blog post

Posted April 27, 2009 by Squaremouth

As health authorities scramble to contain a dangerous new strain of swine flu sweeping through parts of Mexico, North America and Europe, how will events unfolding affect the travel plans of millions of Americans who take to the skies each day?

“The bottom line is this: Don’t rush today to buy travel insurance in hopes of being covered during the swine flu crisis,” warned Chris Harvey, CEO of Squaremouth, America’s fastest growing comparison web site for travel insurance.

Think about it like hurricane insurance, Harvey explained. If you don’t buy travel insurance before a storm receives its official name, you aren’t covered for losses relating to that storm. Similarly, for most companies, Friday, April 24, 2009, was the date the swine flu outbreak became what the industry calls a “foreseen” or “known event” because of widespread media attention.

That means policies bought before April 24, when the outbreak was considered “unforeseen,” may well be honoured. After that date, forget it: the swine flu was already deemed a “known event,” so claims related directly or indirectly to outbreaks in Mexico or anywhere else will be denied.

Moreover, even if you think your policy covers “unforeseen circumstances,” there may be language in a General Exclusions section exempting claims “arising directly or indirectly from epidemics or pandemics.”

“Always check the fine print to see what protections apply to you,” Harvey said.