If I purchase two separate tickets for travel on the same day what will happen if one flight arrives late causing me to miss the other flight?

Perhaps to be more clear:
I want to puchase an e-ticket from BMI to fly BRU-LHR and then fly AC from LHR-YYZ-LAX. If my BMI flight is delayed and I miss my AC flight what will AC do? Is this very risky?

Thanks for your help

From reading previous expereinces here, and my own, it appears that you are very much at their mercy....

That being said, I'll give a ^ ^ to Delta for helping me and fiance at Christmas. We were in similar but slightly reversed situation to you - on AC from YHZ-BOS, same day, separate ticket on DL BOS-TPA. Turned out we travelled on the day of the big Nor'easter blizzard (12/27), and despite trying to protect ourselves by being first flight of day out of halifax, and last flight of day out of Boston, we were only able to get as far as YYZ by the evening of 12/27. Delta could never promise anything, but were very accomodating at waiving change fees and doing what they could to get us down to Florida as quick as could once finally got to BOS. Not sure how much of their generosity was cuz of impacts of storm on BOS itself, but in the end, this time, the split ticketing didn't blow up in our face, but YMMV.

I'll also add - there was a family in the MLL in YHZ who had different story: had separate tickets on AA trying to get to the Caribbean, departing 6:00 12/28 from YYZ, and AA was telling them that they needed to pay $75 change fee + fare difference (to walk up fare) if they got stuck in YHZ on the evening of the 27th and weren't able to make their original flight out of YYZ the next day. Something like $4000...... Again YMMV....

Technically, you're screwed.

Depending on flight loads and your status with AC, then they might have some compassion/sympathy.

I gave myself a 3hr connection MAN-(BD)-LHR and LHR-(AC)-YYZ and checking-in at the local connections centre made it a cinch!

I don't know if Diners Club provides any compensation if something bad happens in this regard...

It is always risky travelling on two separate tickets in the winter, particularly deeply discounted tickets on European airlines. While in the case of a catasrophic storm -- as last week's along the Eastern US coast -- airlines will be foregiving, normal winter snowfall can still delay your connection and they are not always that foregiving. As has been posted on a number of European fora, most of these deeply discounted tickets vanish if you miss you flight. They are not even refundable. As noted, it will be up to the airline front line staff to make the final judgement, but use caution.

But in your case, you can "pave your way" by checking your bags through by showing your second set of tickets to the check-in agent. Also, because BD is a STAR partner, they can check you in for the AC flight, so you will not be in the same perilous situation as if you were flying separate tickets on unrelated carriers. So you should be in a protected situation no matter what the weather turns out to be, as long as you have booked your connections within the legal time limits.

I always recommend two things: A very long CYA connection time between the flights in both directions, and insurance that will cover your potential liability, which, on a 4-flight itinerary, could be the cost of a full Y fare on segment 2 or segment 4.

You need an extremely long connection time between flights as airline #2 doesn't care about airline #1 and if they are unrelated, they DON'T HAVE TO so they can do what they want. This is especially important if one of the airlines is a charter. Out of YVR, this procedure is especially important for folks flying ex-YYZ to one of the charter destinations that are not offered out of here, like Santiago de Cuba.

If you can find an insurance company that will offer this insurance, determine absolutely how many hours MUST be between the flights at the time that you make the reservation.

Also plan ahead so that you can phone each airline whose connection that you could miss, from a phone on board airline #1 or airline #3 if necessary to avoid cancellation of your itinerary on subsequent flights.

I was once in a very similar situation, flying CDG-LHR on AF, then LHR-YOW-YUL on AC. I initially was supposed to have about 3 hours between flights at LHR. AF had oversold the flight out to LHR and put me on the following flight, which left more than 2 hours later, giving me about 40 minutes to change terminalsa t LHR, go through security and board the YOW flight. Virtually impossible. I sprinted out of the plane when we landed (actually reaching a door that hadn't yet been opened and banging into it). When I got to the AC counter at the right terminal they informed me that the YOW flight's doors were already closed. I was on a heavily discounted ticket, so I did not expect what came next: AC put me on the direct LHR-YUL flight (which left some 20 minutes later), and got a taxi to take me to the gate along the runways. I made it to YUL early, and with a compensation package from AF for the delay.

I would like to think that you can count on such service from AC, but unfortunately they have shown to be quite inconsistent, and so I wouldn't base a decision on their being as lenient as they were that day.

You are right AC should have been consistant and followed the rules. They should have invalidated your ticket and left you standing in LHR.

I agree -- technically, you're screwed. But I was ok once on a LHR-IAD-LGA(UA) and LGA-YOW(AC) two separate ticket itin. LGA protected me on the last flight before I even left IAD -- they knew the flight was late getting in and they even let me go to the RCC to relax (these were the days when I had Prestige status).

DutchSE: I have consistently used this method on my trips to BRU when I was studying there and didn't run into any problems. Just book yourself on the 0730 or 0945 BRU-LHR flight and no earlier than the 1300 flight to YYZ and you should be fine.

Mind you also, given the weather at LHR and BRU lately, I wouldn't expect an winter storm delays. The return may be challenging...

I would book the 1640 LHR-BRU flight just to give yourself a bit of leeway if you're afraid of storms and what not.

Don't count on that. The effers at BRU are incompetent people. They can check you in, but they probably won't and tell you they can't do that or don't know how to do that or something stupid.

I would consider this situation the same as missing a flight due to traffic, bad weather, etc. on the highway on the way to the airport. Most airlines' policy is to put you on standby for the next available flight. Is AC not the same in this regard?