Pros and Cons of Flight Insurance

Flight insurance, sometimes called travel insurance, is an insurance policy that covers the cost of your flight in the event of a trip’s being canceled because of several reasons. Although policies differ, flight insurance will usually cover flight cancellations because of social unrest, weather, illness, a death in the family or other unavoidable circumstances.

In some cases, flight insurance is a good investment. However, it isn’t for everyone, and in some cases may not be worth the expense.

 

Cost

Flight insurance is relatively inexpensive because few people end up making claims against the policies. The cost of flight insurance varies, depending on the value, originating cities and destinations of the flights.

Flight insurance may not be a good investment for short, domestic flights. The cost for flight insurance for short, domestic flights can be between 10 and 15 percent of the cost of the flight. If you fly into areas that have frequent weather delays, however, flight insurance may provide a hotel if your flight is delayed.

For longer international flights, travel insurance is cheaper as a percentage of the total flight cost. If your travel is delayed by various factors, your flight insurance would often cover the cost of hotel rooms and flights.

 

Cancellations

If you fly in areas that are at risk for flight delays or cancellations, travel insurance can be an advantage. If you are flying into a location, for example, that has bad weather forecast for your departure date, flight insurance may help defray some of the costs of potential delays.

However, cancellations because of war, nervous or psychological disorders or, in some cases, terrorist acts are not covered by many policies. If flying into a location with a possibility of flight delays because of these reasons, flight insurance may not be a good investment.

 

Injuries and Death

Flight insurance often covers losses, injuries or death in the event of an accident or crash. Because these events are so unlikely, flight insurance to protect against accidents or crashes rarely pays benefits.

However, if you are flying into a known storm or on an airline with a poor safety record, flight insurance has a higher statistical probability of being of benefit. Flight insurance benefits are in addition to any airline settlement because of accidents or crashes.

 

You Might Also Like :: Health & Airline Travel Insurance