Flight Cancelled Or Delayed? Here's How To Claim Travel Insurance

Travel insurance has become a red hot topic these days as numerous flights and trains have been canceled or delayed recently due to extreme cold and fog in north India. The sudden cancellation of flights or delays has caused inconvenience to the public. Though, your moments missed due to a flight delay or cancellation can't be revived, but you can claim monetary compensation. In this article, we will talk about travel insurance policy that provides financial protection against risks and losses encountered during the trip.

Travel insurance provides coverage for the expenses and damage associated with traveling in India and abroad. It covers financial loss due to many unexpected events like theft, death, medical emergencies, flight delay, loss of luggage, etc. that one usually tends to overlook while planning a vacation or a trip.

Many people make the mistake of ignoring the insurance part while booking their journey tickets. However, this is not a good habit as your travel insurance comes handy in the event of an unforeseen emergency.

Under flight delay cover, a claim can be made if the flight's departure time is delayed by more than the duration specified in the policy, typically 2-3 hours or more. A flight can get delayed or canceled not only due to unfavorable weather but also due to technical or operational issues, among others. In fact, one of the highest numbers of travel insurance claims is usually due to flight cancellations, and in FY23, most claims came due to flight delays.

Despite the benefits, many don't buy travel insurance largely due to a lack of awareness and the optimism bias that anything going wrong during the trip is highly unlikely.

If you miss a pre-booked connecting flight because your first carrier got delayed, insurance can cover any additional accommodation or travel costs incurred by you to reach your destination. Travel insurance can also be of great help in case you have to abandon or extend your trip due to any emergency or if any financial support is required if you lose your passport during your trip. Among others, Bajaj Travel Ace is another travel insurance policy that covers flight delays due to fog or inclement weather. Under Bajaj Travel Ace, the maximum sum insured will be Rs 50,000 for domestic travel and US$1,000 for international flights.

How To Claim?

In case of flight cancellation, you can reach out to the customer service helpline or email or WhatsApp to register the insurance claim. You will be asked to share the cancellation proof of the booked tickets and the booking payment details so that the claim can be paid as per the sum insured.

It is important to note that an insurance claim might not be paid in case the information about flight delay or cancellation was made public or communicated to the customer at least 6 hours before the departure time.

Documents required for the claim process:

Here are the documents that you will need to file a claim for a flight delay:

1. A completed and signed claim form.
2. A confirmation letter from the airline, which explicitly states the duration and reason for the flight delay.
3. A copy of the policyholder's Indian bank canceled cheque or bank account statement that contains the account number, account holder's name, branch name, and IFSC code.
4. Lastly, you will need to provide a passport with exit and entry stamps or your boarding pass.

DGCA Rules If Flight Is Delayed or Cancelled:

According to the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 3, Series M, Part IV titled "Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights" issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) the airlines have to provide following measures to the affected passengers due to cancellation and delay.

i. In case of cancellation, the airlines have to either provide an alternate flight or provide compensation in addition to the full refund of the air ticket. Furthermore, the airline should provide meals and refreshments to the passengers who have already reported for their original flight at the airport while waiting for the alternate flight.

II. In case of a flight delay, the airline is required to provide meals and refreshments, an alternate flight/full refund of the ticket to the passenger, or hotel accommodation (including transfers) depending on the total flight delay.