June 2, 2022 - Meagan Palmer
Flight cancellations are on the rise these days, showing signs of little improvement for this summer. Being prepared for your travel plans to change at any point before takeoff is key to adapting to the ever-changing travel industry. One sure way of doing that is by having a travel insurance policy in place. But just how far does coverage for flight cancellations reach when it comes to coverage? Yonder Travel Insurance explains below how travel insurance can and maybe can’t help when it comes to flight cancellations, changes, and delays.
The purpose of travel insurance is to protect your insured trip cost if you suddenly have to cancel your trip. However, if your common carrier cuts your flight, it’s unlikely travel insurance could provide reimbursement of the ticket, as it’s not a common covered reason under trip cancellation benefits. Flight cancellations due to bankruptcy, mechanical breakdown, or natural disasters could be covered, but most other reasons might be excluded, even if you purchased Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. If your common carrier cancels your flight, it’s expected they are responsible for reimbursing or accommodating you for that lost expense, so Yonder recommends reaching out to your travel agent or common carrier for their cancellation policies.
On the other hand, if the airline makes a change to your itinerary or cancels your flight, your travel insurance plan could provide coverage for the change fees to reissue your ticket. Some policies will even reimburse you for the unused event or activity expenses that you missed out on due to the change.
“Look for travel insurance policies that include itinerary change or change fee coverage in the certificate”, recommends Terry Boynton, co-founder, and president of Yonder Travel Insurance. Boynton says, “If you need assistance finding a policy that includes these specific benefits, our team of friendly humans and experts would be happy to point you in the right direction or get a quote”.
Unfortunately, flight delays are still prevalent so far and are expected to continue this summer. Good news is, most travel insurance policies can reimburse the costs of extra hotel, meal, and local transportation costs you incur due to a significant delay! Just make sure you keep all receipts and invoices as this is an important part in getting your claim approved.
If you have yet to purchase a travel insurance policy and are concerned about an upcoming trip, make sure to check with an expert first to ensure you’re purchasing a plan that will implement the coverage you need.
