU carrier operates Frankfurt–Vienna, the first leg is not covered by EU261, but the second is, as a departure from the EU.

Who pays on a mixed itinerary

Generally, the operating carrier of the flight that caused the delay is the one to claim from. On codeshares, the operating carrier — not the marketing carrier — is responsible. If the delayed leg was not covered by the regulation (for example a non-EU carrier flying into the EU), there may be no compensation even if the overall journey arrived late.

Re-routing after a missed connection

When you miss a connection on a single booking, the airline is responsible for getting you to your final destination, normally on the next available flight. Care — meals, refreshments and, if needed, a hotel — applies while you wait once the delay thresholds in Article 6 are reached. Keep the new boarding pass and any rebooking messages; they help prove the final arrival time. If you would rather abandon the trip, you can ask for a refund and a return flight to your starting point.

Long delays and the five-hour refund

If the delay reaches five hours, you can abandon the journey and claim a refund under Article 8. On a connecting journey, that refund can include legs already flown if the trip no longer serves its purpose — for instance a return to your home airport after reaching only the connection point.

Examples

• Single booking Madrid–Amsterdam–Toronto on EU airlines, first leg 90 minutes late, arrival in Toronto 5 hours late: covered, distance Madrid–Toronto over 3,500 km, €600 per passenger unless extraordinary circumstances apply.
• Separate tickets London–Paris and Paris–Bangkok, first flight late, second missed: only the first leg is relevant; compensation depends on its own arrival delay in Paris.
• Single booking Chicago–Dublin–Lisbon on a US airline then an EU airline, Dublin–Lisbon cancelled: EU261 applies to the cancelled leg, which departs from the EU.

Extraordinary circumstances on connecting trips

The airline can still rely on extraordinary circumstances, but only for the flight actually affected. If the first leg was delayed by a technical fault and you missed your connection, the technical fault is what counts, and it is generally not extraordinary. If the first leg was delayed by an air traffic control restriction, the airline may escape compensation even though you arrived many hours late. Ask the airline which flight and which event it relies on.

Tips for connecting travellers

• Book connections on a single reservation where possible.
• Allow realistic connection times, especially at large hubs.
• Keep both boarding passes and the booking confirmation showing one reservation.
• Record the final arrival time, not just the first leg's delay.
• Use the first departure and final destination in the distance calculator.

What about trains?

Some airlines sell rail-and-fly tickets where a train is part of the booking. Whether the regulation treats the rail portion as part of one journey depends on the facts and how the ticket was issued. The Court has considered such combinations, and the answer is not always straightforward, so treat these trips cautiously and check the operator's terms.