Travel Insurance and missing a flight

MONEYSAVER_3

I need some advice

If I miss a connecting flight due it not being my fault, ie a storm, fog etc

I need to get home even though I have been offered a flight by the airline the next day, as thats all that is available.

But I want to get home that day.
I buy a new set of tickets with another airline as they have a flight on the same day.

would I be able to claim this off travel insurance

OR

do i have to take what the airline offers me ie next day flight, and just claim my expenses ie hotel cost on travel insurance.

Please can anyone recommend good insurance based on this scenario.

duchy

Usually it's down to getting you home in "reasonable time" the next day would be considered by most insurers to be reasonable. Weather delays are common so a flat rate of compensation is paid. If it's a technical delay the airline will pay your hotel-if weather it's beyond their control they usually don't.
This often comes up with cruises where people book flights seperately to the cruise to save money and it then becomes their personal responsibility to ensure they get to the cruise on time rather than the cruise company selling the complete package.
If you absolutely have to be there.....fly the day before. I doubt you'll find an insurance to cover you on a standard policy for what you want and a specialist policy is likely to be unjustifiably expensive.
Different airports are more prone to delays than others-for example the airline I'm a frequent flyer with uses both Chicago and Dallas as hubs and Dallas is more delay prone in the summer due to summer storms and Chicago is more prone to delays in the winter due to fog and ice. However I've flown through Chicago in midwinter and experienced no delays-but I knew ahead of time the risks and simply made sure I had nothing urgent the following day in case of delays (and anyway who needs to be doing something important with jetlag )

MONEYSAVER_3

thanks for the reply, if there is a weather delay and i need to book a hotel
out of my own pocket, would that be claimable on a travel policy ??

lisyloo

You really need to read your policy to see what they cover.
Mine gives increasing amounts dependent on the amount of time delayed

e.g. 4hours - £20 each
6 hours - £60 each etc.

So you really need to look to see what level of compensation your policy offers.

Personally I always take my policy with me (I printed an electronic version double sided so it's 4 sheets per page which makes it small).

I've been delayed on a Sunday abraoad and I couldn't get any advice.
I spent over £10 on the phone trying to get advice but it was only for emergency medical advice etc. So I would definitely advise taking the policy for this type of thing, so you can read it and know straightaway how much you are entitled to (and the circumstances).

Some circumstances are exluded.
e.g. airlines don't give compensation for weather as it's not their fault,. so you also need to check what you are covered for.
Don't assume that insurance covers you for everything you might need it to.

I think duchy is right.
Flights can be delayed so cutting it fine is a risk you are choosing to take.
Ideally you need to makes you plans to take account of this.

For example I am going on a long cruise next year from Hawaii.
The tour company plan 3 night in Hawaii before the cruise.
This is partly to visit Hawaii and get over the jet lag, but it's also contingency in case there is a flight problem.
If we are late we might miss part og Honolulu but we wouldn't miss the entire cruise.

You should avoid cutting it fine.
Again with connections you should make sensible decisions.
We had a choice of a 2 hours connection and no flight until the next day OR
a 4 hour connnection and later flights that day.
We chose the later.
The holiday company said, don't worry, we'll sort you out but I don't want to spend 24 hours in an airport or airport hotel when I could be in Hawaii.

It's a fact of life so build it into your plans.
Obviously there is only so much you can do, but you have to try to be sensible.