Hi, thanks for giving me the extra info.

The first point I have to make is that your travel begins outside of the United Kingdom, and our advice is generally aimed at those who are resident in the UK and not only begin their travel but also purchase their travel insurance on this basis.

Please check that the policy you have bought is appropriate for use by anyone commencing travel outside of the UK and resident outside of the UK.

The Aviation Authorities rarely if ever cancel flights. They closed air space in the two recent ash cloud events; however it is normally an airline that cancels a flight, not the authorities, so it is rare that you would be even trying to make a claim on that basis.

Flights can be cancelled for a variety of reasons, weather, technical, crew, operational etc., however in the first instance all flights departing from the EU are subject to EU regulations for delays and cancellations. All insurers will refer a customer to their rights under these before even considering any form of claim. You can read more here http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=125 Whilst this is a UK site the same rules apply in Eire due to EU wide ruling.

Once you are outside of the UK it depends on whether your flight is operated by an EU carrier or not. Only those who are EU based are affected by the rules, whilst those who are not or those who are merely flying to the EU who are not EU based do not have to apply the rules.

So if you had a flight cancelled by Air Canada or Continental and it was not departing Dublin, then you are reliant on the normal airline policy. Airlines flying long haul will tend to put you on the next available flight, re-route you or pop you in a hotel overnight to travel the next at their expense. So you will get there, just be delayed in your journey.

A travel insurance policy sold in the UK will normally offer the ability to claim for travel delay due to cancellations of flights as well as some additional costs, those that are not covered under EU261. These vary from policy to policy to be fair so if in doubt ring the AA for advice.

If you miss your flights it would depend on the reason. If you are connecting on one ticket from one flight to another then the airline has to sort you out. If you miss a flight due to the failure of say a bus or train or car getting you to an airport, you may be able to claim under missed departure if your policy has this and if your reason for missing the flight is covered by it. Again each policy varies, so do check the detail.

I hope that this helps advise you further.

Hi, thanks for giving me the extra info.

The first point I have to make is that your travel begins outside of the United Kingdom, and our advice is generally aimed at those who are resident in the UK and not only begin their travel but also purchase their travel insurance on this basis.

Please check that the policy you have bought is appropriate for use by anyone commencing travel outside of the UK and resident outside of the UK.

The Aviation Authorities rarely if ever cancel flights. They closed air space in the two recent ash cloud events; however it is normally an airline that cancels a flight, not the authorities, so it is rare that you would be even trying to make a claim on that basis.

Flights can be cancelled for a variety of reasons, weather, technical, crew, operational etc., however in the first instance all flights departing from the EU are subject to EU regulations for delays and cancellations. All insurers will refer a customer to their rights under these before even considering any form of claim. You can read more here http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=125 Whilst this is a UK site the same rules apply in Eire due to EU wide ruling.

Once you are outside of the UK it depends on whether your flight is operated by an EU carrier or not. Only those who are EU based are affected by the rules, whilst those who are not or those who are merely flying to the EU who are not EU based do not have to apply the rules.

So if you had a flight cancelled by Air Canada or Continental and it was not departing Dublin, then you are reliant on the normal airline policy. Airlines flying long haul will tend to put you on the next available flight, re-route you or pop you in a hotel overnight to travel the next at their expense. So you will get there, just be delayed in your journey.

A travel insurance policy sold in the UK will normally offer the ability to claim for travel delay due to cancellations of flights as well as some additional costs, those that are not covered under EU261. These vary from policy to policy to be fair so if in doubt ring the AA for advice.

If you miss your flights it would depend on the reason. If you are connecting on one ticket from one flight to another then the airline has to sort you out. If you miss a flight due to the failure of say a bus or train or car getting you to an airport, you may be able to claim under missed departure if your policy has this and if your reason for missing the flight is covered by it. Again each policy varies, so do check the detail.

I hope that this helps advise you further.

I am flying from Dublin to New York (staying there for 2 nights) and then flying from New York to Toronto. A week later I will then be flying back from Toronto to Dublin. It was all booked through STA travel for just shy of £400. However all flights are with different airline (Lufthansa, Air Canada and Continetal airlines).

I am guessing that if a flight is cancelled due to the aviation authority then it will be because of bad weather. The other reason I am concerned is if I miss any of the flights.

Hi

I am a little unsure as to what you are asking here. So in order to give you correct advice I do need to ask a few more questions.

Can you advise the flight arrangements that you have booked? Have you bought one ticket to cover all of your flight requirements in one go or have you bought separate tickets from differing sources? Where and how did you buy these and which airlines are you planning to travel on? This would include your comment about NY to Toronto flights.

You mention flights being cancelled by the 'aviation authorities'. Can you give me an example of the type of thing you are thinking of that would cause the cancellation or is it just weather?

There are differing rules to cover passengers, dependent on the nationality of the airline you are travelling on and where the cancellation occurs.

Regards

Bob

I purchased AA travel insurance for the US and Canada. However on firther inspection the insurance does not cover flight cancellations by the aviation authority. From what I have read, airlines do not have to pay a compenstation fee under extraordinary circumstances. However after paying for travel insurance, would I be covered in the event of a flight being cancelled due to bad weather? The AA in their policy manual states that the passenger is not covered if....

2. Claims arising directly or indirectly from:

a) Strike or industrial action existing or publicly declared by the date this
insurance is purchased by you or the date your trip was booked
whichever is the later.
b) Withdrawal from service (temporary or otherwise) of an aircraft or
sea vessel on the recommendation of the Civil Aviation Authority or a
Port Authority or any such regulatory body in a country to/from which
you are travelling.
c) Volcanic eruptions and/or volcanic ash clouds.

Also would I be covered for flights from NY to Toronto within my trip?