Do You Know What Happens if You Skip a Connecting Flight?
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.
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.
I did not know that they will cancel your whole entire rest of the flight. Including the return trip! Wow, that is good information to know, so if that situation arises, I am ready. Always better to be a knowledgable and prepared traveler. Thanks!
This is good to know! I've heard of the hidden city traveling is cheaper, but hadn't tried doing that yet. But they even cancel your return flight? I think I'd be a little ticked about that and they would hear an earful from me!
This is quite interesting. I haven't traveled via plane in several years, but we are planning on taking a trip in the near future. It's good to know what happens if we miss a connecting flight. I'm hoping to travel more in the future.
Alright, so I have never heard of the fact that the airline would cancel your ticket if you miss your connecting flight. I wonder what happens if it wasn't your fault or if the other flight is late?
Traveling is already so expensive as it is so whenever someone misses a flight, it must really hurt their pockets! I couldn't imagine having to miss one but I don't travel very often so luckily that has never been a worry for me!
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.
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.
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!
Well that stinks. It isn't easy to fly anymore. Is it?
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! 😉