Skipping coupons on ticket with delays

[davidjohnson6]

Normally, if you buy a ticket which contains 4 legs, and you don't fly the 2nd leg, an airline will automatically cancel the reservation for legs 3 and 4
However, if a person flies leg 1, but it's delayed and causes you to be unable to catch the 2nd flight, what happens ? Is the passenger compelled to catch the flight the airline arranges as a substitute for leg 2 (however long the delay may be until a seat can be found) or can you make alternate arrangements at your own cost to reach the destination of leg 2 (i.e. forfeit the cost of leg 2), and still catch the flights for legs 3 and 4 ?

In my case, the specifics are that I'm thinking of flying from city XXX, via AMS to London, and then from London via AMS to XXX. Problem is that the connection at AMS is rather tight and I think KLM are being over-ambitious in the scheduling. And no, I don't want to fly 12 hours earlier or 12 hours later from XXX, or use another airline

[DaveReidUK]

I think you would be unlikely to be penalised in such circumstances. You could hardly be classed as a "no-show" for leg 2 if you are still inbound on the delayed leg 1.

[Hartington]

Being a "no show" can lead to further cancellations. I've had it happen. Not just the immediate connection but flights further down route.
You cannot assume anything. If the worst happens go and talk to the connections desk and tell them.
I am, however, intrigued - are all the flights on one ticket and reservation (they are not the same thing)? If they are then the delivering airline to Amsterdam should rebook you to your final destination via whatever is available (they don't put other people off flights to accommodate you). If you are on separate tickets the various airlines probably won't know about what other flights you're on which would probably make things easier.

[DaveReidUK]

If they are then the delivering airline to Amsterdam should rebook you to your final destination via whatever is available (they don't put other people off flights to accommodate you).

Yes, the OP referred to that happening - his question was about the implications should he decline the offer to rebook.

[davidjohnson6]

Single ticket, single reservation.
Leg 1 arrives at AMS just 45 mins before the last KLM flight to London of the evening. It's winter, so weather happens. Easyjet have a flight to London later in the evening - I am happy to buy a seat as an insurance option to get to sleep in London the same night

The last thing I want is to spend the night at Schiphol and be put on the midday KL flight (destroys work the following day) because everything earlier is full and the connection desk doesn't want to know about the technicalities of EU261 and refuses to ticket last minute with a non-KL carrier

Of course, if leg 1 into AMS is a bit late, I would much rather run for the Easyjet flight, and not queue up and argue with connections desk as to why future legs on the KL itinerary should not be cancelled... or risk being told by reservation phoneline the next day that "sorry sir, uncancelling is not possible, you have to do it at AMS gate in person"

[Tocsin]

I was meant to fly PHX-JFK-LHR-SOF on the return part of a journey. AA cancelled the PHX-JFK sector while I was in their lounge. Rebooked PHX-LHR, I tweeted BA (about the only reason I have a Twitter account...) to protect the LHR-SOF sector, having missed the JFK-LHR one. All sorted by the time I arrived in LHR. This was all one booking, though - separate bookings would rely on goodwill!

[Hartington]

IF KLM see you as a noshow on the AMS-LON sector there is every chance they will cancel your onward from London unless they know what you are doing. Load your phone with the number of KLM reservations and use it while sprinting to easyJet. I would also load the reservations number of the carrier from London and phone them as well.