You leave for the airport at 4 a.m., with plenty of time to spare. Then a delivery van runs a red light  and T-bones your car. You’re not hurt, but your car is totaled. As you wait for police to arrive and take the report, you know it’s already too late. Even if you race through the airport on roller skates and wheedle your way to the front of the security line, there’s no way you’re going to make your 6:30 flight. Panic mode activated!

What are you supposed to do now? Does travel insurance cover missed flights?

In many situations, it can—but it depends on the details. If you missed the flight for a reason that was out of your control and is named as a covered reason in your plan documents, then travel insurance may be able to reimburse the fees charged for changing your flight and/or other lost travel expenses.

We’ll walk you through exactly how it works and what you should do when you miss a flight.

Don’t have travel insurance yet? What are you waiting for? Get a quote.

First: Try your best to get to the airport.

If you hit a major traffic jam on your way to catch a flight, don’t just do a U-turn and head home. In general, airlines want to know that you’ve tried your best to make it.

Remember, 1 in 5 U.S. flights is delayed, on average!¹ You may just get there with seconds to spare. However, don’t risk your well-being or others’. If you’re seriously ill or dealing with an emergency, that’s more important than a flight. And definitely don’t run any red lights.

Then, contact the airline about your missed flight.

“If I miss my flight, can I reschedule?” Chances are, you can—but don’t wait to ask. Whether you talk to a gate agent at the airport or you call the airline’s customer service line, you want to inform your airline as soon as possible. That’s because some airlines will cancel your entire itinerary if you’re a no-show for the first flight.

Also, most U.S airlines have what’s called a “flat-tire policy.” This means that if you miss your flight because you got to the airport a little too late, they’ll do their best to rebook you without charging you extra. According to The Points Guy, these are airlines’ current flat-tire policies:

• If you miss your American Airlines flight: You can be rebooked on the next flight as a standby traveler without paying change fees or a fare difference, as long as you arrive within two hours of your original departure time.
• If you miss your Delta Air Lines flight: There’s no guarantee you’ll get rebooked. Talk to an agent at the airport and they’ll see what they can do.
• If you miss your Frontier Airlines flight: Your ticket will be deemed a no-show cancellation, and all your flights will be canceled, if you fail to check in 60 minutes before departure or board your flight 20 minutes prior to departure.
• If you miss your JetBlue flight: JetBlue will typically let you wait on standby for the next available flight at no cost.
• If you miss your Southwest Airlines flight: Southwest is one of the most flexible airlines for last-minute changes. You can change or cancel flights before departure without paying a penalty, but you will have to pay any difference in fares. If you arrive within two hours of your flight’s scheduled departure, Southwest will rebook you on the next available flight.
• If you miss your United Airlines flight: As long as you contact the airline or arrive at the airport within 30 minutes of your scheduled departure, United will rebook you.

If you miss a connecting flight because your first flight was delayed, then the airline is responsible for rebooking you and may even compensate you for the delay.²

Airline can’t help? Time to figure out a Plan B.

What if you missed your flight because you booked the wrong departure date? Or because you overslept? Or because you just totally forgot?

If you miss the window to take advantage of the airline’s flat-tire policy, you’ll have to figure out what you want to do. Options include: 

• Rebooking your flight with the same airline. You’ll probably have to pay a fee to change the flight, but this can be the simplest option. Pro tip: If the airline says there aren’t any available seats on the next flights, go to their website/app and see if any open seats are listed.

• Booking a flight on a different airline. If time is of the essence, see if you can grab a seat on another flight leaving that day.

• Traveling a different way. Can you reach your destination by renting a car, traveling by train, catching a bus, or some other way?

• Canceling your entire trip. Typically, airlines will not refund the cost of a missed flight. They may issue a refund, partial refund, or flight credit for any other flights you cancel. Travel insurance can only reimburse you for trip cancellations if you’re canceling for a covered reason, unless you’ve purchased the Cancel Anytime optional upgrade for the OneTrip Prime or OneTrip Premier.

Cancel Anytime can reimburse 80% of your lost non-refundable trip costs if you cancel your trip for almost any unforeseeable reason your plan does not already cover. You must cancel before your trip is supposed to begin.

Not sure what to do? Contact 24-hour assistance, which is included with every Allianz Travel Insurance plan. You can call the emergency assistance number, or use the Allyz® TravelSmart app. Our team of multilingual travel experts can help you figure out your best option.

When can my travel insurance cover a missed flight?

Depending on the reason for missing the flight and the benefits included in your plan, travel insurance may be able to reimburse you for lost travel expenses, for change fees, or for the cost of a new flight (up to the limits in your plan). Read your plan documents carefully, so you understand what can be covered and what’s not covered.

• Trip change protector coverage (included with OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier) can reimburse you for fees charged by an airline or other travel carrier if you must cancel or change your airline (or rail, cruise, or tour ticket) due to a covered reason. Example: You missed your plane because you got into a car accident on the way to the airport and must pay $200 to change your flight.

• The trip cancellation benefit can reimburse up to 100% of unused, prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs if you must cancel your trip at the last minute for a covered reason. Example: You’re about to leave for the airport when you’re laid low by a crippling migraine attack. You’re unable to stand up, let alone travel, so you miss your flight and have to cancel your trip. Insurance can reimburse not only the flights, but your other lost travel expenses.

• The trip interruption benefit can reimburse you for unused, nonrefundable trip costs if you miss at least 50% of the length of your trip due to a covered reason. Example: You’re supposed to fly to Montréal for a two-day conference, but you miss your connecting flight because you accidentally threw away your passport along with your magazine. There’s no way you can get it replaced in time, even if you rebook your flight.

• The travel delay benefit can reimburse you for necessary expenses, such as meals and hotel stays, during a delay caused by a covered reason. This benefit can also reimburse you for reasonable transportation expenses to catch up with your cruise or tour or reach your destination. Example: You missed your flight from Paris to Prague and the departure of your Danube River cruise because massive protests blocked all the streets to the airport. Travel insurance can reimburse your dinner and hotel night in Paris, plus the cost of a new flight to the ship’s next port of call.

We’re going to say this one more time… Travel insurance does not cover everything. It’s designed to cover situations that are specifically named in your plan. Travel insurance can’t reimburse you if you miss your flight because…

• You overslept
• It took too long to park
• You didn’t make it through the security line in time
• You got stuck in the bathroom because the lock jammed
• You didn’t hear the boarding announcement
• The airline changed the gate last-minute

Even if it’s not covered by your plan, we’ll still do our best to help you solve your missed-flight dilemma. Contact 24-hour assistance anytime!

Related Articles

• How to Use Your Trip Delay Benefit and When to Cancel
• Trip Delay, Trip Interruption and Trip Cancellation Insurance Explained
• Let's Go to Plan B: How to Navigate Unexpected Trip Delays & Flight Cancellations