Connections with Low Cost Airlines

wuvuddicu

I am opening this post as taking two separate low cost flights in a row seems to be getting very popular, yet I could not find much about it - not on MSE forum.

For example, I have recently booked 2 separate flights, the first on Ryanair and the second with Easyjet, connecting in Stansted, with a 3h 30min layover - enough time to collect bags and drop them off at the check-in desk, in line with what advised by many.

On the day of travel the first flight was delayed by 2h 30min, plus an enormous line at immigration made it impossible to get to the bag drop by the standard 40min prior to flight departure. We were told to either abandon our luggage (did someone at the airport really suggest me this option? Actually yes...) or reschedule the journey on an alternative flight at my expense.

End of the story: had to pay $320 to get an alternative last minute flight, arriving at my final destination 5 hours later than I had scheduled - this second last minute flight was also delayed by 2 hours!

My travel insurance does not seem to cover such events, and do not seem to find any insurer that has a cover for that. Does someone has any experience with this topic? Appropriate travel insurances?

jpsartre

AmEx travel insurance covers missed flights due to delays in public transport. I've flown on separate tickets a bunch of times and have missed connections twice. It's just a risk you take when you piece together an itinerary yourself.

leylandsunaddict

Booking flights on separate tickets is at your own risk. I dont do it unless I've got an overnight stopover.

The delay meant you had no chance of making the next flight. It wasnt going to happen in 20 mins. If by some miracle you'd made bag drop right on the deadline you'd still not have made it. EZY close their gates promptly at 30 mins prior.

You'd just have to read policies or ring around to find policies that cover non connecting flights. Any that do will probably have stipulations on the time left in between flights.

Voyager2002

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

You'd just have to read policies or ring around to find policies that cover non connecting flights. Any that do will probably have stipulations on the time left in between flights.

Are you aware of any such insurance policies? I have had a good look and my impression is that this is not an insurable risk -- although it might be covered under the Travel Inconvenience section of the insurance that Diners' Club offers to its card-holders.

leylandsunaddict

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Are you aware of any such insurance policies? I have had a good look and my impression is that this is not an insurable risk -- although it might be covered under the Travel Inconvenience section of the insurance that Diners' Club offers to its card-holders.

No I'm not or I would have mentioned them. I've never looked because booking separate tickets is something I rarely do and then I stopover.

The OP doesn't say which country he's from so maybe not the UK. I'm only thinking that because he talks about being charged in $.

wuvuddicu

Thanks you all for the replies. I am resident in the UK (got the $ instead of the £!).

I have just googled "missed connection insurance" and indeed some companies offer this kind of protection - one must be careful some only cover for the outbound journey!

Amex seem to offer a good option for "Missed Departure and/or Missed Connection(s)" in most of their policies - thanks for the tip jpsartre!

peachyprice

Probably worth factoring whether the cheaper/safer/easier would be to take the connecting flight the following day spending the night in a cheap hotel. That would be my choice.

eDicky

It's not worth taking the risk of connecting separate flights to/from northern Europe, including Stansted of course, In the season when delays can be caused by fog. I suspect that this is what foiled the OP. Flight schedules throughout the day can be affected by early morning fog delays.