JetBlue sells what it calls travel protection on its website when you buy a ticket, for an added cost.Some Massachusetts travelers left stranded by the airline in the last week are finding that coverage doesn’t protect them from much.JetBlue likely won’t cover your hotel or meals if they cancel your flight and leave you stranded, even if it’s totally their fault. The best they’ve been offering folks is a JetBlue credit, but that doesn’t pay your credit card bill.Before you pay for a ticket, JetBlue asks if you want to add “Travel Protection.” What you’re buying is a travel insurance plan from the insurance company Allianz. However, what it offers may not have the benefits you need if you get stuck somewhere.Trip delay coverage caps out at a maximum of $300 per person, no matter how many days you are stuck. That provides money that would help pay for a hotel and meals. One man stuck in Florida for three extra days told WCVB’s Ben Simmoneau the cost was over a thousand dollars. He received just $200 from the travel protection. Another customer who purchased the travel protection told Simmoneau she was exposed to COVID-19 in March two days before flying and was denied coverage because the plan she bought through JetBlue excluded epidemics, even though it had coverage for a quarantine.”It doesn’t cover any COVID, the one that I bought. Epidemics period are excluded,” Marianne Jestings said. JetBlue would not comment on the issues, referring questions to Allianz, who said, “most travelers find the coverage is sufficient.”The bottom line for consumers is to make sure to read the fine print closely.If you don’t like what you see, you can usually cancel travel insurance for no penalty within a certain window.There are plenty of independent travel insurance comparison websites like Squaremouth or Insure My Trip that offers policies. If you’re flying in the future, consider a policy with robust Trip Delay coverage, which is the coverage you’ll need to kick in if you get stuck somewhere.
JetBlue sells what it calls travel protection on its website when you buy a ticket, for an added cost.
Some Massachusetts travelers left stranded by the airline in the last week are finding that coverage doesn’t protect them from much.
JetBlue likely won’t cover your hotel or meals if they cancel your flight and leave you stranded, even if it’s totally their fault. The best they’ve been offering folks is a JetBlue credit, but that doesn’t pay your credit card bill.
Before you pay for a ticket, JetBlue asks if you want to add “Travel Protection.”
What you’re buying is a travel insurance plan from the insurance company Allianz. However, what it offers may not have the benefits you need if you get stuck somewhere.
Trip delay coverage caps out at a maximum of $300 per person, no matter how many days you are stuck. That provides money that would help pay for a hotel and meals.
One man stuck in Florida for three extra days told WCVB’s Ben Simmoneau the cost was over a thousand dollars. He received just $200 from the travel protection.
Another customer who purchased the travel protection told Simmoneau she was exposed to COVID-19 in March two days before flying and was denied coverage because the plan she bought through JetBlue excluded epidemics, even though it had coverage for a quarantine.
“It doesn’t cover any COVID, the one that I bought. Epidemics period are excluded,” Marianne Jestings said.
JetBlue would not comment on the issues, referring questions to Allianz, who said, “most travelers find the coverage is sufficient.”
The bottom line for consumers is to make sure to read the fine print closely.
If you don’t like what you see, you can usually cancel travel insurance for no penalty within a certain window.
There are plenty of independent travel insurance comparison websites like Squaremouth or Insure My Trip that offers policies.
If you’re flying in the future, consider a policy with robust Trip Delay coverage, which is the coverage you’ll need to kick in if you get stuck somewhere.