(HSBC Premier) Travel Insurance – Connecting flights on different tickets?

[captein]

Hi,

I’ve got HSBC Premier Travel Insurance, but I am also wondering for other policies.

We’re looking at flying to South America with Iberia using Amex companion voucher, and buying separate connecting flights to Madrid.

How much slack should we be leaving so that we’d be covered by insurance if we miss one or the other flight?

I think with our itinerary as it looks right now, we’ll have plenty (12 hours in between) but I wonder both for this “trick” and others (often local connecting flights elsewhere) how the travel insurance companies define “enough time” in this case?

[sloth]

I also have HSBC premier travel insurance and had this exact same question a few months ago. The answer they gave me was that as long as the connection you book is possible all things being well, and doesn’t involve any element of crossing your fingers to make the connection, then if you are delayed on one full flight they will cover you for the subsequent flight.

I would suggest you call them and ask the same question, then their response is recorded on your account

I think 12 hrs is plenty of time personally but I guess it all depends on the airline and if that airline has any subsequent flights that you could get that would stop you missing your connection

[captein]

Thanks Sloth.

I called and they said that one should leave a “reasonable” gap, and that for my itinerary that would be ~3 hours and that in general one should take into account factors like size of airport, luggage et cetera.

Now, the proof is I guess in the pudding, but in this case, I am hoping to dive into Madrid on both ends, so it is not an issue, but it seems a pretty common sense approach, and to be honest, I would normally prefer not to miss the flight and so would leave at least 3 hours anyway (probably be more for intercontinental), if flight schedule etc. allow at all.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

even that 3 hours isn’t a lot when you consider there will likely be an hour before departure bag drop dealine leaving only two hours to land and follow all those processes including collecting bags.

But 12 will surely meet any insurance requirements for a ‘reasonable’ time.

[Pete C]

The HSBC Premier insurance (well, Aviva) paid out to me last year when I missed a connecting flight, for which I had allowed a 3 hour layover (admittedly this was all intra-Schengen so no security or immigration).