Russian Plane Crash: Squaremouth Answers Top 4 Travel Insurance Questions

News provided by

Nov 04, 2015, 08:21 ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Speculation around the Russian Metrojet airplane crash in Egypt has caused growing concerns among travelers. Squaremouth, a leading travel insurance comparison website, answers the four most asked questions about insurance coverage for the event.

What if I'm too scared to fly?
While the threat of terrorism may leave travelers in fear, being too scared to travel is never a covered reason to cancel a trip under standard travel insurance policies. For travelers who are looking for this type of coverage, the only option is purchasing the Cancel For Any Reason upgrade. This benefit increases the price of a policy by about 40 percent, allowing travelers to cancel their trip for any reason otherwise excluded from their policy. However, the drawbacks of this benefit are significant - as it only reimburses up to 75 percent of the trip cost, requires the policy to be purchased within 21 days of the first trip payment, and the requires the traveler to cancel their trip at least 48 hours before departure.

What if my flight is delayed?
Some flights are being rerouted or delayed to avoid the potentially dangerous Sinai region in Egypt. Many travel insurance policies with the Travel Delay benefit reimburse travelers who are unexpectedly delayed by their common carrier, regardless of the reason, as long as they are delayed for at least 6 hours. This benefit reimburses travelers for the costs of meals and accommodations during the delay.

What if my flight is canceled?
Standard travel insurance policies cover travelers whose flights are canceled for one of the policy's listed reasons, which often include terrorism. Unfortunately, because this specific incident has not officially been deemed terrorism, any flights that are canceled as a result of the plane crash are not covered under the standard trip cancellation benefit.

"In terms of travel insurance coverage, the threat of a terrorist attack, and an actual act of terrorism, are very different," explains Squaremouth co-founder and CEO, Chris Harvey. "Speculation of terrorism is not enough to trigger the terrorism benefit within a travel insurance policy."

What if the crash is declared terrorism?
If the Russian plane crash is deemed an act of terrorism, travelers may be covered to cancel or interrupt their trip, as long as the attack meets their policy's specific terrorism triggers. These typically require it to have occurred within 7-30 days of the traveler's departure, and in or near a city on their itinerary. In the case of the Russian plane crash, travelers must have purchased their policy before October 31, the date of the crash.

To keep travelers up-to-date with travel insurance coverage related to the Russian airplane crash, Squaremouth launched the Russian Metrojet Plane Crash and Travel Insurance Information Center. This online resource is updated with official provider position statements, answers to frequently asked questions, and current government travel alerts and notices related to the Russian plane crash in Egypt.

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH
Squaremouth is an online company that compares travel insurance products from virtually every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com.

AVAILABLE TOPIC EXPERT
Megan Singh
[email protected]
(727) 378-0983

SOURCE Squaremouth