TUI Missed Connection Compensation

TUI missed connection compensation.

How much can you claim? What happens if you miss your flight?

Many people are not aware that they may be eligible for compensation for a missed flight connection. The price of your ticket, where you are from, and whether you have travel insurance are mostly irrelevant. These laws apply specifically in the European Union, EEA and UK, and TUI is required to comply with them. Therefore, if compensation is due, TUI is obligated to pay it.

You can claim it yourself, or you can hand it over to professionals.

1. EU/UK Missed Flight Connection Compensation

What happens if you miss TUI connecting flight ?

Are you entitled to compensation?

In short — you may be. 

The rules in these situations are super simple.

1.1 Missed Connecting Flight Due to Delay: Compensation 

You made it 3+ later, and it was fault of TUI.

If your flight is delayed by 3 hours or more due to the fault of TUI and you’re traveling to or from Europe, you can receive compensation up to €600. However, if you’re flying with a non-European airline, this rule only applies to flights departing from Europe. Since TUI is a European airline, this applies to all TUI flights within, to or from Europe.

• 3+ hour delay at the destination;
• It’s fault of TUI;
• Flight is to/from Europe.

The same rules apply to connecting flights. Your destination in this case is your final destination. If it’s a self-transfer connection, every one of your flights are considered as a separate flight.

Don’t forget to file a compensation claim!

1.2 Missing a Connecting Flight Due to Cancellation

The rules are the same as with long flight delays.

If you arrive later than planned, it’s TUI responsibility. If one flight is cancelled, you are given a new flight, and as a result you have arrived later than planned you may be entitled to flight compensation up to €600. It applies to situations when you arrive at or depart from an airport in Europe. However, it doesn’t apply to self-transfer flights.

• It’s fault of TUI (why a flight is cancelled);
• Flight is to/from Europe.

These rules apply only to connecting flights.

They don’t apply to self-transfer flights. If you have separate bookings for different flights, such as one with TUI and another with Wizz Air, and TUI cancels their flight, they are only responsible for their own flight. You may receive compensation for the cancelled TUI flight, but TUI will not provide any assistance for your Wizz Air flight.

Don’t forget to file a compensation claim!

By Europe and EU here on this page (and on this website in general) we mean all EU Member States, the United Kingdom (UK), Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

2. Extraordinary Circumstances

In short, this is when it’s not fault of TUI.

If you miss a flight because of extreme weather conditions or an airport staff strike, you cannot receive compensation. At the same time, let’s not forget that TUI staff strikes aren’t considered as extraordinary circumstances. So, here’s a tip – when it comes to compensation, always double-check any information you are given by the airline.

Another possibility is to entrust a flight compensation company with your case. They can verify it for you to ensure that you are not being lied to. For instance, technical difficulties with the aircraft are usually regarded as the airline’s responsibility (not as extraordinary circumstances).

Just fill in our claim form, and our partners will do that for you.

3. Right to Care

If you have to wait at the airport, you have a right to care.

If your flight is delayed because of TUI and you missed your connecting flight (with TUI), you are entitled to a free new flight according to the flight compensation regulations. Additionally, if your wait at the airport is three hours longer than initially planned, TUI must provide you with care.

• After 3 hours of waiting TUI must offer you free meals and drinks in a reasonable relation to the waiting time, plus two free phone calls, e-mails or faxes. The same rules apply to all airlines – charter airlines, low-cost airlines, full-service airlines.
• In case of an overnight delay, free hotel accommodation must also be offered (+ free transfer to the hotel and back to the airport).

4. How to Claim TUI Flight Compensation?

There are two ways to claim EU/UK flight compensation.

The same applies to TUI missed connection compensation.

One of the options is to contact TUI directly. Call TUI customer support center or use the contact form on their website. Give all the details about your flight, the more is better. Wait for reply. Continue the negotiations, if you don’t agree with the result.

You can also take the easiest path — legal representation.

In this case everything is handled by legal professionals. 

Our partners offer such services.

Read more: How to Claim TUI Compensation?

4.1 How Long Does It Take?

Mostly it takes at least a couple of months.

On average it takes between 2 to 3 months.

If the case needs to go to a national enforcement body or court, the process can take even longer, mostly up to 6 months. Sometimes, however, it takes more than that. This is why many people choose to work with flight compensation companies instead of handling everything on their own — it can be a lot of work and it can take a lot of time.

5. How Much Can You Claim?

The compensation amount is fixed and range from €250 to €600.

Here is how you can calculate the amount of TUI flight compensation:

When your destination is within the EU/UK:

When your destination is outside the EU/UK:

There’s one exception. When the flight distance is 3500+ kilometres and you reach your destination 3 to 4 hours later than planned, you are entitled only to 50% of the compensation amount (that means €300, not €600).

5.1 TUI Voucher Refund or Cash?

You might be offered a TUI voucher instead of compensation.

Many airlines do that. Many were offering coupons during the pandemic of 2020, 2021. You are not obligated to accept a voucher or coupon as compensation. However, if you prefer a coupon over actual money, go for that option. In the rest of the situations insist on money.

6. Connecting Flights

6.1 What Is a Connecting Flight?

A connecting flight is a flight that requires a passenger to change planes in order to reach their final destination. You have two or more flights, not just one.

There are two types of connecting flights:

1. Airline-protected transfers (“proper connecting flights”),
2. Self-transfer flights (DIY connections; popular right now).

6.2 Airline-Protected Transfer

How to find out if you have an airline-protected transfer?

• You have booked a connecting flight from the airline or via some third party service such as Kiwi, Expedia or eDreams. There are several ways how you can book a connecting flight.
• You have one airline booking reference number for the entire trip (two or more flights on your itinerary). This is the important part. You have one airline reference number.

6.3 Self Transfer

You have two or more flights one after the other.

If you have booked these flight separately, it’s called a self transfer.

If you have two or more airline reservation numbers, it’s a self transfer.

If you paid for these flights separately, it’s definitely a self transfer.

In some situations, it can be difficult to differentiate between self transfer and airline transfer. For example, websites such as kiwi.com enables you to purchase multiple flights within a single booking. Even though they aren’t protected connecting flights. In this case, you have to read the description of what you are booking — most of flight search sites and online travel agents tell it somewhere, if it’s a self transfer. It’s in their interests that you understand what you are booking.

7. Missed Connection

Missed connection means missing a connecting flight.

It’s common to miss a connecting flight when you’re running behind schedule and the previous flight is delayed or cancelled. This is particularly true if you only have a very short layover, with connection time such as 1 or 1.5 hours. Missing a flight in this scenario is super easy.

It’s reassuring to know that your airline will often provide protection. In some cases, a delayed arrival to destination may actually work in your favor since you could be entitled to receive flight delay compensation of up to 600 euros per person. If TUI causes you to miss a connecting flight (TUI flight), it’s their responsibility to come up with a solution.

7.1 Airline-Protected Transfer

This is the easiest and safest option for you.

You’re protected and you may also get to compensation if something goes wrong. Your flight is cancelled, you’re given a new flight, and now you are going to miss a connection? In all these situations you are protected — you have a right to a new flight (for the one you are going to miss), and sometimes you are also entitled to compensation.

Just get in touch with TUI representatives at the airport.

What about a refund or compensation?

You can’t get a refund for missed flight, but you may get flight delay compensation for your whole journey, if it falls under the Regulation UK261 or the EU Regulation 261/2004. Since the amount of the compensation isn’t affected by the price of your flight ticket, in most situations it’s even better — you can get 200 or 400 euro even if you paid only 40.

Don’t forget to file a claim for compensation!

7.2 Self Transfer

These are several flights that are booked separately.

What happens if you miss a self-transfer flight?

If any of these flights is 3+ hours late, cancelled or you are denied boarding, then you might be entitled to flight compensation for that particular flight. But neither of the airlines will be responsible for your journey as a whole or for any missed flights. 

For example, you have a flight with Wizz Air to London. Let’s call it “flight 1”. Then there is a 3-hour layover at an airport and the next flight with TUI to Cancun. Let’s call it “flight 2”. If you miss flight 2 due to flight 1 being delayed or cancelled, neither of the airlines are responsible for it. 

If it’s a long delay, you may get a compensation from Wizz Air.

If it’s a last-minute cancellation, you may get a new flight or refund and compensation from Wizz Air for flight 1 — that’s the rules in the European Union.

However, if you miss your TUI flight as a result, it is your responsibly to buy a new flight to your destination. Neither Wizz Air nor TUI will compensate you anything for flight 2. You won’t get compensation for missed flight connection. It doesn’t apply to self transfers.

If you have missed flight insurance, contact your insurance company.

Frequently Asked Questions

EU – Non-EU Flights, Regulation UK261, Tourists

Other Situations

Do you have any questions about TUI compensation policies? Have you ever missed TUI flight because of anything? How was it solved? Ask in the comments.

Featured photo by Alexandr Podvalny from Pexels