Question about Travel Insurance - Does it cover missed flights?

[Kay129]

Hi all,

Purchasing Travel Insurance today. I'm taking the Sensation 4/18. We get back 4/23 (a Saturday) and I had booked us on a 2:22 flight on American. Well, American cancelled that flight apparently (it's not on their flight schedules for 4/23) and booked us on the 10:22 am. I feel we won't make it, as debarkation will take some time, and I'm sure N.O. is busy on a Saturday.

 

I emailed customer service at insuremytrip.com to ask if we were delayed would insurance cover hotel and/or ticket change fees and she said that

 

>> All the policies will cover for trip interruption, as long as it is due to

>> common carrier delay. (airline or cruiseline)

 

So I emailed her my situation, since I wasn't quite clear and she wrote

 

If the airline has already switched your flight time and if the cruiseline is

late docking, this would be covered. If it is just that you didn't allow

enough time to make your flight, that would not be covered.

 

Honestly, what I'd really like is to make the 10:22 on Saturday since it's a nonstop and that's what the first flight I'd booked was. Our other options on Saturday take at least twice as long to get back to NY w/ layovers and such, and since we live 3 hrs. from the airport we're arriving in, and we're being dropped off and picked up from the airport, we'd have to spend Sat. night in NY since we'd be arriving @ 10:30 or later. So if we miss the 10:22 on Sat., I just want to stay in NO and take the 10:22 on Sun. (Which has plenty of available seats, I checked the website.)

 

Will Travel Insurance really cover me if I don't make my 10:22 on Saturday? Am I obligated to find the next flight home or would traveling on Sunday be okay? Any suggestions for an alternate way to take care of this situation? Thanks so much . . . .

 

K

[cruiseco]

I don't think should count on being covered for any additional travel expenses. It's always the traveler's responsibility to allow enough time to make a flight. I think that even under the best of circumstances there's a chance that you wouldn't make that flight. The ship doesn't have to be late for the debarkation process to be slowed down for whatever reason.

 

It would all come down to the claims examiner deciding whether or not the 10:22 flight was reasonable or not given transfer times, one hour pre-boarding check-in, etc. At some point they have to draw a line -- what's too early? A 9am flight, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30?

 

If you've picked out a plan that you wish to purchase fro insuremytrip I'd think about calling the plan administrator directly. They may have some guidelines that tey use for these types of situations that those at insuremytrip may not be aware of.

[GoinCruisin]

The AIRLINE changed your flight time, this was out of your control. You have a copy of your original itinerary and you should have a copy of them notifying you, or the new itinerary with the new time that they changed it to... that should be covered. If that is the only flight American is offering you as an option to your original 2PM booking, I would imagine, as was hinted to in your original post, that it would be covered. It's not like YOU chose this time, the airline changed your flight... Now, they may not cover your hotel, as there is likely another flight out that day (they will cover you for another airline)... but your flight should be covered since it was the carrier that changed it, not you.

[cruiseco]

The AIRLINE changed your flight time, this was out of your control. You have a copy of your original itinerary and you should have a copy of them notifying you, or the new itinerary with the new time that they changed it to... that should be covered. If that is the only flight American is offering you as an option to your original 2PM booking, I would imagine, as was hinted to in your original post, that it would be covered. It's not like YOU chose this time, the airline changed your flight... Now, they may not cover your hotel, as there is likely another flight out that day (they will cover you for another airline)... but your flight should be covered since it was the carrier that changed it, not you.

 

I'm reading the original post as saying that the flight change has been made prior to the purchase of the travel insurance in which case it's a whole different deal. Travel insurance will cover things that happen after you purchase the policy but this is, in effect, an excluded pre-existing condition.

 

For example, CSA has this general exclusion: "We will not pay for any loss under the certificate, caused by, or resulting from: A loss that results from an illness, disease, or other condition, event or circumstance which occurs at a time when the plan is not in effect for you."

 

In this case the event or circumstance that causes the loss (changing the flight time) has occured prior to the policy being in effect.

 

Also I forgot to add that travel insurance policies have a minimum delay time for the coverage to kick in. this time ranges from 5 hours (Travelex) to 12 hours or more. So if the ship docks at 11am instead of 8am and causes the poster to miss the 10:30 flight it wouldn't be covered anyway since the delay didn't meet the minimum delay time required to invoke the benefit.

[GoinCruisin]

Well duh! I guess since it is taking about 30 minutes to post, LOL... I missed the part about her not having purchased the travel insurance yet!!! Oops!!!! In that case, no... it's not covered. I would suggest taking this up with American... Last cruise coming back to NOLA, we got off the ship at 10:30.. NOLA can be a nightmare! LOL!

[tjohn159d]

Why not call American and ask them if you can just change to a Sunday flight. You seem to be willing to do that anyway. You can get a cheap hotel in NO and not have to worry about rushing or getting in late at night and having to get a hotel in NY. Explain to American that you are on a cruise and they changed your original itnerary. They may switch you to the Sunday flight with no change fee.

[Kay129]

Thanks for helping me understand, everyone :)

 

I think the woman from insuremytrip.com just confused me. Will call American today to make arrangements.

 

Thanks again!

[HeidiHo]

You should be able to make other arrangements with American since they changed your flight by more than 90 minutes. It's my understanding that any changes by more than 90 minutes, American with make changes with no penalties.