Am I covered for flight cancellations or delays under standard travel insurance?

While standard travel insurance policies offer vital protection against unexpected disruptions, they are not a blanket warranty for every airline issue. Under the Allianz Global Assistance Non-Medical Package, whether you are compensated for a flight disruption depends entirely on when the problem occurs and what specific event caused it.

The policy clearly breaks these situations down into distinct categories—pre-departure cancellations, mid-trip delays, and critical limitations—each governed by its own set of rules, requirements, and exclusions.

Here is how coverage may apply across these different scenarios:

If your flight is cancelled or rescheduled before you leave for your trip, it falls under Trip Cancellation coverage. This reimburses your eligible non-refundable, prepaid trip payments or airline change fees up to your maximum sum insured.

• Covered Flight Reasons: You are covered if your travel carrier (airline) cannot get you to your destination for at least 24 consecutive hours from your originally scheduled arrival time. However, this 24-hour delay must be caused specifically by: severe weather, natural disasters, unannounced strikes, or government-mandated operational shutdowns. Airline cancellations without one of these specific covered causes (including routine airline operational cancellations) are not eligible for reimbursement.
• Alternative Route Benefit: If your flight is disrupted by a covered reason but you still choose to take an alternative route or a different airline to get to your destination, the policy will cover the eligible necessary cost of that alternative transportation and any lost eligible prepaid accommodations resulting from your delayed arrival.
• Missed Connections & Schedule Changes: You are covered if you miss a connecting flight due to an airline schedule change, provided the connecting flight was scheduled to depart from a Canadian airport. Minor rebooking inconveniences or schedule changes that do not cause a missed connection or a 24-hour baseline delay are generally not covered.

If your flight is delayed or disrupted while you are already travelling, it falls under Travel Delay or Trip Interruption coverage.

• Travel Delay Benefits: If your flight experiences a travel carrier delay (which includes airline mechanical or operational delays), a strike, a natural disaster, or a traffic accident, the policy will reimburse you for eligible lost prepaid trip expenses and out-of-pocket costs for meals, accommodation, communication, and transportation while you are stranded. 
  Note: The delay must last for a specific "Minimum Required Delay" specified on your individual Confirmation of Coverage for benefits to kick in.
• Trip Interruption (Missing 50%+ of your trip): If a travel carrier delay or a strike causes you to miss at least 50% of the total length of your trip, you can make a claim to recover your unused, non-refundable trip payments or the cost of a return ticket home.
• What about mechanical breakdowns on the road? The policy also covers mechanical breakdowns if they happen to your personal vehicle on the way to the airport departure point or if that vehicle serves as your primary mode of transportation during the trip.
• Automatic 72-Hour Policy Extension: If your travel carrier is delayed, or the automobile you are travelling in experiences a traffic accident or mechanical breakdown that prevents you from returning on your scheduled return date, your entire insurance coverage is automatically extended for up to 72 hours.