Trip Insurance and Flight Cancelled

[rukkian]

Actually I didn't think the cost of the insurance was too bad. It was around $450 for all of us. I mainly get it for medical evacuation.

 

We are getting $300 back under the flight delay. One of our party also had a medical emergency that's in the process of being reimbursed (her insurance doesn't cover her outside the country), so I still think it was worth it to buy the insurance. I was just hoping that someone else had run into this and I'm just not reading the fine print right.

 

I will, however, make sure that any future policies have a much higher travel delay cap!

 

Out of curiosity, does your policy have a missed connection portion? Trip delay is one thing, but this should be covered under missed connection. In the policy we have for our upcoming cruise, the trip delay is only $200pp per day, but the missed connection is at up to $1000pp. I would just check that to see if maybe there is another provision to get paid back.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I know I would not have even looked at the coverage for rebooking a flight, and is just one more thing that makes it difficult for a new person to find the right coverage. I would hope that would be covered.

Unfortunately...there are plenty of folks who want "insurance" and then shop by price...instead of coverage first, then price.

 

That leads to the gaps or lack of coverage we read about in various venting posts after the fact.

[Darcy03231]

And what was Southwest supposed to do? Magically make sure you had 6 seats for your party - when there were only four available? Kick someone else out because YOU had to make your cruise? Once you choose to travel via someone other than WN, you are now making new travel arrangments outside your original ticket.

 

Incorrect. Prices were not raised to "premium" levels because of weather. What happened is that demand for operating flights increased, lower fare bucket seats sold out, and the remaining higher priced seats were what was left. It's the usual case of revenue managment - last minute tickets are almost always the highest priced. So it wasn't taking advantage of travellers and charging "premium prices".

 

 

 

Assumptions. The fine print governs.

 

Since policies, coverages and circumstances vary so widely, what happened to anyone else in the past has no bearing on your situation or claim.

 

So let's see...you bought tickets on Southwest that are not endorsable over to another carrier, you bought an insurance policy without checking the specifics of the coverage, you had not one, but two flight cancellations, you managed to get everyone to the cruise for sailing, and now we're complaining about the $700 in uncovered expenses. Got it.

 

Wow! Thanks for all the help. I never came here saying that I blamed anyone for any of the flight mess. I was just trying to see if anyone else had been able to get money back under another portion of their policy so I could go back and check through all the legalese in my 30+ page policy to see if there was something I was missing.

[Darcy03231]

Out of curiosity, does your policy have a missed connection portion? Trip delay is one thing, but this should be covered under missed connection. In the policy we have for our upcoming cruise, the trip delay is only $200pp per day, but the missed connection is at up to $1000pp. I would just check that to see if maybe there is another provision to get paid back.

 

No, it didn't. I definitely know what to look for now when purchasing future policies!

[Babr]

I looked at a Nationwide Essential on insuremytrip. The trip delay portion does say that cost of an economy fare to join your cruise is a covered expense.

 

I'm wondering if you got only $150 because you were not delayed 6 hours or were you not covered under interruption/cancellation because the airport had not yet closed for the 24 hour period required by your policy.

 

I'm trying to understand this so I don't make the same mistake. Apparently I don't know how to read a policy.

[Darcy03231]

I looked at a Nationwide Essential on insuremytrip. The trip delay portion does say that cost of an economy fare to join your cruise is a covered expense.

 

I'm wondering if you got only $150 because you were not delayed 6 hours or were you not covered under interruption/cancellation because the airport had not yet closed for the 24 hour period required by your policy.

 

I'm trying to understand this so I don't make the same mistake. Apparently I don't know how to read a policy.

 

The trip delay portion does say that cost of an economy fare to join your cruise is a covered expense.

 

According to the claim rep, they are covering it under trip delay because the delay was over 6 hours. The original flight was supposed to leave at 1:35 pm and the rebooked flight didn't leave until about 10:15 p.m. The $150/pp, is the cap. (Total for everyone would have been $600. I guess we were lucky that only two people were involved,)

 

I thought a cancelled flight would be covered under trip interruption, but I now know better. Trip interruption or cancellation would have required them to go home, which they didn't do.

 

Hopefully, anyone reading this will learn from my mistake and make sure their trip delay coverage has a much higher cap per person.

[sitraveler]

Not quite the same, but...

 

My cruise arranged flight EWR/Frankfort/BCN 1st leg was cancelled. Talked my way onto EWR/Madrid United allowed me to board with Lufthansa issued ticket. Paid for Madrid/BCN flight. Reimbursed on board ship. Luggage took 10 days to catch up.

 

Don't remember insurance company, they also reimbursed.

[Babr]

But if an economy airfare is a covered expense for a defined hazard under they delay portion, then why didn't they pay for it? (I tried to copy and paste the language from the policy. Turns out I'm not good at technology either.) So what am I missing?

 

The Essential policy does require the airport to cease operations for 24 hours before trip cancellation/interruption applies. I don't see why going home makes any difference if the airport wasn't closed at the time of your scheduled departure.

 

If you are satisfied, then all is well. For me, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

[Darcy03231]

But if an economy airfare is a covered expense for a defined hazard under they delay portion, then why didn't they pay for it? (I tried to copy and paste the language from the policy. Turns out I'm not good at technology either.) So what am I missing?

 

The Essential policy does require the airport to cease operations for 24 hours before trip cancellation/interruption applies. I don't see why going home makes any difference if the airport wasn't closed at the time of your scheduled departure.

 

If you are satisfied, then all is well. For me, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

 

It is covered, but only up the policy limit or cap, which in my case is $150 per person, $600 total. It took me a while (and a couple of phone calls to Nationwide) to figure it out, but here are some examples that might help.

 

Original 2 tickets cost $330.00. Flight is cancelled and I am reimbursed the $330. I buy new tickets that cost $150/pp for a total of $300. Because I was reimbursed $330 for the original flight, I don't have any out of pocket expense and the insurance doesn't pay anything.

 

Same original scenario, but the new tickets cost $250/pp for a total of $500. My out of pocket is now $170 and I receive a full reimbursement because I'm under the policy limit/cap of $150/pp.

 

Same original scenario, but the new tickets cost $650/pp for a total of $1300. My out of pocket is now $970. Policy limit is $150/pp so insurance reimburses $300, leaving me with an out of pocket of $670.

 

The trip delay portion of the policy I bought also had a total reimbursement cap of $600, meaning that whatever I spent for flights in the event that all of us had a cancelled flight, the max reimbursement I would get would be $600.

 

While I was hoping there was a way to get more money back, per the policy I bought there just isn't. In checking out other policies, even ones that cost more, everything I've been able to find has a per person and total cap, with the bulk of them being the same range as what I bought. ($150/$600 or $200/$750).

 

If anyone has one that gives you 100% coverage (or close to it) I'd be interested in knowing who its through. Since DH retired we're traveling more and I want to make sure I'm as covered as possible in the future.

[Babr]

OK. That explains it. Thanks.

 

I think I have seen policies with higher limits for delay, but I haven't shopped lately, and I no longer remember which policies I was looking at.

 

Now about the interruption/ cancellation. Why would going home make any difference if the airport was operational at the time of your scheduled departure?

[rukkian]

It is covered, but only up the policy limit or cap, which in my case is $150 per person, $600 total. It took me a while (and a couple of phone calls to Nationwide) to figure it out, but here are some examples that might help.

 

Original 2 tickets cost $330.00. Flight is cancelled and I am reimbursed the $330. I buy new tickets that cost $150/pp for a total of $300. Because I was reimbursed $330 for the original flight, I don't have any out of pocket expense and the insurance doesn't pay anything.

 

Same original scenario, but the new tickets cost $250/pp for a total of $500. My out of pocket is now $170 and I receive a full reimbursement because I'm under the policy limit/cap of $150/pp.

 

Same original scenario, but the new tickets cost $650/pp for a total of $1300. My out of pocket is now $970. Policy limit is $150/pp so insurance reimburses $300, leaving me with an out of pocket of $670.

 

The trip delay portion of the policy I bought also had a total reimbursement cap of $600, meaning that whatever I spent for flights in the event that all of us had a cancelled flight, the max reimbursement I would get would be $600.

 

While I was hoping there was a way to get more money back, per the policy I bought there just isn't. In checking out other policies, even ones that cost more, everything I've been able to find has a per person and total cap, with the bulk of them being the same range as what I bought. ($150/$600 or $200/$750).

 

If anyone has one that gives you 100% coverage (or close to it) I'd be interested in knowing who its through. Since DH retired we're traveling more and I want to make sure I'm as covered as possible in the future.

 

The policy I have covers missed connections at up to $1kpp on top of the delay portion:

If, while on a Trip, the Insured misses a Trip departure

resulting from cancellation or delay of 3 or more hours of all

regularly scheduled airline flights due to Inclement Weather or

Common Carrier caused delay, the Company will reimburse

the Insured up to the Maximum Limit shown in the Schedule

or Declarations Page for:

(a) additional transportation expenses incurred by the Insured

to join the departed Trip; and

(b) prepaid, nonrefundable Trip payments for the Unused

portion of the Trip.

The Common Carrier must certify the delay of the regularly

scheduled airline flight.

Coverage is secondary if reimbursable by any other source.

 

While I am not a lawyer versed in insurance policies, it sounds like your issue would have been covered.

This policy was a little more, but is not some real expensive plan, it was $220 for 4 of us for flights, hotel, and 7 day cruise at spring break, so the options are out there.

[FlyerTalker]

Wow! Thanks for all the help. I never came here saying that I blamed anyone for any of the flight mess. I was just trying to see if anyone else had been able to get money back under another portion of their policy so I could go back and check through all the legalese in my 30+ page policy to see if there was something I was missing.

 

And apparently you don't understand that whatever someone else experienced has ZERO relevance to your policy, your conditions and your specifics.

 

Expecting others to know just what is in your policy and what was in your circumstance AND tell you where to look in the fine print.....

 

And I hope you took your experience with non-endorsable Southwest tickets to heart.

[Darcy03231]

The policy I have covers missed connections at up to $1kpp on top of the delay portion:

If, while on a Trip, the Insured misses a Trip departure

resulting from cancellation or delay of 3 or more hours of all

regularly scheduled airline flights due to Inclement Weather or

Common Carrier caused delay, the Company will reimburse

the Insured up to the Maximum Limit shown in the Schedule

or Declarations Page for:

(a) additional transportation expenses incurred by the Insured

to join the departed Trip; and

(b) prepaid, nonrefundable Trip payments for the Unused

portion of the Trip.

The Common Carrier must certify the delay of the regularly

scheduled airline flight.

Coverage is secondary if reimbursable by any other source.

 

While I am not a lawyer versed in insurance policies, it sounds like your issue would have been covered.

This policy was a little more, but is not some real expensive plan, it was $220 for 4 of us for flights, hotel, and 7 day cruise at spring break, so the options are out there.

 

Which carrier was it through? I'd like to make a note for the next time.

[rukkian]

Which carrier was it through? I'd like to make a note for the next time.

 

Travelguard. I bought it through Costco.

[rukkian]

And apparently you don't understand that whatever someone else experienced has ZERO relevance to your policy, your conditions and your specifics.

 

Expecting others to know just what is in your policy and what was in your circumstance AND tell you where to look in the fine print.....

 

And I hope you took your experience with non-endorsable Southwest tickets to heart.

 

I, for one liked that this was posted, as it made me go check my policy. It is not something people would normally look for, and a good reason why different policies have different costs, and different coverages.

[Darcy03231]

Travelguard. I bought it through Costco.

 

Thank you.

[Babr]

Check out AXA Assistance at insuremytrip as well. Offers trip delay at $300pp with a limit of $1250. Also offers missed connection at $1500 along with the usual coverages and lots of unusual like coverage for frequent flier miles and additional pet boarding fees in case of delay, two things that appealed to me.

 

We have purchased it before but did not have to file a claim.

[thinfool]

This was asked above, but I didn't see an answer....Did the OP pay for the trip with a credit card?

 

Many, tho not all, have included Delay/Interruption coverage for travel up to limits (varies with type of CC)

 

So the OP bought a Nationwide policy, but has she explored what coverage and reimbursement she may have with her Visa, MC or Amex?

[Darcy03231]

This was asked above, but I didn't see an answer....Did the OP pay for the trip with a credit card?

 

Many, tho not all, have included Delay/Interruption coverage for travel up to limits (varies with type of CC)

 

So the OP bought a Nationwide policy, but has she explored what coverage and reimbursement she may have with her Visa, MC or Amex?

 

I'm in the process of exploring it with my CC now. I didn't realize that was a possibility until someone posted about checking it earlier.

[slidergirl]

there was the little "gotcha" in there: ALL flights had to be cancelled or delayed the requisite number of hours due to weather. If other flights on other airlines, there is no reimbursement.

You'd have to check the FAA logs probably for the airport to verify that ALL flights were put on ground hold for over 6 hours... Insurance doesn't make it easy.

[Darcy03231]

I checked with my CC. I do have travel insurance, but it doesn't kick in until a flight has been delayed for 12 hours. Since it was just under 9 hours I'm out of luck.

 

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions on other avenues to explore and for the suggestions on future travel insurance.

[waterbug123]

OK, cancelled for weather is different from just cancelled.

 

If cancelled for weather, the only thing the airline is required to do, is to get you a seat at some point in time.

 

If cancelled for other reasons (maintenance, crew, etc), the airline is bound by their contract of carriage

 

But an important note here: It always goes back to the original problem, which means what appears to be a crew issue CAN still be weather-related. Ex. Your flight is delayed because the crew has not yet arrived on another inbound flight. If the reason your crew isn't there is because that other flight had a weather issue, then your delay was caused by weather, even though the announcement from the gate agent said merely that the crew wasn't there yet, and even though it's beautiful and sunny where you are. So on the surface, yes, it's a crew issue, but the real culprit is weather.

 

 

And while I'm on the subject, I'll add a reminder that weather anywhere can affect a flight just about anywhere else. I have seen people post (or I've overhead them complaining in person at the gate) that a gate agent told them the reason for a delay was weather, and they angrily assume that's a lie because "it's beautiful and sunny here and it's beautiful and sunny where we are going." What they fail to account for is that as in the above example, both your aircraft and your crew are arriving for your flight from somewhere else, either earlier that day or the prior evening, and where they were coming from may indeed have weather issues that have caused a chain reaction of delays.

[Darcy03231]

But an important note here: It always goes back to the original problem, which means what appears to be a crew issue CAN still be weather-related. Ex. Your flight is delayed because the crew has not yet arrived on another inbound flight. If the reason your crew isn't there is because that other flight had a weather issue, then your delay was caused by weather, even though the announcement from the gate agent said merely that the crew wasn't there yet, and even though it's beautiful and sunny where you are. So on the surface, yes, it's a crew issue, but the real culprit is weather.

 

 

And while I'm on the subject, I'll add a reminder that weather anywhere can affect a flight just about anywhere else. I have seen people post (or I've overhead them complaining in person at the gate) that a gate agent told them the reason for a delay was weather, and they angrily assume that's a lie because "it's beautiful and sunny here and it's beautiful and sunny where we are going." What they fail to account for is that as in the above example, both your aircraft and your crew are arriving for your flight from somewhere else, either earlier that day or the prior evening, and where they were coming from may indeed have weather issues that have caused a chain reaction of delays.

 

This is exactly what happened to us. It was fine in Manchester, NH and Boston, MA and it was fine in Ft. Lauderdale. The issues were in New York, Baltimore & Philadelphia, all places where a lot of connections are made from those flying from our area. We usually fly from Manchester NH as its closer to our home and easier to get in and out of. However, its a smaller, regional airport and there are very few non-stop flights. Based on what just happened we've decided that in the future we're either going to fly in two days ahead of time, or book a non-stop flight out of Boston. My flight was a non-stop out of Boston and while it was delayed due to it taking off later from its original airport, it was never cancelled because we didn't have to connect through any of the airports that were having weather issues. The flight ended up being a little longer because they flew a different route to avoid the weather, but that was ok.

[Peg_S]

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions on other avenues to explore and for the suggestions on future travel insurance.

 

I use the comparison tool on the insurance broker's site to specifically find policies with shorter delay times (travel and missing luggage) and higher payouts for the situations. I am impatient!!!!

[azevedan]

As you are now aware, there are some on this forum who take extreme delight in lecturing others about all the ways by which their presumed ineptitude or stupidity yields exactly the outcomes they deserve. One wonders why such superior intellects decide to slum it down here with all us imperfect humans. Oh, wait - I answered my own question, didn't I?