What will happen if I miss my connection?
I have a flight into Houston that is suppose to arrive at 7:01. My flight departs Houston at 7:36. I realize the odds of me making the flight aren't extremely good. It happens to be Continental's last flight out of the day. Will Contintental pay for a hotel and next flight if I'm unable to make it?
Aircraft - 3 Answers
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1 :
They will rebook you on a flight the next day - but if the early flights are full you will be on "Standby", meaning you get on the plane only if a ticketed passenger does not show up. Airlines never pay for hotel rooms, but they should be able to get you a "distressed traveler" discounted rate.
2 :
That will depend upon why you were delayed, though if they scheduled you that tight you have a good argument to be put up overnight even if it is a weather delay. Normally if you are delayed for reasons outside of the airline's control, such as weather delays or breakdowns in the civil air traffic control system, you're on your own if you miss a connection. But if the delay is because of maintenance problems or scheduling too tight to reasonably be able to make a connection they should put you up at their expense for the night. One caution though. They will usually rebook you on the fist flight out of the day and that could be as early as 5:00 AM at most major airports. Don't be late for that flight! FWIW, I've successfully made connections that tightly at both of Houston's airports. If more than just a couple of folks are scheduled for tight connections, Continental will delay the last departure of the day to avoid a bunch of pissed off travelers and overbooking of flights the next day trying to get them all out.
3 :
The TRUE story is that if you are arriving on a Continental or Continental Express flight, Continental Airlines will be aware of the tight connection and they will hold the departing flight for any arriving connecting passengers who are booked on that flight. This does not mean you can dawdle in the terminal. You'll need to go directly to the gate of the departing flight which they will give you before you deplane the first flight. If it is a long way between gates and you're worried, simply have the agent at the arriving gate contact the agent at the departure gate and say you're on your way over. It saves them guessing. If for some explained reason the flight departs and it is not your fault for missing it, then they will accommodate you on the next available flight, which might be with another airline. In extreme circumstances they will comp your hotel and meals. Don't worry, it won't come to that. Whether your bags will make the connection or not is a different story. If you can go without checking any baggage, so much the better.
