Has Choice Air changed their policy?

This has probably been asked before but I can’t find it.

My cruise travels for the last three years and my upcoming cruise all involve flying from Philly to San Juan in the middle of January. So far we have been lucky weather wise but you never know it is Philly in January.

I previously booked through Choice Air, usually USAir, and have not had a problem and the rate was the same as Kayak or USAir. CA doesn’t seem to let you know every time flight times change but I know how to look myself. And they are a middle man in case of last minute cancellations.

My questions are:

It seems to me that CA used to have a more positive policy regarding getting one to the ship, “Assured Arrival”, where ever it is than they do now?

Is there a better choice of insurance than Cruise Care and Choice Air? Perhaps one that will allow me to get notifications directly from the airline.

Thanks in advance,

Bob

Let the flames and attacks begin :)

Oh dear...you've been missold on that old, "we'll get you to the ship" myth...

Is there a better choice of insurance than Cruise Care and Choice Air?

 

Bob

If you mean trip insurance, yes there is a better choice. The TI policies issued by cruiselines or their air department generally cover only those items. If you purchase your own trip insurance from Insuremytrip, Squaremouth, Tripinsurancestore, etc. you will get far more comprehensive coverage for little or no extra costs. The online TI brokerages are full of good information, selection tools, and boil things down to "plain English".

Is there a better choice of insurance than Cruise Care and Choice Air? Perhaps one that will allow me to get notifications directly from the airline.

Bob

I am confused, as what does purchasing insurance have to do with receiving notifications from an airline?

Let the flames and attacks begin :)

:confused: For what? Asking a question?

I am confused, as what does purchasing insurance have to do with receiving notifications from an airline?

When you purchase tickets through Choice Air, CA becomes both the insurer and the Travel Agent. It's the TA part that gets in the way. You can change seats etc directly through the airline but notification will be sent to CA.

A few years ago I was shutting down my computer, about to leave for the airport 3 hours before my flight when I got an email from USAir informing me that my flight had been cancelled. Since I was still home I was able to comfortably arraign an alternate flight from the dozens of flights from PHL to ATL. If I had gone through a TA, I may not have been notified until I was at the airport, at best.

When you purchase tickets through Choice Air, CA becomes both the insurer and the Travel Agent. It's the TA part that gets in the way.

Correct me if I am wrong, but Choice Air doesn't automatically insure your trips...you still need (or, at least, should have) travel insurance.

Correct me if I am wrong, but Choice Air doesn't automatically insure your trips...you still need (or, at least, should have) travel insurance.

My assumption has been that Choice Air is the same type of flight insurance that you are always offered after purchasing airline tickets. Much as Cruise Care is the same thing for the cruise portion of the trip.

If you have both CA and CC, I don't know what else would need to be insured?

My assumption has been that Choice Air is the same type of flight insurance that you are always offered after purchasing airline tickets. Much as Cruise Care is the same thing for the cruise portion of the trip.

 

If you have both CA and CC, I don't know what else would need to be insured?

Do they offer it for an extra price, or does it come included? My guess would be the former, but I don't have experience with that. I've never personally been a fan of buying travel insurance from the travel provider - always figure they will take the airline's side since they have a close partnership. I'm a big advocate of independent purchase of travel insurance that covers all aspects of the trip (air, hotel, luggage, cruise, etc.) myself, then you only have one policy to deal with as well. But everyone is different.

I also buy travel medical insurance every time I leave the country. A little peace of mind just in case. I've luckily only had to use it once, but it paid itself off many times over ($20 policy reimbursed a $500 medical bill in New Zealand)

I admit maybe that I am over insured when I travel but there are gaps and holes in coverage and most policies do not do something well. I have Federal Retirement Blue Cross/BS because it covers doctors/hospital all over the world. Medicare covers in the USA but nowhere else. I also have "trip insurance" bought from my travel agent but from a 3rd party -- not a provider of service and mostly for the evacuation insurance. Costs a fortune to be taken off a ship or from a remote place and I need to know I will have some help paying for GETTING to the hospital. This insurance also covers if the travel company or provider goes belly up with my money in hand. I have MedJet Assist a yearly policy -- this insurance takes you from the HOSPITAL you were taken to (evacuated) to a hospital close to your home in a style that is appropriate to your condition --air ambulance, escorted by medical personnel etc. Those insurances are part of some travel insurances that also cover disruption of travel and cancel for any reason and baggage insurance but not to the level that the other policies do.

I don't want to self-insure some of these items. Yes self-insure because if you don't buy the insurance YOU will have to pay the bills and nobody else. I often do certain vacations (domestic/driving/ less expensive or shorter) with no additional insurance as those few thousands would hurt my bank account but then I would go on. I could cover it. I use insurance to cover what I can't cover as individual without a big hurt. Each time I self-insure or buy insurance there is a thought process of the risk involved/the amount involved/ and the circumstances of that particular trip. SO FAR I have NEVER gotten a penny from any insurance but I consider that WONDERFUL!:D I lost some money but gained some ease of mind.

Will start to reconsider choices again now that Chase Sapphire has announced advanced coverage on purchases using their card. If it proves to be reliable (very few claims in yet) and coverage is as good as it sounds then maybe won't need to have trip insurance. Time will tell.

For me. I buy 99% of the time directly from the provider of the service be it cruiseline or hotel or rental car or tour guide. I want to be the provider's customer NOT the customer of some 3rd party who bought up some services cheaply. I want my insurance policies to be separate from my provider -- if the provider goes "bad" I want someone else to appeal to.

Good luck on your plans but I would not make the choices for cruise air (Cruise company will give you an amount back if you provide your own air and you control the air reservation and get the messages! maybe.) I would also insure my trip through a separate company from the provider.

 

For me. I buy 99% of the time directly from the provider of the service be it cruiseline or hotel or rental car or tour guide. I want to be the provider's customer NOT the customer of some 3rd party who bought up some services cheaply. I want my insurance policies to be separate from my provider -- if the provider goes "bad" I want someone else to appeal to.

 

Good luck on your plans but I would not make the choices for cruise air (Cruise company will give you an amount back if you provide your own air and you control the air reservation and get the messages! maybe.) I would also insure my trip through a separate company from the provider.

Hi Bowie MeMe thanks for the information.

But I am confused:

In one paragraph you state that you would buy insurance from the provider and in the next you state that you would NOT buy from the provider. I realy don't know what you mean.

Thanks, Bob

Regarding buying insurance from trip provider...in many cases insurance covers financial bankruptcy of the provider (wolf guarding the chicken coop situation). Be careful to check the exclusions in this regard.

Hi Bob let me try again. I buy my services as close to the provider as I can get. I buy my United Air Line tickets from United Airlines or my hotel I buy from Hilton or Marriott or Hyatt etc and book directly. My business transaction is with the provider of the service and I am their customer. I deal with them! I believe that I get the best deal for me doing it this way. For Insurance, I buy from a company who is offering an insurance policy and has no interest in the provider of the services. (not a division of the corporation that owns the ship) I decide on the amount of money it would take to make me whole on a cancelled trip including prepaid hotel rooms, non refundable cruise tickets, non-changeable airline tickets and other expenses and I insure my trip for that amount of money -- pay the premium for that amount. Yes it is expensive but my risk on a "big trip" is in the $10-30K range and I want to share that risk with an insurance company.

Lots and lots of information on insurance and Choice Air on these boards. To start educating yourself on the purchase deal you are buying on Choice Air read the sticky at the top of the Cruise Air Board. I have learned a tremendous amount over the last 3 years from that board. I have put together my own method that I am comfortable with. As long as you understand what you are purchasing and the risk of that ticket then it is up to you to decide what works for you. All tickets are not the same and all insurance is not the same. You have to study them and define what you want and need. Again good luck.

Hi Bowie MeMe thanks for the information.

But I am confused:

In one paragraph you state that you would buy insurance from the provider and in the next you state that you would NOT buy from the provider. I realy don't know what you mean.

Thanks, Bob

Nope Bob reread. I think that it states I buy my tickets from the provider and I buy the insurance from a company separate from the provider. At least I hope that is what I said. :p

Nope Bob reread. I think that it states I buy my tickets from the provider and I buy the insurance from a company separate from the provider. At least I hope that is what I said. :p

Yes. Now that I realize that the first paragraph was regarding the actual purchase of a service and the second paragraph concerned insuring the cost of that service.

Until today I was under the mistaken impression that Choice Air was a form of travel insurance.

Thank you,

Bob

SO FAR I have NEVER gotten a penny from any insurance but I consider that WONDERFUL!:D I lost some money but gained some ease of mind.

I agree with you - and it is especially true when buying life insurance :)

Yes. Now that I realize that the first paragraph was regarding the actual purchase of a service and the second paragraph concerned insuring the cost of that service.

I was equally confused when I first read Bowie MeMe's post!

Where do you get travel insurance other than the provider? I recently had a scare finding out that my travel insurance would not cover my very expensive trip due to an airline strike. Most travel insurances are very expensive and don't always cover your needs. Example, air line strikes, work related issues. What are some other options?

Where do you get travel insurance other than the provider? I recently had a scare finding out that my travel insurance would not cover my very expensive trip due to an airline strike. Most travel insurances are very expensive and don't always cover your needs. Example, air line strikes, work related issues. What are some other options?

I use InsureMyTrip.com to research policies/insurers. Great resource. Agree that it is generally best to buy directly from the company providing the service ( i.e. airline tickets from the actual airline) but to insure through a third party. Generally results in the best protection as well as places one in the optimal situation to be accompanied if something goes awry.

Thank you! Next time I will definitely explore my options. I never realized I had a choice and didn't think much of it.

I also buy travel medical insurance every time I leave the country. A little peace of mind just in case. I've luckily only had to use it once, but it paid itself off many times over ($20 policy reimbursed a $500 medical bill in New Zealand)

Where on earth did you get medical coverage for $20 ?? :confused:

Where on earth did you get medical coverage for $20 ?? :confused:

7 day coverage for a 30 year old costs, at most, $20 per trip. Often less.

7 day coverage for a 30 year old costs, at most, $20 per trip. Often less.

The question was... Where ?? What Insurance Co ??

Google

This is for NZ out of sus I suspect which is much cheaper than others you may be thinking as we have reciprocal arrangements with nz

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Google

This is for NZ out of sus I suspect which is much cheaper than others you may be thinking as we have reciprocal arrangements with nz

 

:confused:

What does this mean?

The question was... Where ?? What Insurance Co ??

That was HTH. Also was two years ago. I use a different company now but have no experience with claims.