Insurance for a cancelled flight?

[Lizard Valley]

Hi everyone!

 

So I'm shopping for my next cruise, and doing a lot of preparation to make sure that I have the right kind of insurance for a flight/hotel/cruise vacation.

 

I'm covered for all medical stuff through my extended health/credit card. So I'm looking for cancellation/interruption insurance.

 

Now, because I work for an airline, I have a lot of experience with what can really go wrong. What I am most worried about is an outright cancellation of my flight, which causes me to miss my cruise. I already plan to fly to Florida 2 days before the cruise, but the reality is that if the airline cancels a flight, especially during high travel season, they will likely not be able to get me to my destination in time to catch my cruise. I may have to buy a ticket on another airline, or fly to my first non-US port to catch up.

 

Most insurance policies I have read cover flight "delays", but specifically state that a flight "cancellation" is not considered a delay. Their reasoning is that the airline then becomes responsible to get you to your destination, or reimburse you. However, the airline is only required to get you there "eventually", not on time to catch your cruise.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any advise on what I need to ask when shopping around. Or if anyone wants to share some stories that may have made you learn the hard way?

 

And unfortunately, I live in Quebec, therefore cannot go through Insuremytrip or insurancestore.

 

Thanks!

[purduemom1]

You mentioned that you work for an airline-are you going to fly stand by (non rev)? When we do that and want to protect our non refundable travel plans, we purchase cancel for any reason insurance. Need to make sure the policy does not have time restrictions. For example requiring you to cancel 48 hours before your trip starts. I am referring to insurance purchased in the US and not sure what is available in Canada. Good luck with your search.

[Lizard Valley]

You mentioned that you work for an airline-are you going to fly stand by (non rev)? When we do that and want to protect our non refundable travel plans, we purchase cancel for any reason insurance. Need to make sure the policy does not have time restrictions. For example requiring you to cancel 48 hours before your trip starts. I am referring to insurance purchased in the US and not sure what is available in Canada. Good luck with your search.

 

Thanks purduemom1 :)

 

Honestly, I hadn't even considered non-rev possibilities, so thanks for making me think of that!

 

When I travel non-rev, I usually make sure to only book hotels with flexible same-day cancellation policies. Disney can sometimes be a problem, because they have 5-day or 45-day cancellation policies (depending on how it's booked), so that's helpful. And I don't fly standby for cruises, just too risky from up here.

 

I keep hitting a brick wall..."cancel for any reason" policies do exist for Canadians, EXCEPT if you reside in Quebec. Something about the Quebec regulations requiring insurance companies to produce easy-to-read policy conditions, which most companies don't want to comply with. So they just don't offer to us. It's very frustrating.

[cherylandtk]

Look at what a walk up fare is from your point of origin to your first port. Make sure your insurance coverage for interruption covers that amount plus the prorated number of days of lost cruising. The reality is, that if a flight is cancelled, and you cannot make the departure, you are looking at a partially lost vacation, and the insurance needs to cover that. Disappointment, loss of actual vacation on your vacation days, hassle and other intangibles are not insurable.

 

Secondly, and I assume as an employee you know this, a week or so before your trip get a list of all flights from your origin to your departure port. All airlines, all nearby (drivable) airports. Pre-program the booking phone numbers for these airlines into your phone. Minutes matter in these cases. If you face a cancellation, you already know what flights you can substitute. Use your connections to get your ticket endorsed ASAP. If not endorsable, ask for a refund of the cancelled leg and a re-issue of the return.

 

In the case of bad weather, and I realize this is the usual culprit for entire cancellations, all airlines are dealing with the same issues so you will have to be creative with routings, first on the phone and perhaps willing to book that full fare (refundable) ticket before you have a resolution of your original ticket.

 

LBNL, depending on the cruiseline, the cruiseline insurance may give you first port protection and any reason credit if you book the air through them. If flight cancellation is truly your biggest worry, you might check into it.

[Lizard Valley]

Look at what a walk up fare is from your point of origin to your first port. Make sure your insurance coverage for interruption covers that amount plus the prorated number of days of lost cruising. The reality is, that if a flight is cancelled, and you cannot make the departure, you are looking at a partially lost vacation, and the insurance needs to cover that. Disappointment, loss of actual vacation on your vacation days, hassle and other intangibles are not insurable.

 

Secondly, and I assume as an employee you know this, a week or so before your trip get a list of all flights from your origin to your departure port. All airlines, all nearby (drivable) airports. Pre-program the booking phone numbers for these airlines into your phone. Minutes matter in these cases. If you face a cancellation, you already know what flights you can substitute. Use your connections to get your ticket endorsed ASAP. If not endorsable, ask for a refund of the cancelled leg and a re-issue of the return.

 

 

Thank you, these are excellent points! I do all of this anyways when I'm flying standby, but quite honestly, when flying confirmed, I wouldn't have thought of it.

 

Pretty silly actually, because the one time I had a bad experience, it was on a confirmed flight. It got delayed 3 hrs before the airline finally cancelled it. Insurance didn't pay because it was "cancelled" and not "delayed". I ran around and worked out my own way to get to my destination, then with that info in hand, was able to convince the gate agent to rebook be on what I had found, rather than what they had rebooked me on (for 5 days later).

Edited May 29, 2014 by Lizard Valley

[sirwired]

Huh; I don't personally know of a policy that would refuse to cover a cancellation, as long as the cancellation occurred due to a covered reason.

 

And usually the trip interruption coverage refers to your trip being delayed, and does not make a distinction as to the reason, as long as it's on the list.