Travel Insurance - Missed Flight???

[tbenson81]

Anyone know any travel insur company that covers for a missed flight? I am worried about the ship docking late and us not making our flight in time. Anyone have any recommendations?

 

Thanks!

 

Tony

[fti]

This is a legal question that you can get all the opinions you want from people on this board. But my strong suggestion is to check various insurance companies and ask this question directly of them. Their Description of Coverage and Schedule of Benefits would answer your questions. Sometimes this stuff is fine print on their websites so read it carefully and call the companies if you have questions.

 

A good place to start is insuremytrip.com to give you an idea of various companies. You can't buy from this website - they link you to the insurance companies' sites to do the actual purchase. But you can get the companies' names then look for their Description of Coverage.

 

It looks like you are more worried about the flight returning from your cruise. Most people are worried about their flights to their cruise port at the start of the cruise and having to catch up to the ship, which is more costly.

[NancyIL]

What time is your flight, when is your cruise, and have you made final payment? I recall an incident a few years ago when Brilliance of the Seas was unable to dock in Barcelona in a timely manner due to a strike - and people without cruise air had to make their own arrangements to fly home. One poster's company did not pay his claim for airfare, and other people's insurers did: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=269556 (see post #10 by doug)

[Budget Queen]

Definately get the advice direct from the insurance companies. Are you outside of the recommended timeframe?? If so, you may not be insurable?? There will be specific guidelines with the policy. Read them over carefully and ask questions for clarification if needed.

[tbenson81]

The plan is to fly out of Vancouver at 11:00 am. We are using USDirect. I am hesitant about just asking the insurance companies because of course they are going to tell me that I am completely covered until its time for me to file a claim

[NancyIL]

The plan is to fly out of Vancouver at 11:00 am. We are using USDirect. I am hesitant about just asking the insurance companies because of course they are going to tell me that I am completely covered until its time for me to file a claim

 

 

You can read the fine print about what is covered and what isn't for each policy at Insure My Trip's web site.

[greatam]

Most travel insurance policies cover missed flights due to carrier problems. It is under "trip interruption/trip cancellation". Quite a few DO NOT cover for airline strikes.

 

Most travel insurance policies WILL NOT cover the flight because YOU missed the flight. You will be told you should have booked a later flight or paid the change fee to get a later flight or stayed overnight to take the same flight the next day. Doesn't matter whose fault it is you didn't get to the airport in time-cruise line's or yours. About the only exceptions are traffic accidents or delays caused by traffic accidents on the way to the airport.

 

There are a couple of policies you can buy until the day before you leave. They will NOT cover pre existing conditions, but will cover most everything else.

 

InsureMyTrip.com has all the info on their website, if you don't mind reading the fine print. You can also call their 800 number for advice.

 

I personally like Travelex Lite. Pretty good coverage for a relatively small amount. And it is PRIMARY coverage, which is important.

[greatam]

The plan is to fly out of Vancouver at 11:00 am. We are using USDirect. I am hesitant about just asking the insurance companies because of course they are going to tell me that I am completely covered until its time for me to file a claim

 

You are really cutting it close. Be prepared to find alternative ways to get home just in case.

[fti]

The plan is to fly out of Vancouver at 11:00 am. We are using USDirect. I am hesitant about just asking the insurance companies because of course they are going to tell me that I am completely covered until its time for me to file a claim

 

That is why you need to read the fine print in their contract. That way you will know exactly what is covered before you buy it.

 

Quite a few DO NOT cover for airline strikes.

 

Again, check the fine print on this. Many cover for airline strikes if you purchased your policy before there was any indication of a strike. But once a strike has been indicated, pretty much no company will cover you for an airline strike. You can kind of think of it as "pre-existing condition." But as per NancyIL's referenced thread above, even the definition of a strike may be reason for denial!

[fti]

What time is your flight, when is your cruise, and have you made final payment? I recall an incident a few years ago when Brilliance of the Seas was unable to dock in Barcelona in a timely manner due to a strike - and people without cruise air had to make their own arrangements to fly home. One poster's company did not pay his claim for airfare, and other people's insurers did: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=269556 (see post #10 by doug)

 

There goes NancyIL with her high-powered search ability finding such detailed info in record time. I don't know how she does it but thanks for the information.

[NancyIL]

There goes NancyIL with her high-powered search ability finding such detailed info in record time. I don't know how she does it but thanks for the information.

 

Thanks, fti. I had an idea of where to look for that thread, so I did a search of MY posts on the RCI board from over a year ago. :) The "strike" that I mentioned in my previous post wasn't an airline strike but one that kept Brilliance of the Seas from being able to dock. Unfortunately for Doug and many on his ship, RCI promised to notify the airlines that their cruise passengers would miss their flights, and guess what...RCI didn't! So - when they didn't show up for their flights and didn't notify the airlines before the flights took off - they lost the value of their return tickets. Moral of the story - call the airline yourself and don't rely on the cruiseline to do it for you. Even so - some insurance companies reimbursed people for the cost of their plane tickets and some didn't - depending on how they viewed the strike.

[tbenson81]

I really appreciate the thoughts and expertise!

[Budget Queen]

Is this 11am flight time, within the guidelines of the cruiseline?? They are not going to run an early bus just for you if they recommend later flights. Sorry, but you are taking a big chance with a flight this early. It may have been a cheap option, but the reason for it, if it was, cruise passengers can't make it. You can be in transit 45 mins from dock to airport, never mind about loading/unloading, security etc.

[willysgrandma]

I really appreciate the thoughts and expertise!

 

We gave you the same info on the Princess boards.

[tbenson81]

Thanks for pointing out the obvious. That was as helpful as your responses on the other board!

[greatam]

Thanks for pointing out the obvious. That was as helpful as your responses on the other board!

 

We have all told you the same thing-you booked your flight TOOOOO early. You don't want to hear the answers.

 

Think about it logically. Ship docks at 7:30AM correct??? Have to get all the luggage off, buses have to be in place, everyone has to have paid their bills before the ship will release pax. There will be confusion as to who goes to which bus. There will be dwaddlers who are NOT in a hurry. The first bus probably won't leave the port until about 9:00AM. An hour drive to the airport-figuring loading, unloading and again the dwaddlers. You have to clear security with 1000's of other cruise pax who also did USDirect. You have to be in the boarding area 30 minutes before flight departure. OOPS, you just missed your flight.

 

Your flight is TOOOO early. Good luck!!!

[fti]

Until recently the posts on this board were more friendly than on the Princess board. In any case, you did receive your answers.

[tbenson81]

There are some bitter people on these boards that think they know everything!

 

I can conclude that we have plenty of time and 11:00 is not too early. Some people just are trying to justify the fact that they booked a 5:00pm flight and will be sitting in the airport all day or spending the night in Vancouver.

 

GreatAM - Lets get a couple things straight. "we all told you". Check your facts on this one because only 1 person said it was too early. Many agree that it will be tight but if you do your research you will see that many people who have done USDirect and were at their gate in the airport by 10:00am.

 

I will be sure to post my success when I get back home in June.

 

In the meantime - for those of you dont contribute anything to these boards, I feel bad for you and hope someday you can find something better to do with your time.

[greatam]

GreatAM - Lets get a couple things straight. "we all told you". Check your facts on this one because only 1 person said it was too early. Many agree that it will be tight but if you do your research you will see that many people who have done USDirect and were at their gate in the airport by 10:00am.

 

 

Princess board-30 posts of which 21/22 were duplicate posters. I only see one poster that stated you MIGHT make it. Three or four told you 11:00AM was too early.

 

This thread-you posted you wanted to buy insurance for a "missed flight". What you did not post initially was the reason you may miss the flight-late arrival to the airport because you booked an 11:00AM flight. So the thread went in the direction of insurance. BQ posted that you were "taking a big chance". I posted the same thing. Just too many opportunities for an OOPS.

 

You also posted on two or three other threads asking essentially the same question-could you make an 11:00AM flight IF you used USDirect??? The general consensus was "really risky. You may make it, but you are setting yourself up for potential problems".

 

I do global logistics planning for a living. I move people and freight all over the world every day. I deal with the OOPS every day. And believe me, the OOPS are getting worse and worse when it comes to airlines, airports, security, customs, and clearances.

 

Sorry if I upset you, but you ARE taking a chance. Please be aware that it may cost you quite a bit of money to rectify if you have a problem. Just be prepared to call the airline IMMEDIATELY IF you find out you are not going to make the flight. At least that way, you have notified the airline you will not be on the flight and your ticket may still have some value. If you don't call and don't show up in time, your ticket may have absolutely NO value and you may be purchasing a very expensive, last minute one way ticket home.

 

Good luck!!! And I mean that sincerely.

[Momj47]

Unless something really weird is going on you probably won't dock late, but that's only the beginning. The problems may/will arise later, when you are disembarking, catching the bus, getting through the airport.

 

I think you are cutting it too close. We, too, docked at 7:30, were off the ship with an early group to the airport (we picked up a rental car), and we didn't get there till almost 11:00. Being in the 8:30 or 9:00 group disembarking doesn't mean you'll be on the road by then, it can be another hour before the bus gets on the road. You could try to sprint off the ship and grab a cab for a fast ride across town to the airport.

 

If you have an international flight, you won't make it through security, etc, in time to get to your flight. I wouldn't recommend a flight much before 1:00PM. And if there are problems, that might even be a hard flight to catch.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise. Alaska is wonderful.