mia

I think this is the problem. They mean expenses incurred during the interval between the scheduled departure, and the actual departure of the flight. Your $60 expense was caused by the delay, but it wasn't incurred during the delay.

akr1970akr

That's a fair point, except that the car service was waiting for us, and billing us, during the time we were delayed. Invoicing didn't happen til days later, but the actual expense was incurred during the travel time.

We were supposed to arrive at 9pm, car was scheduled to pick us up at 9:30, and we arrived at 1am, and got to the car at 1:30am.

Thanks for the color. Phone call with Virginia Surety was unhelpful. Their statement on the phone was that because the expense was classified as a "miscellaneous fee" on the invoice, that it was not covered, even if it came from a 'ground transportation provider'. I think that's tortuous and they are sending it back to their adjustor. (based on their tone of voice, I have little expectation of a fair resolution)

It's crazy they're behaving like this over $88, but perhaps claims have wildly exceeded their expectations, and they are now going hardline. But their definition of 'ground transport' doesn't exclude things like fees which are related to the service provided.

I'm expecting to kick this up to my state dept of insurance since I think is just wrong.

PS: the lady on the phone said if I had cancelled the car service, and gotten a new booking upon arrival, that would have been wholly covered. That would have likely cost $400 vs $88, and that doesn't even seem to line up with their T&C anyways.

akr1970akr

It was on an July 11, AA direct flight that was delayed, then scrubbed for crew scheduling, and then we were put on another AA flight. Bags only showed up a few days later too. Total delay was 4 hours, but mostly on tarmac, and overall more miserable than it sounds as it was the final leg returning from Europe.

seawolf

Oh. The charge was for the driver at SFO not PHL. I agree with Mia I don't think it is covered.

I think it is for covering you during the delay both time and geographical wise.

My approved claim for my YUL-LGA cancellation covered airport transport from/to YUL hotel and meals.

Maybe trip interruption?

akr1970akr

Thanks. What is interesting is that interpretation doesn't seem to be why they are denying the claim. The phone rep stated its because its classed as a 'fee'. I don't know if she is actually reading/interpreting the denial correctly.

akr1970akr

I'm looking at the handbook
=================
How Long are
you Covered?
From Trip Departure Date to Trip
Completion Date.
Maximum Coverage
per Covered Traveler
per Trip
$500
Common Carrier means a vehicle that’s licensed to transport any
public passenger who pays a fare or buys a ticket, and is available
on a regular schedule. Examples include planes, trains, ferries and
cruise ships, but does not include taxis, car service, rental car, and
rideshare service.
Trip means any pre-paid travel, tour or vacation when all or at least
a portion of the cost of the Common Carrier fare was paid using
your Citi card and/or ThankYou® Points for all Covered Travelers.
Trip Departure Date means the date on which the Covered Traveler(s)
are originally scheduled to leave on the Common Carrier.
Trip Completion Date means the date on which the Covered
Traveler(s) are scheduled to return to their point of origin or to
a different final destination.

========

My read of that suggests that delays are not calculated just from wheels up or gate pushback type of metrics, but from when we completed the travel.

platboy

Just to add two data points, I've used both the baggage delay and trip delay/interruption insurance on the Citi Prestige.

1st experience was when my bags didn't make it on a flight that I purchased with the Citi Prestige. This happened in Cambodia. I had to purchase a number of items while waiting for my bags to catch up with me. I had receipts for everything and a claim form from the airport. Virginia Surety continually requested "proof of delay" and I didn't have a receipt from when the bags were actually delivered to my hotel. A letter from me, an email from the hotel, and a number of other corroborating details finally resulted in the payment being approved.

My second experience was much smoother. My party of 5 missed a connection to NYC and we ended up in DC for the night. I provided proof of delay from American Airlines (which took a couple of tries since I had been rebooked multiple times). I also provided a cover letter outlining everything that I was submitting (which was mainly for 2 hotel rooms). The claim was approved within 10 days and I received payment shortly after.

My suggestion: provide a detailed letter indicating exactly what happened and what you are submitting.

Overall, this is a great benefit. Coupled with the 4th night free benefit and the other insurance on this card (ticket insurance!), I think it's a great product!

DFW1972

Hi All,
I was wondering if I could get some expert opinion on a possible situation (I'm just planning ahead). We're booked on two PRN's from LHR to ATL on BA using pts. There has been speculation that 241 bookings are more likely to get downgraded if the flight is full in First. If we are selected for downgrade, we plan to ask BA to book us on the next available flight, which won't be until the next day bc the ATL flight is one of the last flights to the US. Would we be able protected by Citi trip delay? We paid for the taxes and BA surcharges on the Prestige. I guess my hesitation is the fact we are "choosing" not to accept the downgrade, resulting in a delay. Would that prevent us from coverage?

Thanks so much!

mia

http://i.info4.citi.com/wpm/100164/PDF/Guide11.pdf

Overbooking is covered, and accepting an offer or voucher from the airline voids the coverage, but it doesn't specifically address a cabin downgrade which isn't quite the same as denied boarding.

seawolf

It could be argued that EC261/2004 would render Citi's secondary coverage non-applicable.

DFW1972

That is an interesting point re: EC261. But if that is the case, does it pretty much mean flights going to Europe would not be covered (or at least flights going to countries covered by EC261)? Does anyone have experience? The thing with the BA 241 situation that I described, as I understand it, is if we decline to be downgraded and BA puts us on a later flight with First seats, EC261 does not kick in.

But if we had to overnight in order to take the later flight, can we get reimbursed for hotel and food/taxis?

Thanks1

ryandelmundo

Hi guys,

Terms for trip delay (3 hrs or more w Prestige) seem pretty straightforward (basically just meals, taxis, rooms, incidentals) but trip interruption seems a little more protective and also more vague. I can't find as many write-ups on experiences for Trip Interruptions. Posting here as there isn't an interruption thread.

I'm doing a "visa-run" where I'll be flying round trip on the same day (DPS-KL-DPS).

Will interruption insurance kick in if my outgoing flight is delayed enough to miss my return? I'll have a 5-hour layover in case things go minorly wrong.

Covered reason coverage looks like it covers flight change fees, and costs to get traveler "home," value of unused tickets, and additional tickets to catch up to itinerary.

"Covered reasons" applicable seem less favorable:

The Covered Traveler(s) misses more than half of their Trip because of missed connections, delayed departures, denied boarding, trafficc accidents on their way to a departure, or lost or stolen passports. (In my case it would be exactly half, guess I should pre-book a taxi on the tail end to make it more than half).

Thoughts on an airline flight delay messing up exactly half my flight? Has anyone had experience with this?

It seems most travel insurance you can buy specifically doesn't cover this as it gets expensive buying new flights for folks (rather than the airline being on the hook at least for the flight).

Side-Note: Not that my round-trip same-day is the same situation but discount airlines (LCC) here in SE Asia (and in Europe for that matter) only sell point-to-point tickets and if there's a snafu you're on your own. Would interruption cover a late LCC flight? Any examples anywhere of this?

Thanks!

mia

I believe this means that your time at the destination is reduced by half or more.

howtofreetravel

Anyone have any experience in booking 2 separate flights on the prestige and the first flight is delayed making you miss the 2nd?

ncsuactor84FT

I have a question about how this coverage works in very specific situations (I have a Citi Prestige). Am travelling to Greece next year, and will be doing some island hopping. I will be travelling by ferry, and in some cases via inter-island flights.

Often times there is only one ferry/flight running per day that goes to the destination, and if I were to miss it, I may have to stay on the island and extra day. If a ferry/flight is cancelled/delayed due to inclimate weather or a strike will I be covered for the following:

-The expense of staying an extra night on the island I'm stuck at
-A refund for the hotel that I had planned to stay at on my destination island
-In case of a ferry strike, the cost of hiring a private boat (~$1000) to take me to my desired destination

Thanks so much.