Missed connection insurance only for outbound?

[BlueberryPie]

I just purchased travel insurance for a trip with a lot of connections to go from one place to the other. I am especially worried that something could go wrong on my return trip as I am flying a small local airline (in Europe) that will get me to the airport for my return trip to the US. I allowed 5 hours of margin, but if the small flight were canceled for weather or mechanical issue, I'm not sure I'd be able to get to my international flight in time through alternate means

The travel insurance wording is as follows:

If You miss Your Trip departure because Your arrival at Your Trip destination is delayed for at least 3 consecutive hours, due to:
1. any delay, cancellation or mechanical breakdown of regularly scheduled Common Carrier;
2. Inclement Weather that is documented;
3. Quarantine, hijacking, Strike, Natural Disaster, terrorism or Civil Disorder or Riot.
We will reimburse You, up to the Maximum Benefit Amount shown in the Schedule of Benefits, for:
1. Additional Transportation Cost incurred by You to join the departed Trip; and
2. unused, forfeited, prepaid non-refundable Payments or Deposits paid for the land or water Travel Arrangements You purchased for Your Trip.


I am concerned about "Arrival to your trip", does it means it only covers missed connection on the outbound flight, but would not apply if I miss a connection on my return flight?

I tried calling the issuer but their office is closed till tomorrow.

 

[USGrant1962]

It sounds like what you are quoting is the cancellation coverage. There should be a separate trip delay coverage for missed connection hotels and rebooking costs and it should cover both ways.

 

[BlueberryPie]

The section I quoted is specifically called "Missed Connection" and has a high coverage of $1500/pers when many other policies are limited to a few hundred dollars. I usually use RoamRight but they confirmed that if the flight that gets me to my return airport is delayed by over 3h, they would still only cover a max of $250 towards buying a new return ticket

the "trip delay" section says max coverage $150 per day.

I guess I really need to call them and get it straight from them. I'd prefer email but can't figure out how to contact them by email. I will also make sure I record the conversation just in case. That's how much I trust insurance in general

 

[Aerides]

The question I'd have is if your "small local airline" is considered a Common Carrier - they should have a list.

 

[BlueberryPie]

The "small" airline is LoganAir and I was able to confirm it is a "common carrier" (only private outfits would not be).
The insurance said missed the connection applies to cruises and tours only, no sure how they get that from that verbage, but this is exactly why I hate insurance, they get to define what they mean after the fact.

 

[BlueberryPie]

I still have a week+ to cancel my current policy, does anyone know of a company that has good protection in case you miss one flight and can't make the next when they are not from the same company?
I do have 4 1/2h margin but there is only one flight per day. If I miss it it's my fault, but if the airplane has a mechanical failure, I have no other option.

The "trip" delay clause of my current policy only kick in after 6h of delay so it may not cover the situation.

 

[fh2000]

I still have a week+ to cancel my current policy, does anyone know of a company that has good protection in case you miss one flight and can't make the next when they are not from the same company?
I do have 4 1/2h margin but there is only one flight per day. If I miss it it's my fault, but if the airplane has a mechanical failure, I have no other option.

The "trip" delay clause of my current policy only kick in after 6h of delay so it may not cover the situation.

I do not have the answer to your question.

I normally purchase airline tickets with a credit card that provides trip cancellation/interruption/delay coverage. So, the trip insurance I purchase is for medical and evacuation.

If you do not have such credit card, maybe you can consider getting one for future travels.

 

[lucky penny]

I normally purchase airline tickets with a credit card that provides trip cancellation/interruption/delay coverage. So, the trip insurance I purchase is for medical and evacuation.

What credit card do you use for this? Have you ever had an experience when you used this coverage?

 

[fh2000]

What credit card do you use for this? Have you ever had an experience when you used this coverage?

I use Chase Sapphire Reserve but I have never filed any claims. There are other cards that provide similar or better coverages.

 

[BlueberryPie]

For what it's worth the Chase Sapphire Preferred says:

If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.

In the case I was asking about, the missed connection would be well under 12h delay and the cost incurred well over $500 since I would likely have to purchase a brand new return ticket at current rates.

Many people think they are covered by their travel insurance until the day they need it and find out their situation is not covered. Most travel insurance covers well for the trip being fully canceled due to covered reason (e.g. major illness that a doctor certifies prevents you from traveling), but it's probably because it's relatively rare. Everything else is a lot certain. I hear that Chase Sapphire car coverage is indeed what it's cracked up to be as long as you declined the CDW