Skip to Content

Do You Know What Happens if You Skip a Connecting Flight?

Share with a friend

A friend, Emma, sent me this text, “do you know what happens if you skip a connecting flight?”

Emma was at the San Diego Airport waiting for her connecting flight into Los Angeles and then onto Sydney, Australia. The flight was delayed and she wanted to drive up to LAX instead of waiting for the San Diego flight to enjoy the lounge at the Los Angeles airport before her flight.

But if she had, Emma’s entire ticket would have been cancelled.

Skipping a Leg of Your Airline Ticket

When you miss or skip a connecting flight, the airline cancels the rest of your ticket.

If Emma had driven to LAX her Los Angeles to Sydney ticket would have been cancelled, along with her return ticket from Sydney to San Diego.

skipping a connection, throwaway ticketing, hidden city ticketing

Miss a flight and your ticket gets cancelled

The airline cancels your entire itinerary when you don’t fly your entire ticket because they consider you a no-show.

So whether you accidentally skip a portion of your flight because you were late to the airport and missed your flight.

Or whether you intentionally missed a connection due to throwaway or hidden city ticketing (where you don’t fly a portion of your ticket because it’s cheaper to book a connecting ticket), the rest of your flight will be canceled.

Conclusion

If you skip a connecting flight, the rest of your ticket will be canceled. So do whatever you have to do to make it to your flight. Even if it means hanging out waiting for a delayed plane.

Pin this image to your travel tips, travel, or vacation board:

Comment, tweet, or share this post.

Get the best credit card bonuses.

Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube

Got a question? Or want help, suggestions, travel tips, learn how to travel for free, find out about travel deals, and maximize your miles and points? Use the subscription box below to sign-up and get post updates by email.

Miles and Points Strategy Consultations

Need help with your miles and points? You can book a miles and points consultation. Whether you're learning how to use travel rewards or have been in the game, this consultation is personalized for your needs. We can discuss credit cards, loyalty programs, anything and everything miles and points related.
 
Includes a summary and a written plan with recommendations on how to achieve your miles and points goals sent within 24 hours after consultation.
 
Note: This is a consultation not an award booking service.
 

Traveling Well For Less has partnered with Your Best Credit Cards for our coverage of credit card products. Traveling Well For Less and YBCC may receive a commission from card issuers.

Capital One Venture X Business

With the Capital One Venture X Business the welcome offer is 150,000 mile bonus after spending $30,000 on purchases in the first three months.
 
My favorite perks about this card are free Capital One Lounge access, earning 2X points on all purchases, and transferring miles to over 15 travel loyalty programs.
 

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to get started in the world of miles and points. It is the first card you should get to start traveling for free because the welcome offer is 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.You can get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel value: the 60k points are worth $750 when booked through the Chase Travel portal. And you get up to $300 in statement credits on travel booked through the Chase portal your first year.
 
My favorite perks about this card are earning 5X points on travel when booked through the Chase portal (2X if direct purchase), 3X points on dining, $50 yearly credit on hotels booked through the Chase portal, no foreign transaction fees, and transferring points to 13 airline and hotel partners like Hyatt, United, and Southwest.
 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Bites for Foodies

Wednesday 16th of November 2016

I had no idea!! I've actually done it in the past where I decided to drive to the nearest city as opposed to flying, but the remainder of my trip wasn't cancelled! Lucky for me! ;-)

Valerie

Wednesday 16th of November 2016

Well that stinks. It isn't easy to fly anymore. Is it?

Nicci

Wednesday 16th of November 2016

Wow! Good to know. We rarely fly, but when we do we take our leisure time walking around the airport. Now I know to make sure we are in the boarding area well before our plane loads. We don't want to miss those connections. Thanks for the info!

laura londergan

Wednesday 16th of November 2016

Well I had no idea that they would do that. I mean sometimes you have no choice and you miss it but I suppose they would know that already if it was because of a flight delay. However I wonder if you were to let them know you were just 'skipping it' if they would still cancel - interesting nonetheless.

Censie Sawyer

Wednesday 16th of November 2016

Well this is news to me and I am glad I know this now. That would be so frustrating! I imagine skipping a flight would mean a ton of money out of pocket too. Thank you for this information.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.