Hurricane Dorian Leaves Travelers Scrambling, Flights Canceled

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Sep 04, 2019, 14:01 ET

WARWICK, R.I., Sept. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hurricane Dorian, the strongest storm this year, has travelers scrambling to get out of its path, halt trips, or postpone upcoming travel plans. Today, hundreds of flights are already canceled in the Southeast US with more expected as the storm nears. Due to the storm's wrath, InsureMyTrip reports a 20 percent jump in call volume from travelers seeking guidance.

Travel Impact Summary:

The storm moves closer to Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas
Charleston International Airport closes, Orlando International Airport set to reopen Wednesday
Some travelers forced to evacuate or wait out the storm until flights resume
Online searches related to hurricane coverage grew 8x since Dorian was named, call volume up (Source: InsureMyTrip)
Concern grows over popular tourist destinations, some travelers seek to cancel trips, file claims

Hurricane Travel Insurance Coverage Explained

Here are examples of how insurance may enable travelers to receive reimbursement of pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs if they must cancel a trip due to severe weather-related issues that are covered under the trip cancellation benefit:

Cancel trip due to weather: when common carriers such as airlines and cruise lines cease service due to weather. Many plans require that the cessation of services be for a certain number of hours, usually 24-48.

Cancel due to a hurricane warning: when a destination is under a NOAA-issued hurricane warning.*

Cancel because of storm damage at destination: when a hotel, resort, or vacation rental is devastated and made uninhabitable by a storm. InsureMyTrip is already receiving inquiries from travelers seeking to file claims due to canceled trips to the Bahamas.

Cancel because home is destroyed by storm: when the home of a traveler sustains destructive storm damage.

Cancel trip for any reason: this is an optional time-sensitive benefit available on some plans, that allows travelers to cancel a trip for any reason. Reimbursement is usually 50-75% of the pre-paid, non-refundable trip cost. This benefit includes specific eligibility requirements.

The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season lasts till November 30. Travelers concerned about hurricanes should purchase travel insurance early. Once a storm starts forming, it's considered a foreseeable event and insurance coverage will no longer be available to cover losses related to that storm. Only a few plans offer coverage for a NOAA-issued hurricane warning.

MORE: InsureMyTrip can predict which travel insurance plans are most appropriate and relevant for those traveling during hurricane season to storm-prone destinations.

According to data from InsureMyTrip, the 2017 hurricane season was the most destructive for American travelers. Hurricane Irma, Harvey, Maria and Nate drove online searches for travel insurance to its highest level in five years.

Travelers interested in learning more about protection plans for travel during hurricane season can visit www.InsureMyTrip.com or call 1-800-551-4635 to speak with a licensed travel insurance agent.

Hurricane Travel Insurance Expert:
Meghan Walch
401-773-9210
[email protected]

*With most comprehensive travel insurance plans, the NOAA-issued hurricane warning must be issued within 24-48 hours of your scheduled departure and the cancellation must be more than 14 days after your effective date for trip cancellation coverage when a destination is under a NOAA-issued hurricane warning.

About Weather-Ready Nation

InsureMyTrip is part of the Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador™ program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to strengthen partnerships with external organizations toward building community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and water events.

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SOURCE InsureMyTrip