easyJet offers insurance for missing your flight

Add-on policy from No Exclusions, in partnership with easyJet, promises to put you on the next available flight or provide a full refund if you miss the plane - whatever the reason.

If you’ve ever missed a flight you’ll be familiar with the panic, stress and extra cost of trying to continue your journey either onwards to your holiday destination or back home.

Sometimes good organisation, planning and the best intentions just won’t get you there in time, but now there is a new type of insurance product that can banish every traveller’s nightmare. No Exclusions Limited has designed a niche no-fuss insurance policy called Missed Flight Cover that is being launched in partnership with easyJet, which could save you stress and money on your holiday.

No Exclusions

No Exclusions Limited reckons it has spotted a gap in the insurance market when it comes to airline travel. The unlucky few who miss their flight risk paying exorbitant same day ticket costs to continue their journey, which No Exclusions estimates could fetch up to 3.5 times as much as what it costs to book in advance.

This is devastating if you are trying to keep costs down and have no money to spare. Some passengers may end up having to abandon the trip altogether, meaning money spent on the hotel and car hire go down the drain too

Or if this nightmare occurs on the way back , it could mean people become stranded.

The fear

Even if you have never experienced the devastation of missing a flight before, there is an unshakable worry among most travellers of being late and having to suffer the consequences.

In fact, according to research from One Poll in June 2012, 71% of the 1,000 travellers surveyed claimed to sleep restlessly or not at all before a morning flight, 63% worry about not arriving in time to catch their flight and 89% will add an extra hour or more onto their normal journey to reach the airport with time to spare.

The same poll also revealed that 43% of people will consider staying in a hotel near the airport to minimise the risk of missing a flight.

This stress, fear, worry and added cost could be a thing of the past with this new cover.

The policy

Missed Flight Cover, simply put, does what it says on the tin and nothing else. The policy is straightforward; if you miss your flight for whatever reason (spent too long in the airport lounge, got carried away doing some duty free shopping, got caught in traffic, overslept, etc) you will be able to either book yourself onto the next available flight at no extra cost or will be provided with a full refund (which includes what you paid for speedy boarding, allocated seating, luggage, sports equipment, local taxes, admin fees and card charges). The only thing the refund doesn’t include is what you paid for Missed Flight Cover.

There are only three conditions that policy holders have to comply with:

1. Passengers must arrive at the airport within four hours after the flight’s scheduled departure time and the plane must have departed.
2. The passengers must be ‘fit to fly’, so for example must have their passport and be sober!
3. Passengers must advise the airline that they wish to make a claim at an easyJet sales desk or through the 24-hour helpline, before they leave the airport.

This is a very streamlined product that has no paperwork to fill out (you just receive a certificate of insurance), no real exclusions compared to other traditional insurance policies (just three conditions to satisfy) and no excesses to pay.

How much?

The Missed Flight Cover costs from £7.50 for a single flight or £9.50 for a return, but if you have connecting flights these would have to be accounted for separately.

Isn’t this the same as travel insurance?

It is true that travel insurance policies normally include cover for missed departures, but the criteria can be quite limiting and the claims process is complicated. So, if your car broke down and you were late, the travel insurance would need to be dealt with after you came back and you would have to provide proof from your recovery company to process the claim.

With Missed Flight Cover you can claim for any reason and get your problem resolved immediately at the airport.

Good points

• Stress-free travel and peace of mind
• You don’t have to provide a reason or justification for missing the flight.
• You get an immediate solution at the airport.
• Two clear choices for your claim; to get on the next available flight with easyJet or get a full refund.
• If the sales desk is closed there is a 24-hour helpline where you can make a claim.
• If you transfer your flight the Missed Flight Cover is transferred with it.
• Useful during the Olympics.
• Your holiday won’t be ruined by a mistake.
• Protects against the sky-high costs of buying new tickets for travel on the same day.

Bad points

• At the moment this cover is being piloted exclusively with easyJet, meaning the replacement flight must be with them. So if the next available flight is with BA, you won’t be able to take it.  
• You may be presented with an easyJet flight that is at another airport meaning in order to get the ‘next available flight’ you will have to travel (at your own expense) to catch it.
• This cover does not pay for any other cost other than the rebooking onto a flight (or a full refund of it), so if you have to wait in the airport, go home and come back or travel to another airport these costs will be covered by you.
• The four hour rule probably isn’t very flexible.
• Could encourage people to be late.

Verdict

Personally I think Missed Flight Cover seems like a good idea. But that’s because I have been unfortunate enough to find myself in a situation where I have missed my flight before (Reykjavik 2010, read the time of the flight wrong on the ticket). Knowing what I do now - we had to pay £800 for new flights - I probably would go for insurance like this.

The model seems to be based more on emotive factors rather than cold hard numbers, so you're paying mostly for peace of mind as people usually make it to the gate in time - one way or another.

What do you think?

Would you take out Missed Flight Cover? Or is this just another pointless type of insurance? Let us know in the comment boxes below.

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