Flight insurance

When buying your flight, whether it is part of a wider package or just flight only, it's advisable to take out insurance from the moment you book. Depending on the circumstances, comprehensive travel insurance could help you recoup some of the costs should your flight be cancelled.

Many insurers now offer some level of Covid-19 cover, but this can vary quite a lot between providers. Examples of what may be covered include:

• Emergency medical expenses: Including repatriation (getting you home), and additional expenses (for example, a quarantine hotel stay) if you fall ill with Covid-19.
• Cancellation: If you test positive (or a close relative passes away due to Covid-19) prior to your holiday and are unable to travel.
• Curtailment: If you test positive for Covid-19 pre-departure, upon arrival at your destination, or while on holiday. Additionally, look for a policy that offers curtailment cover in the event a close relative passes away from Covid-19 during your holiday.

A comprehensive travel insurance policy should offer protection for your flight should you need to cancel or amend your plans for reasons beyond your control.

A valid travel insurance policy can offer protection in the event something goes wrong with your holiday. If you take out insurance at the time of booking, whether you opt for single trip or annual cover, you should be covered for cancellation from that point; should you have to cancel your flight due to reasons outside of your control, you should be able to recoup some – if not all – of the cost of your holiday.

Additionally, you will have cover for things like medical costs, lost and stolen baggage and travel delays. While you have rights for flight cancellations and delays under EU legislation, most flight insurance policies will make a cash pay out on top of your legal entitlement. And if you miss your plane through no fault of your own before you even leave the UK, a policy that includes a missed departure clause will also help you out with the additional costs of rearranging your travel plans.

In recent years, we've seen several airlines cease trading due to economic uncertainty. For example, the collapse of Monarch in 2017 alone left over 100,000 British travellers stranded overseas.

While it’s rare for a travel insurer to pay out in these circumstances, there are some things to look out for. Check whether your policy includes Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) or End Supplier Failure; if it’s not included as standard, it’s possible to take out a stand-alone policy. Usually, this is considered specialist cover.

If you booked your flights as part of an ATOL-protected package holiday, you are more likely to have protection. In this case, you should contact your travel agent or operator. They will either make alternative travel plans for you or offer a full refund.

Some flight-only bookings made through a travel agent are also covered by ATOL (for example, a flight where you do not receive your ticket immediately). If that’s the case, you’ll receive an ATOL certificate, which means you can claim a full refund.

Where you can’t book an ATOL-protected package or flight, there are still a few precautions you can take.

As a general rule, you should always pay for your holiday or flight using a credit card. Booking on a credit card will give you protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, provided you spend between £100 and £30,000. If your airline collapsed, you'd be able to claim back what you paid for your flights from the credit card supplier, who is jointly liable with the airline to make sure you get what you paid for.

It’s also worth doing a little research in advance. A quick internet search could reveal if a company is struggling financially. In this instance, a cheap fare might not be worth the risk.

Of course, if you're flying with a large, well-established airline such as British Airways, then the risk is obviously far less than if you're flying with a smaller, less popular airline – but you should always check – it only takes a few minutes.

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