Here at Skyscanner, we want to help you have the best travel experience possible. And we know that saving money on flights is one way to make a happy traveler.
For that reason, when you search for flights we’ll show you lots of different options to help you get the most value possible. BUT. And it’s a big BUT – which is why we made it big. Some of these cheaper options come with risks. That’s why they cost less.
So before you book, we want to help you understand what you’re signing up to. Some of this may seem a little complicated, but we’re going to do our best to explain.
Quick links:
PROTECTED TRANSFERS
OK, so sometimes we’ll show you options where it takes more than one flight to get to your destination.
Let’s say you’re flying Barcelona to San Francisco. And we find the cheapest way to get there is to fly from Barcelona to London, and then transfer to another flight from London to San Francisco. Most of the time, the two flights will be on the same flight ticket. Yep, even if they’re operated by different airlines. It’s rather nicely called an "airline alliance."
And this is what we call a protected transfer.
The easy way to tell if the flights are on the same flight ticket?
There is only one booking reference for both flights.
A protected transfer means that if a flight is delayed and you miss a connection, the airlines will find alternative flights for you, and get you to your destination AT NO EXTRA COST.
Because it’s pretty much risk-free, a protected transfer costs more. So sometimes we’ll show you cheaper options, like non-protected transfers.
NON-PROTECTED TRANSFERS
What’s a non-protected transfer, then?
Glad you asked. It means the two flights are NOT on the same ticket. There is no friendly alliance between airlines this time. And you’ll have two booking references.
Most importantly, it means that if you miss your connecting flight for any reason, you will have to buy a whole new ticket. For example:
Let’s say you bought a non-protected transfer for Barcelona to San Francisco, with a connecting flight in London. If the Barcelona flight is delayed, causing you to miss the flight from London, you will have to fork out for a new ticket from London to San Francisco as the transfer was not protected.
The good news is, there are ways to reduce the risks of a non-protected transfer. It’s basically all about leaving yourself lots of time between flights, and knowing in advance about any tricky things that could slow you down when you’re trying to make your connection.
Here are some of those tricky things:
Let’s look at Barcelona to San Francisco, via London, again.
As we said, if the Barcelona flight is delayed, you will have less time to catch the flight from London. So the more time you have between the flight from Barcelona landing, and the flight to San Francisco taking off, the better.
Once you land in London, you will have to pick up your checked luggage at the baggage carousel, and then check in again for the flight to San Francisco.
This could mean waiting a long time for your baggage, followed by a big line at check-in, and then who-knows-how-long going through security screening.
Not only that, but the flight to San Francisco might be from a different terminal. Depending on the airport, this could mean having to wait for a shuttle to that other terminal.
In rare cases, the next flight could even be from a completely different London airport. London’s airports are very far apart; you might be looking at more than two hours to get from one to another.
In some countries, even though you won’t be leaving the airport, you will need a visa or a transit visa. That might mean you need to organize a visa well in advance, before you board any of the planes. Or it might mean joining yet another line once at that country’s airport, in order to get a transit stamp.
Also: airlines have different baggage rules. You’ll need to make sure your hand luggage and your checked luggage comply with both airlines.
Now, here is the REALLY IMPORTANT part.
Because the transfer is not protected, it's a good idea to find out all this information yourself. The airlines don’t have an alliance this time, so they won’t be able to help. We want you to have the best time possible, so it's a good idea to look into the extra information about the flights, transfers or airports before you book.
Try researching the airports, their terminals, and how to get between them. We’d also recommend going to the airports’ websites, and researching things like public transportation and taxi costs. You’ll also need to think about how long you’ll need to get from one flight to the other. The best way is to plan for a worst-case scenario (i.e., build in lots of time for waiting and lines).
Don’t forget to research the baggage rules of all the airlines you’re flying with and do some research on the visa situation.
Hopefully this will help you balance the risks, plan properly to reduce those risks and point you in the right direction!
SELF-TRANSFER FLIGHTS
There is another way to book flight connections that aren’t on a shared ticket (so, again, no airline alliance), but offer a bit more protection than non-protected transfers. These are called self-transfer flights.
Self-transfer flights are booked by a travel agent. That means that, although the airlines won't be able to help if your flights get delayed or canceled, the travel agent will.
So, as soon as a problem occurs, you must call the travel agent so they can help you with rebooking the flight or flights.
Although we have no control over the travel agents’ conditions, we can show you all the options and help you know what to look for so you make a good choice and have a great time! You'll find a handy star rating system next to each travel agency – more on that over here.
On that note, remember that even if the travel agent does protect you, it's still a good idea to research and plan for all the potential tricky parts – which are the same tricky parts we listed for non-protected transfers.
And don't forget to plan for any visas you might need.
HERE’S A QUICK RECAP:
Protected transfers
- One booking reference
- Friendly airline alliance
- Anything goes wrong, the airlines help at no extra cost
Non-protected transfers
- Each flight has its own booking reference
- The airlines do not have a friendly alliance
- Anything goes wrong, you’ll have to pay for one or more new tickets
Self-transfer flights
- Each flight has its own booking reference
- The airlines do not have a friendly alliance
- BUT a travel agent will assist you if anything goes wrong
- HOWEVER, different travel agents offer different levels of assistance
If anything isn't clear, please give us a shout through the little “Contact Us” button down there and we'll be happy to explain these points in more detail. Happy travels!