Manas Kapoor, Business Head – Travel Insurance, Policybazaar
Flight delays due to bad weather such as fog or other reasons have been grabbing the headlines lately, given social media posts and some violent reactions they’ve begun to elicit from irate passengers. They’ve even managed to draw the attention of the Union Civil Aviation ministry, pursuant to the two incidents in Mumbai and Delhi.
A flight disruption is a frustrating event that not only takes an emotional toll on the traveller, but also has financial implications. In case of delay, there are chances you miss a connecting flight. In case of cancellation, you may have to make alternate arrangements which often come at high cost, on short notice. However, with the right travel insurance policy, you can overcome all these financial troubles. And that will surely translate to lifting some of the emotional pressure as well.
Travel insurance to the rescue
While there’s a scope of alternate flights and refunds under the DGCA rules, it’s important to note that the airline is not obliged to compensate when cancellation or delay is caused by a force majeure event, that is, an extraordinary circumstance beyond the airline’s control.
So how does it work? Well, if you are not compensated by the airline, or are unfairly compensated, the insurer steps in. Apart from covering flight delays due to technical issues like equipment failure, air traffic congestion, operational issues etc, an insurance policy also addresses flight delays and cancellations due to bad weather, or deficiency of service on the part of the airline like unavailability of essential airline crew or support staff. It also covers you missing your connecting flight due to delay or cancellation of one flight.
The insurance company will cover the differences in flight ticket costs. In case of long delays, it will also cover overnight accommodation expenses if the policyholder has to stay in a hotel. The condition, however, is that one cannot claim for the stay in their city of residence. For instance, if you are travelling from Delhi to Mumbai and get stranded at the Delhi airport, you won’t be able to claim for accommodation in Delhi or NCR.
Other benefits of travel insurance
The best part is that travel insurance not only protects you when your plans are disrupted but also during your trips. For instance, most such plans cover expenses if you face any medical emergency, lose your passport or belongings.
Further, it offers financial protection even if you have to cancel or cut short the trip due to any unforeseen circumstances. For instance, if there is an unexpected injury or illness among those travelling, an emergency back home, or if there are valid personal or professional issues forcing you to cut short your trip, the insurer will reimburse the non-refundable costs like flight tickets and hotel bookings that you were unable to avail.
How to claim compensation?
To initiate a claim, policyholders need to file the claim form and furnish bills for the expenses incurred by them. It is advisable to get a submission from the airline regarding the flight disruption to support the claim. A letter stating the duration and reason for the flight delay or flight cancellation would do.
For a domestic flight, you would need to share your boarding pass or the ticket and for an international flight, you would also have to share the passport with “Exit” and “Entry” stamps. Finally, you would need to provide bank details for getting reimbursement.
In case of cancellations by the traveller himself or herself, the policyholder would also have to provide the relevant documents to justify the reason for cancellation, such as medical records if cancellation is due to a medical emergency.
With the right travel insurance cover, one can minimise the stress of travelling and remain worry-free even if their flights are delayed, or cancelled.