Disruption playbook · Do this right now

I missed my connection

Missed your connection? First, open the airline app - you have likely already been rebooked, and that is the flight to beat. Then get in the agent line and call the airline at the same time, and name a specific alternative flight. The best seats go in the first 20 minutes.

Playbook

I missed my connection

Your inbound was late and the connecting flight left without you. Your job in the next ten minutes: find out what the airline put you on, then beat it.

⏱ The best seats go in the first 20 minutes. Every minute you wait, your options get worse.
Your airline likely already rebooked you on a new flight.
You need to:
Log in to the airline's mobile app and check what they put you on
Get in the gate agent line AND call customer service at the same time
Search TripHero for better options Search your trip →
1
Check your phone before you leave the jet bridge
Airlines auto-rebook during irregular operations, and the notification usually lands while you are still taxiing. Open the airline app or your email. If you have been rebooked, you now know your baseline - the thing you are trying to beat.
If it says you are on a flight tomorrow, do not accept that as final. That is the computer picking the easiest answer, not the best one.
2
Get in line AND call at the same time
Walk toward the customer service desk, and while you walk, call the airline. Whichever gets to a human first is the one you use. If the app has chat, open that too. Three channels, one goal.
Say this, word for word
Hi - I misconnected off flight [number] into [city]. I need to get to [destination] tonight. What do you have?
3
Find a gate agent, not the service desk
The customer service line is long because everyone goes there. A gate agent at a departing flight has the same rebooking authority and a much shorter line. Find a gate where boarding just finished - that agent has a free ten minutes.
Be brief and be kind. An agent mid-shift will help you if you are quick and polite, and will not if you are not.
4
Name a specific flight, do not ask what is available
Agents work faster when you hand them an answer instead of a question. Look up the real alternatives first - including other airlines and other airports - and ask for one by number. TripHero runs that search in about eight seconds.
Say this, word for word
Can you put me on Delta 482 at 3:10? If not, American 221 at 4:45 works too.
5
If nothing tonight works, ask these two questions
First: was this delay within the airline’s control? If it was - mechanical, crew, scheduling - hotel and meals are often covered. Second: can they protect you on another carrier? Some airlines still have interline agreements and will not volunteer them.
Say this, word for word
Was this delay within the airline’s control? And can you interline me onto another carrier to get me there tonight?
What most people get wrong
✕ Standing in one line for an hour without also calling. The phone queue is often shorter than the visible line.
✕ Accepting the auto-rebooking without checking what else exists. The computer optimizes for the airline, not for you.
✕ Not knowing a different nearby airport may have a seat tonight when your original airport does not.
✕ Leaving the airport before confirming the new booking in writing. Get the confirmation number.
Find my options now → What the airline owes me

The one rule that matters most

Do several things at once. Get in the line, and call the airline, and open the app - whichever connects first wins. Standing in one line doing nothing else is how travelers lose four hours and every good seat.

The line
Join it, but treat it as your slowest channel. Keep moving on the others while you stand there.
The phone
Call while you walk. Some airlines have shorter waits on their international or foreign-language lines.
The app
Self-service rebooking often shows options before an agent can pull them up.
Social media
Airline support teams on X or messaging apps sometimes respond in minutes when phones are jammed.

Other scenarios

✕ My flight was canceled It is off the board entirely ⚠ My flight keeps getting delayed The time keeps moving and nobody explains ↷ My flight was diverted You landed somewhere you never planned to be ⇄ I got bumped or denied boarding The flight was oversold and you lost the seat 🧳 My bag did not arrive You are at the carousel and it is empty → All disruption playbooks Pick what happened

Facts reviewed August 2026. General guidance, not legal advice.