Air France Missed Connecting Flight Compensation

Air France missed connecting flight compensation.

If your flight has been cancelled or delayed because of an airline’s mistake, and that made you miss another flight, you might be able to get compensation from the airline according to EU laws. In this article, we will tell you more about what this involves, how you can ask for the money, and share some tips on how to prevent delays and missing connections in the future.

It applies to all Air France flights to and from Europe.

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Did you miss a connecting flight? File a compensation claim online.

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UK / EU Flight Compensation

We have several articles on these topics.

Here is a full guide on UK / EU flight compensation regulation. There we talk about all situations, when you can get compensation from the airline and when you have a right to care. We also have separate guides on what to do if you miss connection due to delay, strike, or cancellation of one of your flights.

Here, in this article, we will focus more on the compensation – UK / EU Missed connecting flight compensation.

1. Air France Missed Connecting Flight Compensation

Air France is the flag carrier of France. 

When your airline, Air France, is to blame for a flight delay or cancellation, you are entitled to compensation. If you experience a missed connecting flight as well due to this incident, you are entitled to compensation too. You can call it “missed connecting flight compensation”, but it’s the same flight delay compensation.

Simply put: if you arrive at your destination late because of any problems with Air France then that entitles you to receive some kind of reimbursement from them. As long as the delay is at least 3 hours.

There are two conditions that must be met:

• Your flight must be at least 3 hours late. At the moment of arrival.
• It must be an airline-protected connecting flight. These rules don’t apply to self-transfer flights, when you book several flights separately. Self transfer connections are not airline’s responsibility but your’s.

1.1 European and non-European airlines

The country of origin of your airline matters.

When flying with a European airline (registered in EU, EEA or UK) customers can rest assured that their rights are maintained regardless of whether they’re arriving to Europe or departing from there. Air France is such an airline — it’s a European airline. That’s why you are protected on all their flights.

Nonetheless, if the flight is with a non-European carrier such as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines – these same customer protections only apply when travelling FROM Europe but not on journeys originating from any other country.

	EU/UK to EU/UK	EU/UK to Other countries	Other countries to EU/UK
EU airlines	+	+	+
UK airlines	+	+	+
Other airlines	+	+	–

1.2 Self-Transfer Flights

With self transfer, it’s not as easy and stress-free.

For example, one of your flights is with Air France and one with Ryanair, Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air, or any other airline. This would be considered a self transfer.

You are less protected with self transfers. For instance, if our flight delay falls short of three hours and causes you to miss the next plane, neither compensation nor another ticket will be provided. Therefore it’s essential that you consider this potential risk before deciding on a self transfer option.

• You won’t get a new flight to your destination for free, because it’s a self transfer. No airline is responsible for this flight connection. You have created this connection, not any of the airlines.
• Your flight isn’t at least three hours delayed upon its arrival. So, even though this caused you to miss another connecting flight, these two flights are considered individual entities — you won’t get any flight compensation.

2. How Much Can You Claim for Missed Connecting Flight?

Mostly it’s 250, 400 or 600 euro per person.

The amounts are regulated by flight compensation regulations.

The longer the flight, the more you can get.

• 250 EUR – if the flight distance is less than 1500 km;
• 400 EUR – if the flight distance is between 1500 and 3500 km;
• 600 EUR – if the flight distance is more than 3500 km.

3. How to File a Claim for Missed Connection Compensation?

There are two options:

1. You can file a claim with compensation company.
2. Or, you can do it all on your own.

If you choose the latter (option number 2):

• Visit the Air France website, located at www.airfrance.com, and select the “Delays & Cancellations” option under the Customer Center / Help tab. Review information about making a claim for missed connection compensation due to delays or cancellations caused by Air France.
• Open their contact form / claim form to initiate your claim process.
• Enter all of your personal information including name, address, email address, flight details, and any other requested information in order to submit a request for missed connection compensation from Air France.
• You will receive an automatic confirmation email from Air France with further instructions regarding your claim process including how long it will take them to respond and what type of evidence they may request in order to determine eligibility for compensation or reimbursement of expenses caused by the delay or cancellation that prevented you from making a connecting flight with Air France.
• Depending on the specifics of your case, Air France may require additional documentation or proof in order to fully validate your claim.
• Be prepared to wait for a few weeks, sometimes more.
• Go with the option number 1, if you get stuck at some point. Don’t just give up. Even the best airlines sometimes make events look worse, by using industry jargon, just to avoid paying the flight compensation. For example, did you know that technical problems with an airplane are considered within airline’s control? You can get compensation if that causes a delay.

4. Right to Care from Air France

On all Air France flights you have a right to care.

According to the EU Regulation 261/2004 airline should provide:

• Free food and drinks in a reasonable relation to the waiting time.
• Free hotel accommodation if a stay of one or more nights is necessary;
• Free airport transfer to hotel and back.
• Plus, two telephone calls, telex or fax messages, or e-mails. So that you can notify your loved ones about a change in your travel plans. 

It applies to all domestic and international flights with Air France. Again, it’s because Air France is a European airline. With non-European airlines it applies only to flights departing from European airports.

5. Tips on Flight Delays and Missed Connections

The more informed you are, the better.

• Don’t risk with too short layover times. When you book connecting flights, always set aside some extra time between them. That way if there is an issue with any one leg of your journey – such as a delay or cancellation – it won’t hinder all other aspects of your trip.
• Before you go to the airport, check the airline’s or airport’s website for any warnings of potential delays or cancellations. You won’t be able to avoid a delay, but it will certainly help reduce wasted time. And you will also feel more in control when arriving to the airport informed.
• Use flight trackers to stay informed. If you want your journey to go well, use FlightStats to keep an eye on your flight status. This way, you will know about any changes that could affect your travel plans.
• Investing in travel insurance is a good idea. If you have to re-book another ticket, this policy can cover that expense along with additional fees such as hotel and transportation costs too – it’s especially beneficial if you are taking flights across different airlines (making your self transfer more safe).
• Learn more about your rights! If you encounter an issue with your flight not caused by fault of yours, European laws guarantee assistance and support from airlines. Knowing this in advance will provide comfort during times of potential travel disruption and enable more effective problem solving. Most of us need that – to feel in control of a situation.

What is your experience with Air France? Have you ever missed a connecting flight with Air France? How did the airline solve this? Did you receive missed connection compensation from Air France?