Connecting Flights

Hi - hope someone can answer this for me?

We are plannign to use our miles plus money for return flights from LGW to MCO, and will be booking connecting flights from NCL to LGW for the morning of our LGW-MCO flight.

If it all goes pearshaped and the flight from NCL is cancelled, where do we stand with regards getting from LGW to MCO. Would BA be responsible? Would VS get us on the next days flight? Or would it be up to us to claim from the travel insurance company for a missed flight?


Thanks in advance,
Peter

[Neil]

Firstly, I would try and think more positive, fingers crossed your flight won't get cancelled. If your internal is with BA then you will have no comeback from them for any connecting flights (its rubbish but life!).

If you do miss your VS flight then they should transfer you to the next one, hopefully without charge (ISTBC though), although I imagine if you need hotels etc they won't provide that and then you would have to claim off your travel insurance, if it ocvers things like that!

Hope that helps a bit,
Neil:)

If they are seperate bookings, then it becomes entirely your responsibility to catch all the flights.

If the flight from NCL is delayed, then VS just treat it the same as if you were stuck in traffic, or your train was delayed - usually, space permitting, they will rebook you on the next flight, but there may be a change fee in order to do this - and if there isn't any availability in the bucket in which you were originally ticketed on VS, then you might find you have to pay the fare difference too.

Remember on seperate bookings, you will often find that your bags won't be through checked, and you will have to reclaim and re-check your bags at your point of transfer as well. This isn't great when things are running late.

If you want to do it on seperate tickets/bookings, either allow yourself plenty of time at the changeover airport, be prepared to pay more if things go wrong, or save yourself the stress, travel down the previous day, and stay overnight near LGW. That has the added benefit of not having such a long day, which you'll probably appreciate once you're in the US.

Cheers,
Mike