Tapioca Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 I have to catch a flight from Ottawa to India via Montreal and Frankfurt on Wednesday. There is only two hour waits in both stops. Snow is predicted here from Wednesday morning and it is likely that the flight gets delayed or canceled (happened a lot last weekend). If I miss the connecting flight, how does it work ? Will the airlines arrange for the next flight and take care of my accommodation etc, if needed ? Will I need to pay anything extra and be prepared for it ?
Desi Cartman Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 if u bought the ticket from 1 airlines (they maybe code sharing though) then you'll be fine as they will arrange for an alternate flight but if u bought tickets from different places/ airlines then they dont have any responsibility
Tapioca Posted December 23, 2008 Author Posted December 23, 2008 if u bought the ticket from 1 airlines (they maybe code sharing though) then you'll be fine as they will arrange for an alternate flight but if u bought tickets from different places/ airlines then they dont have any responsibility It is all Lufthansa - the Canada sector is covered by Air Canada who have a tie-up with them (Star Alliance, I think).
Desi Cartman Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 Great. It is all Lufthansa - the Canada sector is covered by Air Canada who have a tie-up with them (Star Alliance' date=' I think).[/quote'] cool then u r safe ... :listen_dawg:
The Outsider Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 Yeah, they'll put you on the next available flight and if the next available flight is not within a few hours(not sure what is the cut off, I think 5-6 hours), they'll put you up in a hotel, give you some kind of meal vouchers, and a 24 transit visa.
coffee_rules Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 If the flights are delayed due to a technical snag (their fault), they will book you up in a hotel. If it is due to snow/rain, they will not arrange for accomodation, will only give vouchers for food. I am not very sure if they will accomodate you in a hotel if the delay or cancellation is due to natural calamities. Read the fine print that comes with the ticket. An excerpt from a real experience I googled http://ask.metafilter.com/109509/International-Flight-Cancellation-Help-me-prepare --------------------------- Example: I was flying to Cali from Toronto. The first flight was delayed through weather issues. Consequently, I missed the connection. There was only one other plane I could connect on, but it was delayed coming into Denver (I think it was there) because of weather and the only option was the following morning. At this stage, the airline were not willing to offer any compensation for my subsequent unplanned overnight hotel stay as the delay and the issue was out of their control - they can't predict the weather when you book. Annoying, buut kind of understandable. Unfortunately for them, the plane coming in managed to make it (just) but was severely delayed. At this stage, the only available crew had insufficient flying hours available to them to get to San Diego and we were consequently unable to leave. At this point, the reverted their position because the reason I had to stay overnight in Denver was now because of crew issues, rather than weather (even though weather caused the crew issues). Basically, it all depends why you were delayed whether you get compensation, especially now times are much harder for them, but in all cases they will try their best to get you on an alternative flight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tapioca Posted December 23, 2008 Author Posted December 23, 2008 Thanks. I also got the advice that I should start early (the flight is Ottawa - Montreal flight is only at 3:35 pm) and try if I can get on an earlier flight to Montreal, because the delay is likely to be worse in the Ottawa - Montreal sector.
Ram Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 Thanks. I also got the advice that I should start early (the flight is Ottawa - Montreal flight is only at 3:35 pm) and try if I can get on an earlier flight to Montreal, because the delay is likely to be worse in the Ottawa - Montreal sector. 2 hours for an international connection is quite risky. Make sure you carry an extra set of clothes in your cabbin luggage and more cash than usual. If possible, activate your debit/credit card for international usage.
Tapioca Posted December 26, 2008 Author Posted December 26, 2008 Reached home nine hours late. AirCanada screwed up massively. The Montreal-Frankfurt flight got delayed because of the weather, then their crew was late to turn up, and then there was some problem with loading the luggage and I missed the Frankfurt - Chennai flight by half an hour. At Frankfurt, they gave me what they claimed were confirmed tickets to Chennai via Dubai. Landing at Dubai on midnight, I found that there was no record of such a booking in the Emirates database. With the help of some very helpful official and luck, got a standby boarding pass to the flight which got confirmed at the last moment.
fineleg Posted December 26, 2008 Posted December 26, 2008 Reached home nine hours late. AirCanada screwed up massively. The Montreal-Frankfurt flight got delayed because of the weather, then their crew was late to turn up, and then there was some problem with loading the luggage and I missed the Frankfurt - Chennai flight by half an hour. At Frankfurt, they gave me what they claimed were confirmed tickets to Chennai via Dubai. Landing at Dubai on midnight, I found that there was no record of such a booking in the Emirates database. With the help of some very helpful official and luck, got a standby boarding pass to the flight which got confirmed at the last moment. Wow! Glad you reached home finally. Any New Year plans in India?
Recommended Posts