Travel insurance that covers missed connections or cancelled flights?

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petef

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Dec 1, 2003
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I am looking for travel insurance that covers missed connections or Cancelled flights, but have not had any luck in finding a policy that covers these risks any more.

I have about a dozen flights on an upcoming trip, many with connections. All connections have 2 or more hours layover, but I would like to have cover in case of missed connections, especially since a lot of the flights are in the winter in the US.

All the flights I have booked are non refundable, so if I have missed a connection I will have to pay full fare for same day tickets on the next flight.

So far, I have had a look at Travel insurance Direct, World Nomads, Allianz, Virgin, HBF, Citibank, Australia Post, Insureandgo, and Woolworths. They either offer no cover or only very limited cover for delays due to unlikely events like Riots or Hijack etc, not for more likely events like mechanical or weather.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Peter.
 
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I normally rely on CC insurance - are you telling me that doesn't include connections normally?
 
Try going through someone like AON's Afinity Team, they do specialised travel cover open to the public. I use them, can even cover the cost of a cancelled meeting should you get to London and find out it's changed.

They also do pre-exisiting conditions.

Matt
 
Are these flights all individual purchases with separates tickets (PNR's) ? e.g A-B and B-C and C-D
Or connected as 1 single ticket (PNR) ? e.g A-B-C with 2 hour transits

If the flights are with AA they (may) protect you to the next flight, even if separate ticket . But carefully check ticket terms & condition's

With cheap flights you are paying for what you get and you have chosen to take the risk
 
I normally rely on CC insurance - are you telling me that doesn't include connections normally?

Unless you are really au faux with the T&C's this can be dicey. I alway arrange seperate cover as the downside risk is too great to find when you require it that you dont have cover. I have done many trips to far away and desperate places.

Missed connections are no big ticket items. A brain haemorrhage even in the states is enough to send a shiver down my spine, should I recover I shall die of the shock of the cost of such treatment.
 
Thanks to all the replies,

What payment method was used to book the flights?

Flights were paid mostly from Airline credits for previous cancelled flights, so no CC insurance on these.

Try going through someone like AON's Afinity Team, they do specialised travel cover open to the public

Thanks I'll check them out.

Are these flights all individual purchases with separates tickets (PNR's) ? e.g A-B and B-C and C-D
Or connected as 1 single ticket (PNR) ? e.g A-B-C with 2 hour transits.

It's a combination of both. Most of my US internals are on separate PNR's. I wasn't asking about the connections that are single ticket PNR's. I have some with Jet Blue that are only 30 minute connections, but that becomes Jet Blue's issue, not mine if missed.

With cheap flights you are paying for what you get and you have chosen to take the risk

Not quite right, even if I paid the more than double for refundable tickets, and I was stuck in the air and ended up a no show on the connection, I would be no better off.

It's no different to cars, I can choose to buy a Great Wall Chinese Ute or A Toyota Hilux. I can still buy insurance to cover any accident in either vehicle. my choice of vehicle makes no difference.

Missed connections are no big ticket items. A brain haemorrhage even in the states is enough to send a shiver down my spine, should I recover I shall die of the shock of the cost of such treatment.

While I agree the cost of medical could be horrendous, most insurance T&C's are pretty good for medical issues. For me the cost due to missed connections, paying for a couple of seats at the last minute to get from LA to New York in time for New Years Eve, or to buy a couple of one-way fares back to Oz is a big hit and a lot more likely event than a brain haemorrhage.
 
Try going through someone like AON's Afinity Team, they do specialised travel cover open to the public. I use them, can even cover the cost of a cancelled meeting should you get to London and find out it's changed.

Thanks Matt, I took at look at AON and they do offer Missed connection insurance, but only for Special events (weddings, Funerals, Conferences, Major Concerts, or Sporting Events).

On top of Travel insurance Direct, World Nomads, Allianz, Virgin, HBF, Citibank, Australia Post, Insureandgo, Woolworths, and AON, I have now also looked at 1Cover, SCTI, Covermore, and Worldcare without any luck.

It looks like this sort of cover is no longer offered by the insurance companies.

Thanks,

Peter.
 
I am definitely interested in this as well and have started a thread or two on the subject before with no positive result. It is definitely a large area of risk. In your research when are you covered generally? 4 hours between? 6 hours? The next day? 24 hours? It would be nice if an insurer had a blanket clause such as 4 hours between scheduled flights is adequate and if your flights are booked with this gap your are covered for any unforeseen delays.
 
It would be nice if an insurer had a blanket clause such as 4 hours between scheduled flights is adequate and if your flights are booked with this gap your are covered for any unforeseen delays.

Perhaps if that was the case the premiums would not be so nice!
 
In your research when are you covered generally?

Most policies offer cover for some delay expenses for hotels and meals, but not for re-booking flights. While the cover may be for Thousands of dollars, you will usually find that they may only pay for delays over 6 hours and around $200 per 24 hours of delay.

The policies that do offer cover re-booking flights generally only offer the cover if the flight was delayed by Riots, Hijack, industrial disputes etc, not for more likely events like mechanical or weather.

Some policies do offer cover for alternate arrangements for travel to Special events, but only only offer cover for travel to specific events Weddings, Funerals, Concerts and sporting events for example.

Peter
 
We just lost a night's prepaid accommodation in Dubai due to QF9 being 22 hours late leaving Melbourne on 16 March - our travel insurance says Qantas should be compensating us and Qantas says that they won't … any clues on getting our money back?
 
We just lost a night's prepaid accommodation in Dubai due to QF9 being 22 hours late leaving Melbourne on 16 March - our travel insurance says Qantas should be compensating us and Qantas says that they won't … any clues on getting our money back?

This may deserve its own thread or moving to another thread but this is an interesting one. Some people on here are familliar with the QF9 delays in March. Which insurance company and what sort of travel insurance was this? May help to know how many nights you were booked in DXB and if you had further flights onwards booked with QF or not (on the same booking).
 
This may deserve its own thread or moving to another thread but this is an interesting one. Some people on here are familliar with the QF9 delays in March. Which insurance company and what sort of travel insurance was this? May help to know how many nights you were booked in DXB and if you had further flights onwards booked with QF or not (on the same booking).

We had NAB Platinum associated travel insurance. We had 2 nights accommodation paid for in DXB and an onwards flight to Venice on 18 March on Emirates - booked through Flight Centre. In Melbourne we opted to return home, even though it would have been more convenient (FAR more expensive for Qantas) to stay in a hotel. The only relief offered by Qantas was 2 x $30 meal vouchers and 2 x Cabcharges. Comparing notes with others en voyage after the event - some stayed in $800 hotel suites in the city and received $50 meal vouchers! And Qantas is being dastardly about compo for one night in a budget airport hotel in DXB - claims that is 'fair to other passengers' - hard to see how. In the past we have received $200 each for flight disruptions from Qantas - things must be tight!
 
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I think the Westpac Altitude cards (Zurich provided) insurance does cover.

From the PDS: Benefit 3: extract:

"Under this section Zurich covers you for the unexpected cancellation of travel arrangements and other unexpected expenses, after you become eligible for the Overseas travel insurance provided the claim is not covered elsewhere in this policy. The expense must be incurred during the period of cover for one of the reasons listed below:
...other reasons listed...
your arranged travel is cancelled or delayed by the carrier because of unexpected:
– mechanical break down; or
– weather conditions; or
– natural disasters; or
– riots, strikes, civil commotion (but not acts of terrorism, any war like activities, war, whether it has been formally declared or not, any hostilities, rebellion or revolution, or military coup, or overthrow of a government); or
...other reasons listed..."

Benefit 5 (Special Events) has been mentioned elsewhere on AFF, but Benefit 3 does not limit payment of benefit to needing to get to special events.

Benefit 3 also does not have a minimum time when you are on your own. It provides that that Zurich would pay for:
"We will pay for...
If you continue your travel.
You may decide to continue your cancelled travel arrangements. If you do this at the earliest possible opportunity after cancellation, we will, at our option, either:
● pay for any part of your cancelled travel arrangements that:
– you have paid for but are unable to use; and
– that are non-refundable; or
● pay the costs of a higher class of travel, or increased seasonal rates for travel, if that is the only class or rate available. We will pay these costs minus the amount of any refundable part of your cancelled travel arrangements. We will only pay to upgrade your travel on the type of transport you chose in your cancelled travel arrangements. We will also pay for any part of your cancelled accommodation arrangements that:
● you have paid for but are unable to use; and
● which are non-refundable."

So what I make of that is that they will pay for replacement flights. You don't get to upgrade unless that was the only option available. You would need to consider every airline that provides a similar service to the missed service (Eg if you were flying Y in a full service airline, then all providers of full service Y who market to the missed connection destination), get quotes, ring Zurich with the info, and go from there. Alternatively, you ring them (they'll accept reverse charges) when you get off the preceeding delayed service and explain to them the class of service that you were on and it is nice to at least know what options are available. If you are flying Y with lounge access, you might have to accept something that doesn't have lounge access.

Benefit 7 provides for food and accomodation for delays beyond 6 hours. Benefit 7 does not provide for replacement flights, but it does not need to because Benefit 3 does. The excess of $250 would be payable only once, as
"Also if you make more than one claim as the result of a single event, the excess only applies once." So a claim under Benefit 3 and Benefit 7 for the same event is only hit by $250 once.
 
I think the Westpac Altitude cards (Zurich provided) insurance does cover.

"We will pay for...
If you continue your travel.
You may decide to continue your cancelled travel arrangements. If you do this at the earliest possible opportunity after cancellation, we will, at our option, either:
● pay for any part of your cancelled travel arrangements that:
– you have paid for but are unable to use; and
– that are non-refundable; or
● pay the costs of a higher class of travel, or increased seasonal rates for travel, if that is the only class or rate available. We will pay these costs minus the amount of any refundable part of your cancelled travel arrangements. We will only pay to upgrade your travel on the type of transport you chose in your cancelled travel arrangements. We will also pay for any part of your cancelled accommodation arrangements that:
● you have paid for but are unable to use; and
● which are non-refundable."

So what I make of that is that they will pay for replacement flights.

Yes unless it is cheaper for the insurer to just pay for the non-refundable portion of the cancelled/delayed flight. I imagine in most circumstances it would cost more for a same day flight than what was paid originally for the cancelled/delayed flight.

Thanks for your input. For free insurance this is not too bad, of course as long as the tickets were paid for on the card in the first place.

In my case the tickets had already been purchased. I ended up going with a yearly policy from 1300insurance, hoping their special event coverage could be used. Luckily even with some of the worst storms in years, I did not need to make a claim as the delays were manageable.

Peter.
 
Yes unless it is cheaper for the insurer to just pay for the non-refundable portion of the cancelled/delayed flight. I imagine in most circumstances it would cost more for a same day flight than what was paid originally for the cancelled/delayed flight.

Thanks for your input. For free insurance this is not too bad, of course as long as the tickets were paid for on the card in the first place.

In my case the tickets had already been purchased. I ended up going with a yearly policy from 1300insurance, hoping their special event coverage could be used. Luckily even with some of the worst storms in years, I did not need to make a claim as the delays were manageable.

Peter.

You do not need to have paid for the tickets on the card - you just to pay at least $500 of travel expenses (e.g. flights, accommodation, tours, car rental) before you leave, be away for less than 3 or 6 months (depending on the card) and have a return ticket.
 
Yes unless it is cheaper for the insurer to just pay for the non-refundable portion of the cancelled/delayed flight...

Also includes other travel arrangements that you can't use - increases the trade-off equation for Zuruch - especially if there is a lot of other flights, accomodation, tours, etc. All that might be worth a same day flight after all....
 
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