Fog, Smog & Flight Chaos: Why Winter Travellers Need Right Travel Insurance

Smog is once again choking Delhi’s skies, diminishing visibility at the airport and hitting flight operations, throwing air travel into chaos. Travel insurance acts as a vital financial cushion, especially during the winter season, covering costs for flight delays, cancellations, or missed connections.

Insurers compensate travellers for flight delays exceeding certain hours, missed connections, and even flight cancellations, both for domestic and international trips. Travellers must read the policy’s fine print to avoid any surprise at the time of the claim.

Key Coverage Areas:

Flight Delay: Compensation is provided for flight delays resulting from factors such as inclement weather, technical issues, air traffic congestion, or operational challenges.

“Most policies define a minimum delay time (e.g., 6, 8, or 12 hours). If the travellers’ flight is delayed due to smog leading to air traffic control (ATC) restrictions, they would typically be paid a fixed sum (as per the policy wordings) to cover essentials like food or non-refundable hotel bookings,” says Meet Kapadia, Business Head – Travel Insurance, Policybazaar.com.

Additionally, travellers must check if the delay caused by low visibility, environmental conditions, or airport closure due to non-man-made factors is included or excluded.

Missed Connections: In case the traveller misses the connecting flight with a minimum delay between 3 and 6 hours, and the airline does not assist in arranging the journey to the next destination booked under the same itinerary, then the travel insurance policy covers the cost.  The passenger receives a reasonable additional payment for the accommodation and travel expenses incurred to reach the original destination.

Flight Cancellation Or Interruption: Flight cancellation is a major disruption where the major common carrier (like the airline) ceases operations for a specified period (e.g., 24-48 hours) due to an event like smog, volcanic ash strikes, international airspace conflicts, or global outages. “Travel insurance usually reimburses the cost of pre-booked, non-refundable expenses (like unused hotels or tours) if the trip needs to be cancelled or cut short,” says Kapadia.

Consider Add-ons: Moreover, it is advisable for travellers to opt for features like cancel for any reason (CFAR) cover or the instant flight delay payout feature (instant gratification) for added convenience and security.

Travel Insurance Claim Process

Travellers must immediately notify the insurer via their 24/7 helpline or mobile app as soon as an incident (e.g., major flight delay, cancellation) occurs.

“To validate the loss, documentation including original receipts, boarding passes, visas, and official airline confirmations stating the reason/duration of any delay or cancellation are often required to support claims,” says Kapadia.

After filing the claim form and submitting all documents digitally or physically within the stipulated time limit, the insurers can process these claims and provide settlement or reimbursement. Digital-first insurers have also simplified the process, enabling instant claim submissions and approvals through mobile apps, reducing the turnaround time from weeks to just a few hours.