Travel Insurance - What happens if your flight is diverted?

scott_bristol

Hey!

I was just wondering. Ages ago when there was bad weather in the UK, UK-UK flights got diverted to France. 

Obviously if you fly within the UK, you don't always need travel insurance. I never have.

But I was just thinking... say if I was doing a UK flight from Newcastle to Bristol, which ended up diverting to France due to bad weather, what happens if something happened?

For example, say if the flight landed somewhere in France, and the flight home was the next day, and during the day/night I was in France, something happened... what would happen? Would I be liable? Say if my phone got stolen, or if I needed medical assistance?

Or once I landed in France, would I have to quickly buy some travel insurance online on my phone? Or would that be "void" as you're already abroad?

Alderbank

The flight doesn't land in France. 

It lands in international air space. You can simply stay 'airside'. You would only enter France when (or if) you decide to try to pass through customs and the authorities permit you to enter France.

Most international airports have some hotel accommodation which can if necessary be placed inside quarantine. Security staff will prevent you leaving the hotel until transport arrives to take you back to the airport for your flight back to UK. If you are unlucky, as passengers on a flight diverted to Frankfurt were about 5 years ago, you could be allocated a camp bed and a blanket in the airport's departure lounge.
Perhaps the most extreme case was in Canada where because the airport was tiny and didn’t have any Immigration staff available, passengers had to stay on the plane overnight. There was a big outcry about it.

Sometimes passengers might be granted 'shore leave'. This dates back to the days of shipwrecks and sailing ships. Stranded voyagers can be granted limited rights to enter the country for a limited time and limited distance of a few km from the point of entry. 

Medical emergency, you would be taken to hospital under police guard.

Hoenir

scott_bristol said:

 say if I was doing a UK flight from Newcastle to Bristol, which ended up diverting to France due to bad weather, what happens if something happened?

I'm sure that there'd be another UK airport for an emergency landing. That's if the plane actually took off. 

scott_bristol

Alderbank said:

The flight doesn't land in France. 

It lands in international air space. You can simply stay 'airside'. You would only enter France when (or if) you decide to try to pass through customs and the authorities permit you to enter France.

Most international airports have some hotel accommodation which can if necessary be placed inside quarantine. Security staff will prevent you leaving the hotel until transport arrives to take you back to the airport for your flight back to UK. If you are unlucky, as passengers on a flight diverted to Frankfurt were about 5 years ago, you could be allocated a camp bed and a blanket in the airport's departure lounge.
Perhaps the most extreme case was in Canada where because the airport was tiny and didn’t have any Immigration staff available, passengers had to stay on the plane overnight. There was a big outcry about it.

Sometimes passengers might be granted 'shore leave'. This dates back to the days of shipwrecks and sailing ships. Stranded voyagers can be granted limited rights to enter the country for a limited time and limited distance of a few km from the point of entry. 

Medical emergency, you would be taken to hospital under police guard.

Hoenir said:

scott_bristol said:

 say if I was doing a UK flight from Newcastle to Bristol, which ended up diverting to France due to bad weather, what happens if something happened?

I'm sure that there'd be another UK airport for an emergency landing. That's if the plane actually took off. 

Okay thank you. 

Reason I ask, can't remember when, think it was last Winter, but basically all UK airports/airspace was closed due to bad windy weather. 

Some UK only flights had to land in France. On the news it said that those who only had driving licences as ID (as you can use that for UK only flights), they had to stay in the French airports overnight. Whereas those with Passports were allowed into French hotels outside of the airport.

I'm just wondering because incase that ever happened to me, I'd just wonder what would happen! Like say if I took my passport and I ended up needing medical assistance, or claiming for a theft or something, just wondering where I'd stand! I suppose I'd get some travel insurance online maybe?

Inbetweeners

Really think you are overthinking this. How many UK internal flights have diverted to Europe over the last 10 years?

DullGreyGuy

scott_bristol said:

Alderbank said:

The flight doesn't land in France. 

It lands in international air space. You can simply stay 'airside'. You would only enter France when (or if) you decide to try to pass through customs and the authorities permit you to enter France.

Most international airports have some hotel accommodation which can if necessary be placed inside quarantine. Security staff will prevent you leaving the hotel until transport arrives to take you back to the airport for your flight back to UK. If you are unlucky, as passengers on a flight diverted to Frankfurt were about 5 years ago, you could be allocated a camp bed and a blanket in the airport's departure lounge.
Perhaps the most extreme case was in Canada where because the airport was tiny and didn’t have any Immigration staff available, passengers had to stay on the plane overnight. There was a big outcry about it.

Sometimes passengers might be granted 'shore leave'. This dates back to the days of shipwrecks and sailing ships. Stranded voyagers can be granted limited rights to enter the country for a limited time and limited distance of a few km from the point of entry. 

Medical emergency, you would be taken to hospital under police guard.

Hoenir said:

scott_bristol said:

 say if I was doing a UK flight from Newcastle to Bristol, which ended up diverting to France due to bad weather, what happens if something happened?

I'm sure that there'd be another UK airport for an emergency landing. That's if the plane actually took off. 

Okay thank you. 

Reason I ask, can't remember when, think it was last Winter, but basically all UK airports/airspace was closed due to bad windy weather. 

Some UK only flights had to land in France. On the news it said that those who only had driving licences as ID (as you can use that for UK only flights), they had to stay in the French airports overnight. Whereas those with Passports were allowed into French hotels outside of the airport.

I'm just wondering because incase that ever happened to me, I'd just wonder what would happen! Like say if I took my passport and I ended up needing medical assistance, or claiming for a theft or something, just wondering where I'd stand! I suppose I'd get some travel insurance online maybe?

You wouldn't be able to buy regular travel insurance as that has to be purchased before you commence travelling but there are specialist insurances for if you are already travelling but many of them have a moratorium period where you can't claim for certain things to reduce the risk of people becoming ill and then buying their policy. 

For me personally... I have annual travel insurance so would be covered by that anyway. Secondly my Home insurance has personal possessions cover world wide so would cover expensive items like my laptop that are way above the limit of travel insurance. When travelling I tend to use my travel wallet that includes the GHIC card for medical treatment - it just lives in there along with my Priority Pass and other travel related cards. 

Voyager2002

scott_bristol said:

Hey!

I was just wondering. Ages ago when there was bad weather in the UK, UK-UK flights got diverted to France. 

Obviously if you fly within the UK, you don't always need travel insurance. I never have.

But I was just thinking... say if I was doing a UK flight from Newcastle to Bristol, which ended up diverting to France due to bad weather, what happens if something happened?

For example, say if the flight landed somewhere in France, and the flight home was the next day, and during the day/night I was in France, something happened... what would happen? Would I be liable? Say if my phone got stolen, or if I needed medical assistance?

Or once I landed in France, would I have to quickly buy some travel insurance online on my phone? Or would that be "void" as you're already abroad?

If your 'phone gets stolen in the UK and you don't have insurance, you have lost it. The same happens if it is stolen you have been diverted to another country.

When it comes to emergency medical care, it is probable that you would be covered via the NHS anywhere in the EU. This kind of problem becomes more interesting in other countries, if you are diverted from a country where you have valid insurance and to a country where your insurance does not apply.

Hoenir

scott_bristol said:

Alderbank said:

The flight doesn't land in France. 

It lands in international air space. You can simply stay 'airside'. You would only enter France when (or if) you decide to try to pass through customs and the authorities permit you to enter France.

Most international airports have some hotel accommodation which can if necessary be placed inside quarantine. Security staff will prevent you leaving the hotel until transport arrives to take you back to the airport for your flight back to UK. If you are unlucky, as passengers on a flight diverted to Frankfurt were about 5 years ago, you could be allocated a camp bed and a blanket in the airport's departure lounge.
Perhaps the most extreme case was in Canada where because the airport was tiny and didn’t have any Immigration staff available, passengers had to stay on the plane overnight. There was a big outcry about it.

Sometimes passengers might be granted 'shore leave'. This dates back to the days of shipwrecks and sailing ships. Stranded voyagers can be granted limited rights to enter the country for a limited time and limited distance of a few km from the point of entry. 

Medical emergency, you would be taken to hospital under police guard.

Hoenir said:

scott_bristol said:

 say if I was doing a UK flight from Newcastle to Bristol, which ended up diverting to France due to bad weather, what happens if something happened?

I'm sure that there'd be another UK airport for an emergency landing. That's if the plane actually took off. 

Reason I ask, can't remember when, think it was last Winter, but basically all UK airports/airspace was closed due to bad windy weather. 

Not an event I recall.  

AlexMac

If you’re risk averse but reluctant to take out lots of annual insurances, you could always consider a premium bank account like Nationwide Flexplus which for £13 a month gives me AND my wife a host of benefits which far exceed the annual cost; worldwide travel insurance, mobile phone insurance, car recovery insurance… and more…

 Brilliant service when I used the travel one to claim; and even better when I trashed a tyre in the depths of the countryside and not only got the car carried back to my local tyre shop (2mins from my home) within half an hour, but cos it was during lockdown, got given a taxi 25-30 miles home; must have cost ‘em many hundreds of quid!

la531983

Hoenir said:

scott_bristol said:

Alderbank said:

The flight doesn't land in France. 

It lands in international air space. You can simply stay 'airside'. You would only enter France when (or if) you decide to try to pass through customs and the authorities permit you to enter France.

Most international airports have some hotel accommodation which can if necessary be placed inside quarantine. Security staff will prevent you leaving the hotel until transport arrives to take you back to the airport for your flight back to UK. If you are unlucky, as passengers on a flight diverted to Frankfurt were about 5 years ago, you could be allocated a camp bed and a blanket in the airport's departure lounge.
Perhaps the most extreme case was in Canada where because the airport was tiny and didn’t have any Immigration staff available, passengers had to stay on the plane overnight. There was a big outcry about it.

Sometimes passengers might be granted 'shore leave'. This dates back to the days of shipwrecks and sailing ships. Stranded voyagers can be granted limited rights to enter the country for a limited time and limited distance of a few km from the point of entry. 

Medical emergency, you would be taken to hospital under police guard.

Hoenir said:

scott_bristol said:

 say if I was doing a UK flight from Newcastle to Bristol, which ended up diverting to France due to bad weather, what happens if something happened?

I'm sure that there'd be another UK airport for an emergency landing. That's if the plane actually took off. 

Reason I ask, can't remember when, think it was last Winter, but basically all UK airports/airspace was closed due to bad windy weather. 

Not an event I recall.  

Its because it never happened.

SOME UK airports in the south and the middle of the UK did have some diversions for a few hours one day, including the rarity of a flight from one country to the UK landing in a different country, but as said this is as rare as hens teeth.