Missed Connection: Your Right to Compensation
If your first flight was delayed and you missed your connection, you may be entitled to full compensation — the law looks at when you arrived at your FINAL destination, not the layover airport.
The key rule: one booking
Compensation applies when both flights are on the same booking (one PNR). The airline is responsible for getting you to the final destination on time.
If you booked two separate tickets, each flight is treated independently — the second airline owes you nothing for the first flight's delay.
How much and when
If you reached your final destination 3+ hours late (EU261/UK261) or 8+ hours late (Israeli law), the full distance-based amount applies — calculated on the TOTAL route distance, not just one leg.
Example: Berlin–London–New York, arriving 4 hours late in New York = €600, because the total distance exceeds 3,500 km.
Your rights during the wait
While stranded at the connection airport, the airline owes you care: meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation if overnight, and transport to the hotel.
Keep all receipts. Even if compensation is denied due to extraordinary circumstances, care expenses must still be reimbursed.