My Rights?: Missed Connection due to delayed flight

[D.P.]

I had a flight ticket booked from Richmond, VA to Dusseldorf Germany, Via Newark entirely booked through Lufthansa. The flight to Neark is a code sare flight with Continental. There was 2hours 15 minutes to change planes at Newark

I had a seperate flight From Dusseldorf to Zurich through airberlin. This was scheduled for 3 hours 45 minutes after arrival in Dusseldorf.


I am just back form the airport in Richmond since my conecting flight to Newark was delayed by 4 hours - it wont even depart until after my Newark to Dusseldorf flight!


After much pleading and debating I am rescheduled to fly tomorrow Richmond-to-Newark-to-Dusseldorf (with a flight).

However, Lufthansa refuse to take responsibility for my missed Dusseldorf to Zurich flight and blame Continental since it was their delayed plane. Continental refuse to do anything and say it is up to Lufthansa who I booked the orgional itinary with. They both say I am screwed anyway since the Zurich connection is a separate Airline.


My real issue is that as a customer I did everything correct. I had plenty of time between connections, turned up to the airport on time, paid for all flights etc. The bottom line is that Lufthansa are not providing the service I paid for, I paid to arrive in Dusseldorf at an approximate time and date, they have failed to acheve this and thus I am incurring considerable cost to book a new flight to Zurich for no fault of my own. And the fact that Contientnal and Lufthansa blame each other and refuse to take responsibility really annoys me.

I would understand if I had less than 1 hour connection times but 2 to 4 hours should be plenty to legally protect me. But it appears the customer is legally unprotected in this case even if they do everything correct.

 

[D.P.]

\rant over

 

[Pestilence]

Piece of **** airlines are essentially bulletproof when it comes to crap like this. Really gets on my wick.

I'd be expecting the airline responsible for the delayed flight, which set the rest of the problems in motion, to provide suitable compensation.

 

[D.P.]

Piece of **** airlines are essentially bulletproof when it comes to crap like this. Really gets on my wick.

I'd be expecting the airline responsible for the delayed flight, which set the rest of the problems in motion, to provide suitable compensation.

Exactly, they couldn't provide the service I paid for yet it seems I have zero rights and the airlines are completely immune.

 

[daz]

I think you have a lot more rights if the delay on the flight is to or from an EU destination
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-delays

 

[Scuzi]

If it was all booked under one itinerary you would be fine, however as you have two separate itinerary’s, there is no requirement for LH/CO to compensate you for your missed Air Berlin flight.

When booking flights as you have done, you have to be prepared to cough up if things don't go to plan. That's just how it is.
You would have been better off booking the last flight on the same itinerary with a Star Alliance carrier. That way you are protected in the event of a delay or IRROPS.

Your contract with LH/CO was to get you from Richmond to Dusseldorf. Anything after that is your responsibility. A scheduled departure/arrival time is not guaranteed.
If you read the contract of carriage of your airlines and the ticket rules you would have realised this before travelling. I'm sorry to say it but the airlines have done nothing wrong here. Yes your first flight was delayed but that happens and it's something which you have to prepare for but didn't.

Chalk it up to experience.

 

[Scuzi]

Go have a look at www.flyertalk.com
There's a wealth of information and people who know the rules inside out.

 

[D.P.]

If it was all booked under one itinerary you would be fine, however as you have two separate itinerary’s, there is no requirement for LH/CO to compensate you for your missed Air Berlin flight.

When booking flights as you have done, you have to be prepared to cough up if things don't go to plan. That's just how it is.
You would have been better off booking the last flight on the same itinerary with a Star Alliance carrier. That way you are protected in the event of a delay or IRROPS.

Your contract with LH/CO was to get you from Richmond to Dusseldorf. Anything after that is your responsibility. A scheduled departure/arrival time is not guaranteed.
If you read the contract of carriage of your airlines and the ticket rules you would have realised this before travelling. I'm sorry to say it but the airlines have done nothing wrong here. Yes your first flight was delayed but that happens and it's something which you have to prepare for but didn't.

Chalk it up to experience.

The thing is it was impossible to make the entire trip under a single booking, secondly LH did not provide the service paid for. I paid to arrive at a destination at a certain time with an acceptance there may be short delays, thus allowing nearly 4 hours safety margin for a connecting flight shuld pose no problem. LH did not provide the service paid for.

It is no different to if I went to an online computer shop and ordered a Dell laptop and then recieved an empty box. The online shop must provide me the product I paid for not tell me to complain with Dell.


And this in no way allows LH and CO to blame each other and tell me to get lost when they are jointly responsible. I did absolutely everything correctly on my side as a customer, the mistake is 100% with them, so why do I have to pay for their mistake and failed service?


I know you are correct and I am not doubting this, but I just fail to see how such an illegal system can exist.

I wasalso told that if I went to Newark and missed the connecting flight I wasn't guranteed to be provided any accomodation but that I should speak to a representive in Newark about it. Madness.

 

[D.P.]

Sorry, Thank you for the information!

 

[dowie]

Exactly, they couldn't provide the service I paid for yet it seems I have zero rights and the airlines are completely immune.

They did though, they had a seat for you, you didn't turn up on time - that isn't their fault.

You tried to get there on time but didn't manage to, it's unfortunate and you did everything right but that is the risk you have to accept when taking a connecting flight with a different airline. You can't expect another airline to cough up for a delay caused by the first airline.

 

[D.P.]

They did though, they had a seat for you, you didn't turn up on time - that isn't their fault.

You tried to get there on time but didn't manage to, it's unfortunate and you did everything right but that is the risk you have to accept when taking a connecting flight with a different airline. You can't expect another airline to cough up for a delay caused by the first airline.

No its not, I was there 2.5 hours early for my first flight, which didn't actually leave for another 6-7 hours. I did everythign right.

I am not exepecting Air Berlin to provide a new flight DUS to ZRH, I am expecting LH/CO to compensate for their error by not getting me to my destination at approximately the right time, e.g. + or - 2 hours.

 

[Fuzz]

Next time you'll book an overnight stay at a local hotel.

I did that coming back from the Maldives a few years ago, as I was flying straight out to Thailand afterwards.
One night in the Radisson, a fantastic evening meal and a bloody massive bed full of feather pillows.
Stress free holiday

 

[bhavv]

Stress free holiday

I'd be far too stressed over how much everything was costing to ever go on a holiday :x

And I dont handle traveling very well

 

[dowie]

Planes get delayed, it's a risk you take... it's unfortunate but given that delays do happen with flights why would you expect a company to compensate you for something if they're not obliged to.

 

[Beansprout]

I think EU reg 261/2004 will cover you on this as you booked with an EU airline flying into an EU destination. Don't quote me on it though; check on flyertalk.com.

 

[D.P.]

I think EU reg 261/2004 will cover you on this as you booked with an EU airline flying into an EU destination. Don't quote me on it though; check on flyertalk.com.

Thanks, I will check that out.

I have just seen that the flight to Newark was cancelled, so there was no physical way of me ever getting to Newark and making my flights because of their errors.
Surely the airline must be 100% responsible if they can't provide a suitable alternative transprtation within 24 hours!

 

[MuvverRussia]

Chalk it up to experience.

As Scuzi said, airlines are only responsible if the booking is on the same itinerary. It's a gamble you take when booking additional flights on a separate itinerary after arriving somewhere.

And you may be able to get some compensation. Probably not much though - I got 25k AAdvantage miles (if I remember right, was in 2007) once for a cancelled LAX -> LHR flight (had to do LAX -> LGA -> LHR, arriving into LHR about 12 hours after I was supposed to).

 

[D.P.]

Same BS happening today, the god damned CO flight is already scheduled 30 minutes late. This is how it started yesterday, every half hour that goes past they will delay it by another 30minutes until 6 horus have passed!

And people say to put it down to experience. Well what the heck am I supposed ot learn form this? I guess next time I take a tub of vaseline so when I drop my pants and bend over it wont hurt so much!


As I said previously there was no physical way of having the whole trip booked in a single go. Leaving 4 hours to take an internal european plane should have been plenty.

 

[The Funktopus]

The good thing about the merchant navy is that your shipping line will usually fly you out a day or two before your ship's due, to allow for early or late arrival. Thus when I joined in August, I got an afternoon and a night in Singapore in a 4 star hotel.

 

[Scuzi]

Same BS happening today, the god damned CO flight is already scheduled 30 minutes late. This is how it started yesterday, every half hour that goes past they will delay it by another 30minutes until 6 horus have passed!

And people say to put it down to experience. Well what the heck am I supposed ot learn form this? I guess next time I take a tub of vaseline so when I drop my pants and bend over it wont hurt so much!


As I said previously there was no physical way of having the whole trip booked in a single go. Leaving 4 hours to take an internal european plane should have been plenty.

You couldn't get from Richmond to Zurich on one itinerary? Really?

What you need to learn is that long delays are commonplace, especially up in the Northeast and NY Metro area airports. Throwing a trans-Atlantic flight into the mix makes the likelihood of delays even greater in thunderstorm ridden September.

In your case I would have probably flown IAD-ZRH direct unless I needed to be in Dusseldorf for some pressing reason. If going through Dusseldorf was necessary, and I couldn't pick up a Lufthansa flight on the same itinerary confused, I'd have booked the Air Berlin flight on a flexible ticket.

It may have cost more that way but when you fly on the cheapest, most restricted economy fares, you have to be prepared to pick up the pieces when you get a kink in your chain.

Believe me, I've been in the same position as you many times and I have learned the hard way. You never set yourself up for these situations and expect it all to go to plan.