Budget Travel magazine recently released an article titled “8 Common Air-Travel Snafus (And How to Beat Them)†and we found one of the most interesting and most common problems travelers still face is canceled flights.
Now, when you have to cancel your trip, you could be out loads and loads of money without travel insurance coverage, but if the airline cancels a flight you’re not likely to get a lot of comfort from them.
In fact, in the U.S., if the flight is canceled for a reason that is within the airline’s control, which may include mechanical failure of the aircraft, then you’re likely to receive some compensation – perhaps a meal voucher for one of those airport food vendors. If the flight is canceled for a reason that is not within the airline’s control – say, inclement weather – then you’re on your own.
This is one place where travel insurance really can help – especially for families.
If the delay is caused by a reason that is covered in your travel insurance plan, then you’ll be entitled to reimbursement for meals, additional lodging, and transportation expenses. In some cases, you’ll even be reimbursed for a movie rental to help settle the kids down. In many cases, travel insurance plans provide a daily limit from $100 to $300 per day for a certain number of days (usually up to 5) if your travel plans are delayed more than a certain number of hours (anywhere from 3 to 12).
So, when the airline can’t help, you’re travel insurance can. See our description of travel delay coverage, and a chart that defines the coverage – company by company, plan by plan.
