Last Updated: December 17, 2012August 31, 2018

This weekend marks one of the busiest travel weekends of the year at airports across the country and Squaremouth is reminding travelers to choose wisely when considering coverage for a missed or delayed flight. Initially, the differences between missed connection and trip interruption coverage may seem subtle, but the coverage a traveler chooses can greatly differ.

So when it comes to covering delays, what is the basic difference between the two?

If a trip is interrupted for a covered reason and a traveler needs to rejoin their trip, the trip interruption benefit can pay those costs. Coverage provided by the trip interruption benefit can total up to 150% of the trip cost. This may mean thousands more in coverage compared to the missed connection benefit, which may only offer a few hundreds dollars.

Missed connection coverage is an added benefit that may cover the cost incurred to catch up to a trip if a traveler misses a flight connection. The travel insurance provider usually requires the traveler be delayed a specific amount of time, and miss a connection for specific, common carrier-related reasons, such as inclement weather.

In other words, the terms of missed connection coverage may be more specific. If a traveler misses the time limit by even a few minutes, coverage may be denied. Trip interruption offers a larger pool of coverage, for covered reason listed on the policy. These differences can greatly impact a traveler’s ability to receive reimbursement, which is why choosing the policy that fits best can make all the difference for holiday travel.