OMAAT reader Carl had a frustrating misconnect on an award ticket, and asked for my advice. I think this is interesting to discuss in a post, because it highlights how incredibly frustrating it can be when things go wrong, and you get the runaround from all parties.
United to Eurowings misconnect on Air Canada award
In early July, Carl booked six award tickets from Chicago to Hamburg using Air Canada Aeroplan points. The itinerary had the family flying from Chicago to Rome on United, and then from Rome to Hamburg on Eurowings, which is Lufthansa’s low cost, regional subsidiary.
The United flight from Chicago to Rome was delayed by four hours (due to an issue within the carrier’s control), causing a misconnect. The crew reportedly told passengers that everyone with connections would be rebooked and the new itinerary would be shown in the United app, but Carl says that he and his family weren’t, and there was no one from United in Rome to help them.
So Carl called United, and the representative said to take it up with Air Canada, the issuing carrier. Meanwhile an Air Canada representative said it isn’t Air Canada’s fault, since United operated the delayed flight.
Given the lack of resolution, and in order to salvage the trip, Carl ended up buying six last minute tickets to Hamburg on Lufthansa, for around $1,600. Since then, he has been trying to seek reimbursement for those tickets, primarily pursuing that with United, since the airline caused the delay and misconnect.
His correspondence with United has been less than satisfactory. In an initial correspondence, the airline claimed he had actually been rebooked on Lufthansa (supposedly), but he had no record of that:
I sincerely regret the circumstances that prevented you from connecting with a United employee to help provide information regarding rebooking options. There would have been employees that met the arrival of flight 970 to answer questions any customer had upon deplaning. The employees in the baggage area to reclaim your bags and re-check them would also be able to assist. My review of your reservation shows you and your travel party were rescheduled on Lufthansa, but apparently unaware of this. While we understand your desire to salvage your trip and make it to your final destination of Hamburg, in situations when a customer makes their own alternate arrangements, United will refund the portion of a United ticket that travel was not provided. Since your tickets were issued by Air Canada, I’ve sent this inquiry to them to make any applicable adjustment to the miles used. If no adjustment is eligible, based on their award structure, I’ve asked them to deposit 5K per person for the flight disruption.
He kept following up with United, and then they stated that by policy, they don’t provide reimbursement in these kinds of situations, but offered a travel credit of $150 per person:
As per the policy we do not provide reimbursement after reaching to the final destination. I know your time is valuable, and regret there weren’t other flight options that worked for you. While we don’t provide reimbursement in these situations, I’d like to help make things right. I will send each of them an $150 electronic travel certificate. You all can use this certificate towards the purchase of your next United or United Express flight. It will arrive via email in the next few business days.
My take on this complicated missed connection
If you ask me, one of the most frustrating situations that passengers can face is when they’re passed around between parties, and no one wants to take responsibility. This can happen between multiple airlines, between an airline and an online travel agency, etc. It can feel like you’re in a never-ending blame game cycle
So, regarding this situation, what’s my take? Which party is responsible, how would I have handled this, and what recourse does Carl have?
If you misconnect, the airline that caused the missed connection is responsible for rebooking you. This is the rule across airlines. That’s not to say that the airline that issued the ticket wouldn’t help if it realistically can (like if there’s another option with award space), but the primary duty falls with the airline that was at fault for the problem, in terms of getting you to your final destination.
Here’s the thing — Carl did his best here, and the average consumer can’t be expected to know exactly how every policy with every airline works. He tried to contact both Air Canada and United, he got pushed between them, and then ultimately he just bit the bullet and bought a ticket, because he didn’t want to ruin the trip. It’s not like they would’ve benefited from being stuck in Rome (for that matter, overnighting in Rome in July might cost more than the new tickets that were booked).
So, how would I have handled this differently? Obviously I wasn’t there, so I can’t speak with 100% certainty. I would’ve done everything in my power to get in touch with a United representative at the airport (since airport agents are typically more empowered for irregular operations than those over the phone).
There was presumably some United representative who met the flight, and I would’ve waited to speak to them until they could help, because I know they’re in the best position to help. If that weren’t possible, I’d clear customs and immigration, and would look for the United check-in desk, to talk to someone there.
If that didn’t work, I’d call United, insist they have the liability in this situation (which they do), and I wouldn’t give up until they rebooked me. Admittedly this is all easier said than done. If all of that didn’t work out, I’d go to the Eurowings check-in desk. And if that wasn’t open, I’d go to the Lufthansa check-in desk.
As you can tell, this is all a less than ideal situation, no matter how you slice it. Unfortunately as Carl is learning the hard way, airlines generally won’t reimburse you if you book a ticket on another airline following a misconnect, especially when they claim that they rebooked you. It’s really hard to get airlines to bend the rules in this area, and sadly I think a $150 per person United travel credit might just be as good as it’ll get here.
Now, if Carl wants to take legal action, maybe there’s some merit to that, given United’s lack of communication, the United representative claiming he had to contact Air Canada, etc. I’m not sure that’s worth his time or if it would be successful, but that’s the only other way I can think of to get a resolution here.
It’s unfortunate, because Carl probably did what most people would probably do, and he’s not seeking anything unreasonable here. He just wanted to get to his destination in as timely of a manner as possible. Unfortunately it’s an area where airlines often fail people, and I think the technicality of Eurowings vs. Lufthansa only made this more complicated.
Lastly, it’s unfortunate this flight was to the EU rather than from the EU, or else EC261 would’ve applied, and each passenger would’ve received €600 cash compensation.
Bottom line
Missed connections are never fun, but they’re especially unpleasant when there are many airlines involved, and there’s a lack of any party taking responsibility. The important thing to understand is that the airline that caused the delay is liable for helping to rebook you, so do everything you can to seek out a representative from that airline.
That’s not to say that another airline on the ticket may not try to help, if they can, but often they’re limited in terms of what they can do.
Have you ever dealt with a complicated misconnect on a partner award ticket?
