Please Note - If you are cruising around Australia you need to select Pacific.
With Regions, variances can apply for Bali, Indonesia, Japan and Middle East.
You are not required to enter stop-over countries if your stop-over is less than 48 hours.
Have you ever had that rising feeling of desperation that you are going to miss your flight? Final boarding call. Gate Closed!...Hearing these words at an airport can ruin your day. Who is going to pay for this!
Exactly who pays will depend upon who was at fault for the missed departure and whether or not you took out comprehensive travel insurance.
There is no clear-cut yes or no answer for missed flights being covered by travel insurance, but in a nutshell, you would be covered if you missed your flight for an insured reason. The reasons covered would be detailed in your insurer's policy wording. However, if you miss a connecting flight because of travel delays caused by the airline, then you wouldn’t be covered.
Whilst in Australia, airlines are not obligated to compensate passengers whose flights are deferred or cancelled, they are required by law to assist you in rescheduling your flight if you are bumped from an oversold flight.
Terms vary by airline, but most airlines will either rebook you on their next available flight to your destination at no additional charge or provide you with a credit for future travels.
Travel insurance is there to cover you for unexpected, unforeseen events, not regular travel disruptions. So far in 2023, 22% of flights have been delayed.
Understanding when you’re covered (and when you’re not) can get a bit fuzzy when two legs of your journey are with different airlines.
If your journey all the way through to your destination is with one carrier – you should be fine. If you miss your connection, the airline will make sure you get on another flight, or they will provide food and accommodation if long delays are expected.
However, if you are booked on two airlines and miss your connecting flight, Housten, you could have a problem! The second airline is not responsible for putting you on another flight just because of the first carrier’s delay. And because travel insurance does not cover missed connections caused by the airlines, you might not be covered for the cost to buy a new airline ticket.
You’re covered for travel and accommodation expenses if:
When it comes to travel insurance, it is important to know that most policies will not cover delays that are caused by the airline. So you wouldn’t be covered for…
With so many fun things to do in life, most of us tend to time our arrival at airports with just enough time to get through security and walk onto the plane. Traveller be warned, it doesn’t take much to set off a domino effect of missed flights and misplaced luggage. It’s no fun running through an airport hearing “Last boarding call for Eugene Wylde”. So here’s some words of wisdom…
Typically, travel insurance will cover you for missed flights and travel delays, provided it's not your, or your airline's, fault. Many travellers wrongly assume that travel insurance covers flight delays or rescheduling due to operational, technical or mechanical reasons caused by the airline. This isn't the case. So far in 2023, 22% of flights have been delayed. It is ultimately. your airline's responsibility to provide you with the service that you have paid for. Where possible, they should get you on the next availale flight and compensate you for lengthy delays if meals and accommodation are required. Travel insurance will however cover you for missed flights and delays, as long as it's because of a reason outlined in your policy. This would usually include a motor vehicle accident, natural disasters, riots and strikes.
Travel insurance won't usually cover you if you miss your connecting flight due to a delay caused by the airline. In this case, the liability falls with the airline. In the event that you have an important special occassion such as a concert, wedding or funeral where the date cannot be moved and you have to buy new flights to reach your destination on time, there may be provision to claim on travel insurance. Special terms will apply, such as allowing plenty of time betweeen the original connecting flight booking. This is usually in the realm of 3 hours. Commonsense prevails when planning your trip. Flight delays are commonplace so it makes sense to arrive at least one day prior to any planned event.
Not usually. It is up to you to monitor the expected time to get to the airport allowing for heavy traffic. In particular you should allow plenty of time to check-in, expecting queues during peak holiday periods. You may be covered if you are involved in a car accident.
As with flight delays and rescheduling, whether or not you're covered for flight cancellations depends on the cause of the cancellation. If your flight was cancelled due to a mechanical fault, overbooking, maintenance, repairs, rescheduling, service faults, a pilot sleeping in, or the airline closing down then you are generally not covered. You've paid the airline for a service that they haven't delivered. The exception is where insurers offer alternative transport expenses or disruption of journey benefits, which help you get to a special event such as a wedding or funeral on time. This may include cover for additional meals and accommodation regardless of whether the airline was at fault. There are also of course unforseen and expected circumstances where you are cancelling your trip would be covered. Visit cancellation cover to learn more about the benefits of travel insurance when you have to cancel your trip.
If your flight is delayed or cancelled, the rules for compensation are generally set by the country the flight is departing from and it seems that Australian flyers are in a world of pain copmared to the USA and Europe. Airlines have been allowed to write the rules on how they operate putting the consumer at their mercy and the Australian government has taken its hands off the wheel. Under Australian fair trading laws, you have the right to make a complaint to the airline if it fails to deliver an adequate service. In the event that you have a dispute with an airline which isn't resolved to your satisfacytion, you can lodge a formal complaint with the ACCC. Visit the ACCC website to learn more.
Need some help? Use the search box below to find answers to all those tricky questions. We’ve got heaps of travel insurance tips to help you get the best policy for your upcoming holiday!
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