What To Do if Your Flight Is Delayed or Cancelled
Follow these travel insurance tips if your flight is delayed or cancelled.
- As featured in:
As featured in:
For information relating to policies purchased prior to October 23 2024, please check the Policy Wording provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For plans purchased after October 23 2024, please see below.
- What to do if your flight has been cancelled or you’ve missed a connection
- Talk to your airline about rebooking, compensation or a full refund
- Get the essential details in writing from your airline
- Keep your receipts for reasonable expenses
- How might travel insurance help if your flight is delayed or cancelled?
- Handy tips in case your plans get affected by a delayed or cancelled flight
So you’re stuck at the airport … we’ve all been there. If your flight has been delayed or cancelled, or you’ve missed your connection, your airline should always be your first port of call. But travel insurance* may be able to help in certain circumstances. Read on for more info.
What to do if your flight has been cancelled or you’ve missed a connection
In many cases, if your flight has been cancelled or you miss a connection, your airline will automatically rebook you. Before travel, download your airline’s app, and refresh the app as soon as you realize you’ve got flight issues.
If your airline has not automatically rebooked you, head to the service desk or call their customer care line. But don’t rush to buy a new flight, as the airline is not likely to reimburse you for a flight purchased on your own and travel insurance can only reimburse you if your flight is canceled for a reason specified by your plan.
Talk to your airline about rebooking, compensation or a full refund
Your airline is obligated to rebook you if your flight has been cancelled or you’ve been bumped from an oversold flight. Travel insurance won’t reimburse you if you’ve been bumped, so seek compensation directly from your airline. If they can’t get you on a new flight until tomorrow, ask to be rebooked on another carrier, or request meal and hotel vouchers. You must accept any reasonable alternative options offered by the airline. If you do end up making a travel insurance claim, you’ll need proof that you first sought reimbursement from your airline or other travel provider.
Get the essential details in writing from your airline
If the airline is unable to provide meal or hotel vouchers, you may be able to claim for reimbursement of out-of-pocket meal and lodging expenses under your trip delay benefit. You’ll need written confirmation from your airline that includes:
- the reason for the delay
- scheduled departure and return times
- actual departure and return times.
Head straight to the airline desk to get this critical information or ask a telephone agent to email you these details on the spot.
Keep your receipts for reasonable expenses
Remember to keep receipts for any out-of-pocket expenses you incur during your delay – you’ll need these to make a claim. Your trip delay benefit may cover local transportation, lodging and meals while you’re delayed. And if your bags are delayed too, by more than 12 hours, keep receipts for the essential toiletries and a change of clothes that you had to buy until your trip resumes, and you’re reunited with your bag. As soon as you realize your bag has been misplaced by the airline, you should also email our non-insurance service partner, Blue Ribbon Bags. They’ll get on the case and will update you every step of the way as they find and retrieve your bags.
If you do need to make a claim, check out our how to make a claim article for step-by-step guidance.
How might travel insurance help if your flight is delayed or cancelled?
Travel insurance may be able to step in where your airline falls short. Here are some situations where travel insurance may be able to provide some relief.
- If an airline refused to provide meal or lodging vouchers, you may be able to claim for reimbursement of those expenses after a delay of six or more hours.
- If your delayed or cancelled flight caused you to miss pre-paid accommodation or tours, you may be able to claim for reimbursement of those unused, prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs.
- If your flight is cancelled or delayed for at least 24 consecutive hours due to a strike, you may be able to claim reimbursement for new flight tickets that you had to purchase out of pocket.
- If you miss the start of your trip due to a covered missed connection reason, you may be eligible for reimbursement to ‘catch up’ and join, instead of having to cancel your plans.
- If you’re stuck overnight and your airline can’t deliver your checked baggage for more than 12 hours, you can claim for reimbursement of essential toiletries and a change of clothes under your baggage delay benefits. Remember to also get in touch with Blue Ribbon Bags, our non-insurance service partner who retrieves lost bags quickly.
World Nomads offers four plans, which each have different per day and maximum benefit limits. Read your chosen plan thoroughly to understand the benefit limits.
Traveler tip 1: Remember, travel insurance is for the unexpected. If a storm or strike, or any other event, was known when you bought your travel insurance plan, coverage may not apply.
What’s excluded:
Travel insurance isn’t designed to cover everything. Exclusions include, but are not limited to:
- You running late, getting stuck in traffic or a long security line and missing your flight.
- Purchase of a new flight because you didn’t want to wait to be rebooked by your airline.
- Luxury hotel suites and the most expensive thing on the menu. Travel insurance is meant to cover reasonable out-of-pocket expenses if you’re delayed.
- Flight delays of less than six hours.
- Baggage delays of less than 12 hours.
- Expenses that have been reimbursed by your airline.
Traveler tip 2: if you are going to miss your flight because you’re just running late, contact your airline. Travel insurance won’t be able to reimburse you for your missed flight if you overslept, got stuck in
Handy tips in case your plans get affected by a delayed or cancelled flight.
We know delays and cancellations are frustrating, but here are a few tips to help smooth the journey.
- Prepare in advance. Download your airline’s app. Print or save a copy of your travel insurance plan documents. Check-in online if you can.
- Allow plenty of time to get to the airport and through the security line (usually a minimum of two hours for domestic and three hours for international flights, but check with your airline for the most up-to-date guidance).
- Be ready for delays and cancellations, which are increasingly common these days. Wear comfortable clothes; bring snacks; have reading, watching or listening material ready when you need it.
- Carry on if you can. Having everything with you will minimize the chances of baggage loss if you miss a connection or your flight is cancelled. If you need to check your bag, carry the essentials, including medications and a change of clothes, with you.
- Know what your plan does and does not cover, and when. Trip delay benefits for U.S. resident plan holders start at six hours. Baggage delay benefits start at 12 hours. Know what types of delays are (e.g. weather) and are not (e.g. airline staffing issues) covered.
- Be patient and kind. Delays and cancellations are frustrating. Be kind to the customer service agents who are dealing with dozens, if not hundreds, of other angry passengers.
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Protection
Protect your hard earned vacation from unexpected cancellation.
- Standard Plan: $2,500
- Explorer Plan: $10,000
- Epic Plan: $15,000
- Annual Plan: $5,000
Trip Protection
- Unexpectedly hospitalised?
- Travel buddy unfit to travel?
- Close relative suddenly dies?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Insurance
Take the pain out of medical or dental costs.
- Standard Plan: $125,500
- Explorer Plan: $150,000
- Epic Plan: $250,000
- Annual Plan: $100,000
Emergency Medical Insurance
- Need meds quick?
- Accidentally injured?
- Suddenly sick?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Evacuation
We'll provide assistance to get you to the hospital or home quickly.
- Standard Plan: $400,000
- Explorer Plan: $500,000
- Epic Plan: $700,000
- Annual Plan: $100,000
Emergency Evacuation
- Banged up abroad?
- Need a hospital urgently?
- Medivac home?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Covers the loss, theft or damage of your bags, tech and gear.
- Standard Plan: $1,000
- Explorer Plan: $2,000
- Epic Plan: $3,000
- Annual Plan: $2,000
Protect your gear
- Passport or tech stolen?
- Airline lost your gear?
- Bags delayed?
Help starts here.
The amounts listed represent the maximum benefit amount.
Protect your health
- 24/7 Emergency Assistance Help Line
- Emergency Medical & Dental Expenses
- Emergency Evacuations
- Bedside Companion Travel
- Emergency Medications
Protect Your Trip
- Trip Cancellation
- Optional Cancel for Any Reason (Explorer or Epic)
- Trip Delay & Trip Interruption
- Missed Connection (Explorer or Epic)
- Rental Car Damage (Explorer, Epic or Annual)
Protect Your Stuff
- Baggage Delay
- Passport and Visa Loss
- Lost or Stolen Bags
- Personal Tech, Equipment & Gear
- Baggage Return After Evacuation
Non-Insurance Services
- Medical & Non-Medical 24/7 Emergency Assistance Line
- Translators Available
- Runway Health
- FootprintID
- Blue Ribbon Bags
24/7 emergency assistance
Whether you need medical or dental assistance or advice, emergency evacuation or travel assistance, our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Wherever you are, we’re here 24/7 to help you in any emergency.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
Contact Generali Global Assistance:
Telephone:
+1 954-334-8143 (Collect outside the US)
+1 877-289-0968 (Toll-free in the US and Canada
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.