Planning an international trip takes time and effort. A vacation comes with exciting and memorable experiences; however, it also comes with certain risks, such as delayed or missed flights.
This is where a travel insurance policy can come to aid by offering coverage against such situations. If you are wondering if a missed flight or flight delay insurance plan can give you a refund for the money you paid in advance, you have come to the right place.
Continue reading this article to know more about missed flight travel insurance coverage.
In Travel Insurance Policy Terms, What is a Missed Flight?
Under travel insurance for international travel, a missed flight is when a policyholder is forced to miss a scheduled flight because of unavoidable reasons. This can happen to any traveller, whether they are undertaking an outbound or inbound journey.
While there can be various reasons why you missed boarding your scheduled flight, even the best flight insurance coverage will only offer reimbursement for valid reasons and not otherwise.
For instance, if a policyholder has missed boarding a flight due to situations beyond their control, such as a car breakdown, public transport disruptions, death of an immediate relative, a strike, an accident, etc., most travel insurance plans like Tata AIG’s flight insurance will have you covered.
However, when a policyholder misses their scheduled flight because they did not get the time right or overslept, their plan might not give them a missed flight refund.
How Can You Get a Refund on Missed Flight?
Whether or not you get a missed flight refund depends on two essential factors—whose fault it was that you missed a scheduled flight and whether or not you have invested in a comprehensive travel insurance policy.
In case you miss your flight because of disruptions, breakdowns, or technical malfunctions in the carrier, there are high chances that the airline itself will reimburse you.
However, for other non-refundable bookings, the airline can deny you a refund. In such cases, your travel insurance policy can help you get a reimbursement for a missed flight.
Your insurance provider will give you a missed flight refund if you miss your flight for any of the reasons listed in the travel insurance policy document. You must thoroughly understand the scope of your travel insurance policy to know when you can and cannot be refunded for your missed flight.
This includes knowing about the travel insurance policy inclusions and exclusions associated with cancelled, missed or delayed flights.
Does Travel Insurance Offer Coverage for Missing a Connecting Flight?
Missing your flight can be a highly stressful situation. This is especially true of missed vacations, when a lot of money is at stake, from flight to hotel bookings. Travellers have usually paid well in advance for all these bookings.
Fortunately, many insurance providers offer some benefits for cancelling or rescheduling flights. Whether a policyholder can avail of these benefits, however, depends on the severity of the situation that results in a missed flight on your part.
Let’s say you were planning to travel to Indonesia, and you have been forced to cancel your vacation (before the date of departure) due to unavoidable situations like an unexpected illness or death in the family. In such situations, travel insurance for missed connection will ensure reimbursement.
Your travel insurance policy also covers unexpected situations such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, extreme weather fluctuations and more. However, before you buy travel insurance, you must note that the extent of coverage provided by a policy might be different from one insurance provider to another.
Many individuals confuse missed flights with missed connecting flights. Although many insurance providers might offer coverage against a missed connecting flight, it is not the same as a missed flight at its departure destination.
As essential travelling advice, every policyholder must check whether their insurance provider offers coverage for a connecting flight if they have one in their travel itinerary.
To Wrap It Up
Travelling to a new country can be an exciting and adventurous experience. However, an international trip requires a substantial investment. As an international trip comes with the potential risk of losing a lot of money because of various unforeseen situations such as missed flights – it is advisable for every traveller to have missed flight insurance in place from reputed providers like Tata AIG. This will allow travellers to enjoy a trip without worrying about potential financial losses.
