Midwesterners Blasted by Winter Storm, Travel Insurance Coverage
When mass cancellations and delays occur, many travelers are left paying extra to catch up to their trips or, even worse, missing days of their vacations because they can’t reach their destination. Travelers impacted by winter storms may be able to use their travel insurance benefits to cover some of those losses.
The winter storm that blasted through the Midwest this week left over 2,000 flights cancelled and some airports completely closed. While many airlines have since resumed operations, they are still working to get flight schedules back on track.
Not only can the trip interruption benefit reimburse traveler for extra costs to catch up to a trip, it can also reimburse travelers for the portion of the trip that was missed due to weather-related travel interruptions. In order to have coverage under this benefit, however, the reason for the delay or cancellation must be covered on the policy.
In the case of winter storm disruptions, travelers should look for coverage from these key phrases in their travel insurance policies:
– Weather which causes complete cessation of services
– Inclement weather at the departure site causing delay or cancellation of travel
– Common Carrier delays resulting from inclement weather
– Arrangements canceled by an airline, cruise line, motor coach company, or tour operator, resulting from inclement weather