Flight diverted, who pays hotel?

[JohnK]

The problem is who adjudicates whether it is or is not


Some/Many have an annual TI policy

Outside of AFF? I don't know nor have I ever heard of anyone taking out annual travel insurance let alone single trip travel insurance.

I disagree with Qantas stance on this matter. Qantas took people away from their intended destination and their accommodation and dumped in another city at midnight expecting them to pay walk up rates for accommodation. Extremely disappointing.

Personally I would not be paying anyone $200+ to sleep for a few hours. Wife, 7 year old daughter and myself would have found somewhere to sleep at the airport. Sleep for 1 night is not important.

 

[Quickstatus]

Outside of AFF?

Definitely. Lots of Travel insurers have an Annual TI product available to the general public

 

[MARTINE]

Definitely. Lots of Travel insurers have an Annual TI product available to the general public

I have annual insurance - far cheaper and means you are always covered should things arise pre-departure

 

[equus]

I have annual insurance - far cheaper

Not always. Depends on your individual circumstances. Add a bit of age and a few pre-existing conditions, and it is not necessarily cheaper. If you are not balking at the quote, then you are probably not in that situation. There comes a time when you have to weigh things up.

There was another thread where it was mentioned that (and IIRC this was mostly with respect to cruises) that buying TI far in advance pushed the price up enormously - due to the length of exposure to cancellation risks, Sometimes a blended approach can save a fortune. An example. We have Amex Platinum Charge insurance - which is pretty good for a Credit card based insurance, but has limitations as far a pre-existing conditions and excluded activities, however is great for cancellation and disruption (missing bags anyone?). Our approach - book to activate this, and rely on it for cancellation and disruption. Close to departure (or earlier, doesn't make much difference in this scenario) book another TI policy with coverage for pre-existing and medical but NO coverage for cancellation or disruption (there are policies out there that can be set up that way - we have a Covermore one for our next trip). This ends up quite economical - but you do need to be able to read a PDS and really understand the conditions to play this game.

 

[MARTINE]

Not always. Depends on your individual circumstances. Add a bit of age and a few pre-existing conditions, and it is not necessarily cheaper. If you are not balking at the quote, then you are probably not in that situation. There comes a time when you have to weigh things up.

There was another thread where it was mentioned that (and IIRC this was mostly with respect to cruises) that buying TI far in advance pushed the price up enormously - due to the length of exposure to cancellation risks, Sometimes a blended approach can save a fortune. An example. We have Amex Platinum Charge insurance - which is pretty good for a Credit card based insurance, but has limitations as far a pre-existing conditions and excluded activities, however is great for cancellation and disruption (missing bags anyone?). Our approach - book to activate this, and rely on it for cancellation and disruption. Close to departure (or earlier, doesn't make much difference in this scenario) book another TI policy with coverage for pre-existing and medical but NO coverage for cancellation or disruption (there are policies out there that can be set up that way - we have a Covermore one for our next trip). This ends up quite economical - but you do need to be able to read a PDS and really understand the conditions to play this game.

Yes
Accept all your points
I will qualify
Many professional groups have insurance products
As a retired medico I have been fortunate that my med defence travel product (had for years) continues. It covers Covid, preexisting conditions and (I think to age 80).
When it stops cover I will stop travel.!!
It was $500 year pre Covid now $900
I acknowledge this is not always available generally.
Enjoy the next trip!

 

[JohnK]

Definitely. Lots of insurers have an Annual TI product available to the general public

Of course they do. Have you seen the premiums? Close to $1000 and higher. With age and pre-existing conditions the premiums get much higher.

If you're looking for budget holidays for 2 adults and 2 teenagers to coughet, Bali or Fiji 2 or 3 times year then I'd say an annual travel insurance policy is not in the equation.

 

[karen blancfield]

Of course they do. Have you seen the premiums? Close to $1000 and higher. With age and pre-existing conditions the premiums get much higher.

If you're looking for budget holidays for 2 adults and 2 teenagers to coughet, Bali or Fiji 2 or 3 times year then I'd say an annual travel insurance policy is not in the equation.

Is that $1000 each? We still rely on credit card insurance so have no idea of other costs. It worked brilliantly for us after an accident in Peru…. awhile back.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Outside of AFF? I don't know nor have I ever Personally I would not be paying anyone $200+ to sleep for a few hours. Wife, 7 year old daughter and myself would have found somewhere to sleep at the airport. Sleep for 1 night is not important.

Not possible at WLG. The terminal closes for a few hours each night.

 

[Ade]

Asking for a friend and I don’t have many details but their flight to Christchurch was diverted to Wellington due to fog, they had to pay for a hotel. Does this seem right?

IME, not a diversion, but a last flight cancellation due to weather etc - QF booked me into Novotel at SYD when I arrived from TWB and SYD-CBR was cancelled. I'd think TI would cover this, if they had purchased one prior to travel OR their CC if it offers complimentary TI when booking a return ticket.

Edit: Sorry I'm very late to this thread. I can see others have provided similar answers.

 

[Seat0B]

I thought the excess was waived for things like delay? The benefit is usually only $200-250 - enough to cover a basic hotel and a meal. Most of the times that doesn’t attract the excess.

YMMV but i have made two TI claims for hotels after delay -one with credit card insurance and one with a stand alone policy, and both times the excess was charged. So we really only got a very small refund for the accommodation we had to arrange.

 

[Seat0B]

Not always. Depends on your individual circumstances. Add a bit of age and a few pre-existing conditions, and it is not necessarily cheaper. If you are not balking at the quote, then you are probably not in that situation. There comes a time when you have to weigh things up.

Yes that was exactly my experience with 2 knee replacements - and this was pre-leukaemia! I can only imagine what it is like now.

Another issue for us with annual insurance is that we want to get ski cover for one or maybe two trips per year. If you take annual, you have to get ski cover for the whole year (yes including Bali or Fiji or whatever) , or none at all. I really looked into this and you cannot even take the "no skiing" policy and then pay a supplement for the trips that involve skiing. So for us it was definitely not a goer.

There was another thread where it was mentioned that (and IIRC this was mostly with respect to cruises) that buying TI far in advance pushed the price up enormously - due to the length of exposure to cancellation risks, Sometimes a blended approach can save a fortune. An example. We have Amex Platinum Charge insurance - which is pretty good for a Credit card based insurance, but has limitations as far a pre-existing conditions and excluded activities, however is great for cancellation and disruption (missing bags anyone?). Our approach - book to activate this, and rely on it for cancellation and disruption. Close to departure (or earlier, doesn't make much difference in this scenario) book another TI policy with coverage for pre-existing and medical but NO coverage for cancellation or disruption (there are policies out there that can be set up that way - we have a Covermore one for our next trip). This ends up quite economical - but you do need to be able to read a PDS and really understand the conditions to play this game.

And again, exactly yes, this is what we do too now. Same deal - I buy the flights on Amex because of good cancellation cover and accepting cancellation relating to non-travelling relatives up to 90 years of age in case something happens to them pre-trip or while you are away - other insurance variously cuts out at 84 or 85 and my mum is 89 at the moment. Then we spend the required amounts on prebooking of expenses like tours, transfers and accommodation on 2 different credit cards (ANZ Visa and Westpac MC) to take advantage of their different offers including different excesses and ability to cover my (non-leukaemia) pre-existing conditions, and then if everything is still not covered, we get a stand alone policy.

And yes I spend hours reading the PDS and I even make a comparison spreadsheet showing who covers what, conditions etc so I know which is best to claim from if the event happens.

I am just about feeling strong enough to embark on the labrynthine task of sorting out how to get cover with cancer, and whether I will even bother - it's not like I will die of leukaemia while I'm away like you might with a stroke or heart condition, so maybe I just expect to make a rush trip home if I get sick. Once I'm in remission, I'm not even sure what "get sick" might look like as my immune system is pretty much normal again now and so infections and sepsis are unlikely events, I feel. Oh the morass of this - it's doing my head in!

 

[karen blancfield]

Yes that was exactly my experience with 2 knee replacements - and this was pre-leukaemia! I can only imagine what it is like now.

Another issue for us with annual insurance is that we want to get ski cover for one or maybe two trips per year. If you take annual, you have to get ski cover for the whole year (yes including Bali or Fiji or whatever) , or none at all. I really looked into this and you cannot even take the "no skiing" policy and then pay a supplement for the trips that involve skiing. So for us it was definitely not a goer.


And again, exactly yes, this is what we do too now. Same deal - I buy the flights on Amex because of good cancellation cover and accepting cancellation relating to non-travelling relatives up to 90 years of age in case something happens to them pre-trip or while you are away - other insurance variously cuts out at 84 or 85 and my mum is 89 at the moment. Then we spend the required amounts on prebooking of expenses like tours, transfers and accommodation on 2 different credit cards (ANZ Visa and Westpac MC) to take advantage of their different offers including different excesses and ability to cover my (non-leukaemia) pre-existing conditions, and then if everything is still not covered, we get a stand alone policy.

And yes I spend hours reading the PDS and I even make a comparison spreadsheet showing who covers what, conditions etc so I know which is best to claim from if the event happens.

I am just about feeling strong enough to embark on the labrynthine task of sorting out how to get cover with cancer, and whether I will even bother - it's not like I will die of leukaemia while I'm away like you might with a stroke or heart condition, so maybe I just expect to make a rush trip home if I get sick. Once I'm in remission, I'm not even sure what "get sick" might look like as my immune system is pretty much normal again now and so infections and sepsis are unlikely events, I feel. Oh the morass of this - it's doing my head in!

When my sister got ill in Bali and I flew over to give her my blood (no blood bank there), the airline refused to allow her to fly home without a dr saying it was safe. We had always said the same, we would just fly home but after a few family mishaps, know it’s easier said than done.

So hard as we get older and health problems leap out. I just thought if you had enough money and will to do it, you could keep traveling forever I wish you all the best. You are incredibly stoic! A strong woman who will make it happen I sense.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

YMMV but i have made two TI claims for hotels after delay -one with credit card insurance and one with a stand alone policy, and both times the excess was charged. So we really only got a very small refund for the accommodation we had to arrange.

Interesting! ANZ CC insurance pays $250 for accommodation per 24 hours, plus meals and incidentals. But the excess is ‘nil’.

Wouldn’t make sense to receive $250 but have the same as an excess!

 

[equus]

YMMV but i have made two TI claims for hotels after delay -one with credit card insurance and one with a stand alone policy, and both times the excess was charged. So we really only got a very small refund for the accommodation we had to arrange.

And again, exactly yes, this is what we do too now. Same deal - I buy the flights on Amex because of good cancellation cover

Depending on which Amex - the Amex Platinum Card (charge) coverage for Delayed flights is excellent.

We had a trip where we were booked LHR - SYD via SIN - but had booked BA LHR- SIN, and QF SIN-SYD (BA all the way on the way over, but QF offered for the final leg at the same price - so more SC). Around midday on the day of departure we are sitting in the Champagne bar at Harrods when we get the SMS from Qantas that the QF departure from SIN is delayed, from around 9pm until 6 or 7am the next day. As the BA flight was not delayed, we were going to have a gap, and would need a hotel.

Unsure of what or where QF would book, or how proactive they would be (seeing as the flight is originally delayed leaving LHR, so most impacted pax would be dealt with at origin), looked at the Amex policy provisions. Delay after 4 hours - $700 per person, nil excess, two of us travelling and both covered, so up to $1,400. Check out what is available in Singapore for the night, and want to minimise delays and make the most of hte unexpected strop-over. Found a package offered by the Sofitel - suite, chauffer transfer to/from SIN and a bottle of Champagne - about $1,000, and bookable on Amex (essential). Done.

When we arrived at SIN, we were met y a QF service representative with the normal delay letter (essential for insurance). They had arranged a hotel, but we just said that we weren't sure what would be arranged after we received the delay notification, and had made our own arrangements. Let them know where we would be in case of further delay, and headed into town.

Has a nice walk around the water, great sleep, then early start back for breakfast in the lounge. Submitted the claim along with the letter to Amex, and was paid without question. Didn't press the EU361 (tried with Qantas, and they claimed it didn't apply, despite the fact that we were ticketed on the one PNR out of EU) as we got a nice stop over courtesy of Amex.

As a side, I had to make a decision before we left. My passport was due to expire about 3 months after our return. UK doesn't require 6 months validity, just that the passport is valid, that was the only place we were going, so the passport was good to go. However, the flights to and from both had a transit in SIN. We had no plans to stop, but SIN does require 6 months passport validity. I decided to renew early just in case there was some need to enter SIN - and was very glad I did. After that experience, I think I would make sure of always having 6 months validity in case of diversions or the unexpected (I might make an exception if only going to NZ, as I don't think that would ever result in a diversion to anywhere else).

 

[equus]

Of course they do. Have you seen the premiums? Close to $1000 and higher. With age and pre-existing conditions the premiums get much higher.

Premiums for annual have gone up quite a lot in the last few years (or perhaps we have just reached that point of getting older where the age factor is now causing a much steeper year on year impact).

10 years ago, had an annual multi-trip for 2 adults (both under 60) with no excess, for $402.
Two years later, $444
3 years ago, now with a $200 excess, up to $978
Quote as of now $1150 for 2 adults. (without considering pre-existing conditions)

 

[Quickstatus]

Of course they do. Have you seen the premiums? Close to $1000 and higher.

But of course, check all options to see which one comes out ahead. Annual TI not really for budget travellers doing a twice yearly trip. For a lot of people to travel very regularly it's a no brainer

 

[JohnK]

Is that $1000 each? We still rely on credit card insurance so have no idea of other costs. It worked brilliantly for us after an accident in Peru…. awhile back.

I think the ones I saw recently were over $1000 for me but that includes my 7 year daughter for free. I went with SCTI for another year but reading some of the stories here that could be risky. I had no problems with SCTI earlier this year cover me for 2 nights lost hotel accommodation as we were delayed.

I don't bother getting travel insurance for wife as she is fully covered in Thailand and any hotel costs should be covered by my annual travel insurance.

Not possible at WLG. The terminal closes for a few hours each night.

Yes I know. Fully prepared to wait outside until airport reopens if that is what happens. I'm not paying $200+ for a few hours in a hotel. Sleep is not that important.

 

[Quickstatus]

I'm not paying $200+ for a few hours in a hotel.

I vowed to myself early in life that I would never sleep on an airport floor overnight. Its just not right

 

[JohnK]

I vowed to myself early in life that I would never sleep on an airport floor overnight. Its just not right

It's actually fun and you don't have to sleep on floor. Plenty of chairs and in airports such as SIN there are lounge chairs. I've done many overnights there.

I vowed early in my frequent flyer days from 2008 onwards that I will learn to sleep anywhere. Lost count of the number of times I have slept in economy or airports.

The best one yet was when my daughter was born. I left Chiang Mai 6:00pm Saturday night for BKK then 1:00am flight to HKG then evening flight Sunday night to SYD. Wife calls me as I was about to board CX flight that she is bleeding. Sweetie call ambulance.

Arrived in HKG and daughter was born while I was in transit. Continued to SYD but had already booked return flight to Thailand. Left SYD Monday night on EK flight and arrived BKK Tuesday morning 1:00am. Grabbed a couple of beers and went down to the basement near the train station and waited until 6:00am. Had 1-2 hours sleep. Met my daughter around 8:30am, 2 days after she was born. Still have the photos of when I first met her too. That was an adventure and one I'll never forget.

 

[Seat0B]

Interesting! ANZ CC insurance pays $250 for accommodation per 24 hours, plus meals and incidentals. But the excess is ‘nil’.

Wouldn’t make sense to receive $250 but have the same as an excess!

This is a Westpac claim from my last trip - $300 excess applied. As per their on-line claim process, I just supplied them with a narrative explanation of what happened and the invoices. They then processed it as a claim for the loss of the first night of pre-booked accommodation at the ski fields in Japan that we were unable to take because of flight delays and then weather delays for connecting bus. At the time, I kind of didn't mind because this accommodation that we lost in the ski field was quite a bit more expensive than the accommodation we had to take in Tokyo. But on reflection, maybe I should have insisted that it was a claim for delay rather than lost accommodation...could be another one I need to add to travel mistakes.

As it happens, this is only the second time I have ever had to make a claim on TI, and the first time ever for delay/cancellation etc! So I have been pretty lucky really! My first claim was for an expensive case of high altitude pulmonary oedema which skiing in the USA in 2019, and that was a stand alone policy through Defence Health, and was promptly paid out - which was good as it cost thousands of dollars.