Insurance for Flight Cancellation Due to Illness

Insurance is available for many different types of circumstances including for illness that causes an individual to cancel a flight. Insurance of this type is called trip cancellation, interruption insurance or--broadly--travel insurance. Insurance can be purchased in the event a planned trip needs to be canceled unexpectedly. There can be many reasons a planned trip or flight needs to be canceled such as an illness.

Canceled Trip

A trip can get canceled for many reasons including when an individual or traveling companion becomes sick. Individuals can purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect against unforeseen circumstances that can cause a flight or trip to get canceled. This type of policy not only covers cancellation due to illness but coverage is usually provided for severe weather or other reasons that will be listed in the policy.

Interrupted Trip

Insurance coverage can also be purchased for when a flight or planned trip becomes interrupted because of an illness. This type of insurance is known as trip interruption insurance or airline trip interruption coverage. A policy will reimburse a traveler if an illness occurs which causes a scheduled trip to be interrupted. Insurance will usually pay for the unused non-refundable portion of the trip and transportation costs if an individual needs to return home.

Existing Policies

Many credit card companies have policies they offer and coverage for certain types of losses when a flight needs to be canceled. Credit card policies should be reviewed to determine if any costs for a trip are refundable if an individual becomes sick and needs to cancel a trip or flight. Cancellation policies of airline flight should also be reviewed to see if insurance will be necessary.

Policy Wording

Always review the wording in any trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance policy. Policies can have various terms and coverages that can vary depending on what an insurer wants to cover. Some policies may not cover a pre-existing condition. This means that if a trip or flight is canceled because of an illness that is excluded by the policy, an individual will be stuck with the bill.

Per Trip Basis

Trip cancellation, trip interruption or any other type of travel insurance can usually be purchased on a per trip basis. This type of insurance is purchased for each trip or flight that an individual has planned to take. A frequent traveler may want to look into purchasing an annual travel insurance policy to provide protection in case an illness results in the cancellation of a planned flight.

References

• Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
• Flight Insurance