Hong Kong airport suspends flights again
Important:
Travel insurance rules continue to change as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We’re working hard to keep up and make sure our guides are up to date, however some information may not be accurate during the pandemic. It’s even more important to double-check all details that matter to you before taking out cover. Please know that some policies may not be available through Finder at this time. Here are some helpful tips:- If you're buying a policy today, it's unlikely that you'll be covered for border closures
- If your travel plans go against government advice, your policy will most likely be voided and you won't be covered
Finally, some good news! Travel is picking up, so some insurers have started offering cover again.
Just remember, you won't be covered for any pandemic related claims if you do take out domestic travel insurance.
Ongoing protests at Hong Kong airport ground flights.
Aussie travellers heading to Hong Kong face a nervous wait on Wednesday 14 August 2019 following a weekend of delayed flights and escalating demonstrations, which culminated with flight cancellations on both Monday and Tuesday this week.
However, Wednesday could prove eventful following a night where protesters clashed with riot police before the police ultimately retreated from the airport.
The last update from the Hong Kong airport, which occurred at 5:15pm Tuesday 13 August 2019, stated that:
Terminal operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted, and all check-in processes have now been suspended. All passengers are advised to leave the terminal buildings as soon as possible. Affected passengers please contact their respective airlines for flight arrangement.
While the airport authority has not updated its assessment since this time, things aren't looking good. Airline Cathay Pacific released this statement at 11pm Tuesday evening stating that it had been informed that all check-in activity had been suspended.
While Cathay reassured its customers that it intended to operate its flights as normal for those who were already in transit or airside, those yet to depart would need to be rebooked. It also advised those yet to depart that:
Customers are therefore encouraged to postpone non-essential travel from Hong Kong on Tuesday 13 August and Wednesday 14 August and should not proceed to the airport.
How does this impact your travel insurance?
If you're booked to go to Hong Kong in the coming week, whether or not you'll be covered by your travel insurance will depend on when you bought your policy. Since the protest has been world news, the incident becomes what travel insurers class as a "known event".
What this term means is that it's reasonable to expect that an everyday person would know what is happening and that this issue could impact travel. So, if you book your travel after something becomes a known event, your insurer is unlikely to pay your claim.
The table below displays when you would have needed to have bought cover with a range of Australian travel insurance brands in order to make a claim.
| Brand | Cut-off | Underwriter |
|---|---|---|
| 1Cover | Must have bought your policy before 9am on 6 August 2019 (AEST). | Lloyds |
| ahm | Must have bought your policy before 7 August 2019. | Zurich |
| CoverMore | Must have bought your policy before 7 August 2019. | Zurich |
| Fast Cover | Must have bought your policy before 12:05am on 7 August 2019 (AEST). | The Hollard Insurance Company |
| Simply | Must have bought your policy before 9am on 6 August 2019 (AEST). | Lloyds |
| Ski-Insurance.com.au | Must have bought your policy before 9am on 6 August 2019 (AEST). | Lloyds |
| Virgin Money | Must have bought your policy before 7 August 2019. | Allianz |
| World2Cover | Must have bought your policy before 7am on 7 August 2019 (AEST). | Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co |
| Zoom | Must have bought your policy before 9:00am 6 August 2019 (AEST). | Lloyds |
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Picture: Wpcpey / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
