Flight delayed by weather
Tama's insurer declined to pay for the full cost of a replacement flight.
Tama's insurer declined to pay for the full cost of a replacement flight.
Tama* held travel insurance for a trip to the USA.
During his trip, a connecting flight he was taking from Boston to Los Angeles was delayed, meaning he missed his flight back to New Zealand. As a result, he had to pay for one night’s accommodation and a new flight back to New Zealand. Tama provided evidence from the airline that the flight had been “delayed due to crew issue”.
The insurer accepted the claim and paid Tama the maximum $1,000 benefit under a policy section for travel disruption.
However, it declined to pay for the full cost of the replacement flight, as the policy only provided cover for delay caused by specified events, being “strike, riot, hijack, civil protest, weather, natural disaster or accident”.
Tama made a complaint, because he said the pilots flying the plane had been delayed by the weather that day.
The IFSO Scheme asked Tama to provide further evidence and he provided a new email from the airline confirming “the initial tarmac delay was caused by delayed pilots due to weather”.
In addition, the IFSO Scheme found some information online about weather issues in and around Boston on that day.
The IFSO Scheme discussed the new information with the insurer, which agreed to accept and pay the claim.
Complaint settled
*Name has been changed
Evidence or information to support a claim can determine whether an insurer accepts it or not. Sometimes, new evidence can be provided that changes the outcome of a claim.