You can miss a connecting flight on American Airlines for two reasons: your fault or the airline's. If it is the airline's fault, you can receive compensation, or get rebooked on the next flight to the destination. If it is a day away, the airline should give you accommodation and food. Otherwise, you will have to contact customer service and find put your options.
What Do I Do If I Missed My Connecting Flight on American Airlines?
When travelling by air for extremely long distances, passengers usually have to get a connecting flight to reach their destination. It can be very inconvenient if you are late and miss your connecting flight.
If you miss your connecting American Airlines flight, the last thing you should do is panic or sit helplessly in despair. You have several options at your disposal if you miss a connecting flight.
The options will depend on whether the airline is responsible or you are responsible for missing the flight.
If the Airline is Responsible
You are liable to receive compensation if you missed a connecting flight on American Airlines due to the airline. The reasons vary widely from technical issues with the plane to bad weather.
The airline should compensate you if the connecting flight is delayed by 2 or more hours.
If American Airlines are the responsible party for you missing your connecting flight, they should rebook you on the next available flight to the same destination. Of the flight is not available till the next day, they should cater for your accommodation and meals.
If the flight is cancelled because of poor weather, the airline will book you on the next available flight and apprise you of it. The airline will not cover any accommodation or meal expenses incurred while waiting for another flight. That is why travel insurance can be so helpful since it will cater for expenses the airline will not.
If you miss your flight because you were late due to unforeseen circumstances or distracted by other things at the airport, you can still catch another connecting flight on American Airlines. You should note that the airline is under no obligation to provide you with the rebooking.
Therefore, you will have to pay the fee for hanging your flight plus any difference in fare if there is any. It is also best to have both flights on American Airlines if possible as it will make rebooking a connecting flight easier.
If the trip to your destination was a time sensitive matter and it makes no sense to take the connecting flight, then you can be reimbursed for the ticket if you missed the connecting flight through no fault of your own which you will have to prove.
What to Do
The first thing you should do once you realize that you have missed your connecting flight is to locate your luggage. The luggage is your responsibility even though you booked two flights on American Airlines.
Once you have your luggage with you, you should head to the ticket counter at the airport and speak to customer service. I can assure you they will be happy to help and will apprise you of the options at your disposal. It will be very helpful if you are courteous and kind even though you have just missed a flight or they may decide not to help at all.
If your baggage has already left the airport and is on its way to the destination, you should contact customer service as soon as you can.
If the next flight to your destination on American Airlines is not until the next day, you can decide to use another airline and get a refund from American Airlines. If not, simply ask American Airlines customer service about travel to your accommodation facilities.
The best way to contact American Airlines customer service is to call them. They have several numbers for different departments so ensure you call the appropriate number. Their phone lines are always open.
You can obtain American Airline's customer service information from here.
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