Flight Insurance: The 5 Best Options for 2023

Not all travel insurance companies offer coverage options that only apply to airfare, but each company does offer a range of travel insurance coverages that can kick in if a flight is canceled or delayed, or if something else goes wrong with your trip. Examples of travel insurance benefits that can apply to flights include trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay coverage, and lost luggage reimbursement, to name a few. Of course, flying anywhere may also necessitate having other types of travel insurance, from travel medical and dental insurance to emergency medical evacuation coverage.

If you’re in the market for flight insurance, you should look for a policy that has robust limits and several types of coverage that can protect your trip. Also note that, although you may be able to purchase travel insurance for your flight a few days before you depart, you’ll typically get a better deal if you line up travel insurance at least 15 days in advance.

While any one of the best travel insurance companies could provide the coverage you need before you fly, some companies offer better flight protection than others. Read on to find out which flight insurance options U.S. News recommends, as well as what to look for before you purchase a policy.

AIG Travel Guard offers three main travel insurance plans to meet your needs: the Essential plan, the Preferred plan and the premium Deluxe plan, with the latter providing the most coverage options and highest levels of coverage. All three travel insurance plans come with trip cancellation coverage worth up to 100% of trip cost, and trip interruption reimbursement ranges from 100% to 150% of the trip cost. These protections can kick in if a flight is canceled or interrupted for a reason beyond your control, and they can help you get reimbursed for eligible travel expenses you paid upfront.

Types of coverage from this provider include baggage delay insurance and travel medical expense coverage. The top-tier Deluxe plan from AIG Travel Guard also comes with a type of coverage called Flight Guard, which is essentially a form of accidental death and dismemberment protection. You can also add cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage to the Preferred and Deluxe plans. This type of travel insurance lets you cancel your trip for any reason at all, even if you just decide not to fly.

Berkshire Hathaway offers a flight-specific travel insurance plan called AirCare, which offers protections for canceled flights, missed connections, lost luggage, tarmac delays, flight diversions and more. This protection provides cash payments for specific travel-related inconveniences you may encounter, such as having to arrive at your hotel after 2 a.m. due to flight delays or being on a diverted flight that sends you to an alternate airport. You’ll also get a $50 cash payment for each flight delay you deal with that meets timeline requirements as stated in your policy, as well as a $100 cash payment each time you miss a connection.

AirCare from Berkshire Hathaway also comes with 24/7 emergency travel assistance, which means experts are standing by to help you get your trip back on track after a cancellation or delay.

Allianz is another highly rated travel insurance company that offers plans with flight-related benefits. Not only does Allianz have single-trip plan options, but multitrip plans and annual travel insurance plans are also available. The sheer number of plans to choose from makes it easy for consumers to tailor their coverage to their needs and to ensure they have all the flight-related benefits their trip requires.

While Allianz offers basic and mid-tier travel insurance plans for flights, the more robust OneTrip Premier plan provides the best coverage for individual trips. This plan comes with trip cancellation coverage worth up to $200,000; trip interruption coverage worth up to $300,000; emergency medical coverage worth $75,000; baggage loss and damage coverage worth up to $2,000; protection for baggage delays worth up to $600; and travel delay protection. Several other coverages can also help you financially recover after a disrupted trip, including sports equipment loss protection and sports equipment rental protection. This plan also comes with 24-hour hotline assistance and concierge service, which can help you get questions answered and rebook travel on the fly when you must.

Nationwide offers several travel insurance plans with benefits that apply to flights, with some of its plans working for multiple trips and others for single trips only. When it comes to the single-trip travel insurance plans, there are two tiers available: Essential and Prime. The Prime plan comes with higher coverage limits overall, including up to $30,000 in trip cancellation protection; trip interruption coverage worth up to 200% of prepaid travel expenses with a $60,000 maximum; $250 per day ($2,000 maximum) in coverage for trip delays; $500 in coverage for missed connections or itinerary changes; a baggage insurance plan; and more.

The Prime plan from Nationwide also extends well beyond your flight to cover accidental sickness and medical expenses in amounts up to $150,000, although coverage is secondary to your own insurance. Coverage for emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of remains is included in amounts up to $1 million.

Consumers can also turn to Nationwide to buy an annual travel insurance plan for a reasonable cost. For example, the company’s Travel Pro Package starts at just $59 per year and includes coverage for trip delays, emergency medical expenses, emergency medical evacuation, lost luggage and more.

InsureMyTrip is a travel aggregator that lets consumers compare plans from different travel insurance providers all at once. This means the company lets you shop around for different plans and pricing without having to get multiple quotes on different websites. However, any travel insurance plan you buy through the company will actually come from a third party.

That said, InsureMyTrip offers travel insurance and flight insurance through popular providers like AIG Travel Guard, AXA Assistance USA, Nationwide, Seven Corners, Travelex and more. Through each of these companies, consumers can purchase comprehensive travel insurance plans with all the bells and whistles, travel medical insurance for emergencies, emergency medical evacuation protection, and more. Some of the plans are available for single trips, but you can also utilize the providers to buy multitrip travel insurance coverage depending on your needs.