Airline Computer Crashes May Not Be Covered by Travel Insurance, Says Squaremouth
ST. PETERSBURG, FL August 8, 2016 – Thousands of Delta passengers are stranded due to a system outage and subsequent widespread flight cancellations. Those with travel insurance may have some options, but in many cases, coverage is not as extensive as some might hope, said Squaremouth, a leading travel insurance comparison site.
Travelers who no longer want to continue with their trip because their flight has been delayed or canceled due to the outage may not be covered for their lost trip expenses. While many policies cover trip cancellation if a flight is delayed for an extended period of time due to the mechanical breakdown of the aircraft, this coverage may not extend to the failure of the airline’s computer systems.
“In many cases, travel insurance won’t cover cancellation due to an airline’s computer glitch, though more limited coverage may be available for extra expenses, like hotels or meals, due to the delay,” said Squaremouth spokesperson Rachael Taft. “Affected travelers who have questions about their coverage should call their travel insurance provider’s emergency assistance number.”
Many policies provide Travel Delay and Missed Connection coverage for any airline delay, including those caused by a computer glitch. Typically, the flight must be delayed at least 3-12 hours. Once this time limit is met, these benefits can cover a range of expenses. However, both benefits have a daily limit, which can be anywhere from $150-$1,000 per person.
These benefits typically cover meals and accommodations during the delay. They may also cover additional expenses to catch up to your trip or to return home. On some policies, these policies may reimburse unused, prepaid expenses that were missed due to the delay.
Travelers who intend to file a claim due to the Delta delays must have had a policy in place before the outage occurred to be eligible for coverage.
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Squaremouth is an online company that compares travel insurance products from virtually every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth’s comparison engine and third party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com.