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What happens if I miss a connection flight.

SEASHELL
Posts: 337 Forumite

I have to book to go to Portland, Oregon in a couple of weeks. Fly manchester to Amsterdam and then Portland. Coming back the flight arrives into Amsterdam 50 minutes before the Manchester flight leaves. I've no experience of connecting flights so wondering what happens if I missed the connecting flight. Also is luggage automatically transferred to the next flight
Thanks so much 😊
Thanks so much 😊
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Comments
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That's a pretty tight connection, right at the minimum, but if you're booked on a through ticket then KLM (presumably) will put you and your luggage onto the next available flight.1
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Provided it's all one ticket then it's the airline's responsibility to get you and your luggage to your destination one way or another so if you miss a connecting flight they will put you on the next flight available. If you booked separate tickets then its your responsibility.
Generally bags are booked through to the end destination but sometimes it can vary - they'll tell you when you check your bags if you need to pick them up.
With such a short connection there is a non-zero chance your bags don't make it to the second flight but you do so just be prepared for that and make sure you have any necessities in your carry on. The airline would then have to return your bags to you.1 -
As a frequent flyer through Amsterdam it's on the tight side but do-able
Manchester is an odd one - sometimes from gate D2 (right next to passport control) and sometimes in the D40's/50's (another 10mins walk)
I'm not sure on current process ex USA as I'm generally coming in from Schengen countries so have to clear passport control between Lounge 1 & 2
Failing everything else KLM will stick you on the next one to Manchester which is only a couple of hours later
As a tip if you ask as the gate before you board your AMS-MAN flight whether your luggage made it - if it didn't then it's often easier to ask to wait for the next flight and to travel with your luggage than to travel without it and then wait for them to ship It to you (which is still efficient, but it's going to take more than the time of the later flight and Schiphol's not a bad place to spend a couple of hours)1 -
SEASHELL said:I have to book to go to Portland, Oregon in a couple of weeks. Fly manchester to Amsterdam and then Portland. Coming back the flight arrives into Amsterdam 50 minutes before the Manchester flight leaves. I've no experience of connecting flights so wondering what happens if I missed the connecting flight. Also is luggage automatically transferred to the next flight
Thanks so much 😊
There are plenty of comparison sites and low cost agencies however which will sell you two separate flights making it appear as one ticket as its done on one booking but these are not the same things. One tell tail sign is a booking with a budget airline for your EU leg and a flag carrier for your long distance leg. As these are two separate tickets then not only is it your responsibility to sort things out if it goes wrong but you have to go through immigration, collect your luggage and then go through check in again to catch your onward flight making short transfer times next to impossible.
Unfortunately 1 booking and 2 ticket things can be harder to spot as a variety of names (self transfer, hack fare etc) are used and whilst for most its well known that RyanAir and KLM are not going to be the same company/related for other pairings it may be less obv esp if you are getting a flag carrier to the likes of india etc and then a local budget airline when there.1 -
Thank you so much for your replies. I haven't booked yet. Just going through all the different sites looking. Looking at what you've said I'm probably best booking direct with KLM so I'm covered if anything goes wrong and I'm delayed.0
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Definitely book directly with the airline.0
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SEASHELL said:Thank you so much for your replies. I haven't booked yet. Just going through all the different sites looking. Looking at what you've said I'm probably best booking direct with KLM so I'm covered if anything goes wrong and I'm delayed.
(Generally) Schiphol works if you're on a KLM or partner flight - and if you've not already done it then apply for a FlyingBlue loyalty card with KLM - it won't earn you anything other than points on this set of flights but if there's an issue it potentially puts you one step ahead of those without a card0 -
SEASHELL said:Thank you so much for your replies. I haven't booked yet. Just going through all the different sites looking. Looking at what you've said I'm probably best booking direct with KLM so I'm covered if anything goes wrong and I'm delayed.
As above, that looks a little tight, but with no immigration (connecting UK to/from Belarus/Ukraine pre-war), I've been able to get through Warsaw in about 15 minutes from landing to airside.
Warsaw is a lot smaller than Amsterdam though, and I haven't connected there for several years.💙💛 💔0 -
Deplaning what is presumably a large fullish flight, potentially bussing to the terminal, transiting across Schipol, getting through passport control to the non-Schengen area... I don't think I'd be comfortable with a 50 minute connection at AMS.
It's certainly doable if the gods are in agreement, but it's also something that could easily be screwed up by the slightest delay anywhere. I'd say 1h30 would be my personal comfort zone.
If it was a big price difference and no real downside to me I might risk it and then just assume there's a good chance ill be bumped to the next flight0 -
tightauldgit said:Deplaning what is presumably a large fullish flight, potentially bussing to the terminal, transiting across Schipol, getting through passport control to the non-Schengen area... I don't think I'd be comfortable with a 50 minute connection at AMS.
It's certainly doable if the gods are in agreement, but it's also something that could easily be screwed up by the slightest delay anywhere. I'd say 1h30 would be my personal comfort zone.
If it was a big price difference and no real downside to me I might risk it and then just assume there's a good chance ill be bumped to the next flight
My record is 20mins from doors open on arriving flight to doors closed on connection1
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