Does Travel Insurance Cover Flight Delays? Here’s How to Protect Your Holiday From Middle East Travel Disruption

Last updated: Sep 7, 2026

If you’re stuck at an airport because of delays caused by the Middle East conflict, your travel insurance may still help, even though most policies exclude war-related losses.

The key is a benefit called trip delay coverage, and whether it applies depends on when you bought your policy and exactly how your plan’s delay section is worded.

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The War Exclusion: Why Standard Claims Get Denied

Nearly every travel insurance policy contains a “war exclusion” clause.

This means losses caused directly or indirectly by war, acts of war, military operations, or government-ordered airspace closures are generally not covered.

Allianz identifies 28 February 2026 as the date this conflict became a known event. Other insurers apply their own policy wording and cut-off dates; buying cover after a disruption becomes foreseeable does not make that disruption insured.

In plain terms, this means:

Your airline cancels your flight to Jeddah, Amman, or anywhere else due to airspace closures — standard trip cancellation coverage may exclude reimbursement of the ticket cost
You decide not to travel because of government advisories — standard coverage generally excludes “fear of travel”
You bought your policy after 28 February 2026 — even broader coverage types are unlikely to help for this specific crisis

However, the war exclusion doesn’t necessarily close the door on every benefit in your policy. That’s where trip delay coverage comes in.

Trip Delay Coverage: The Benefit That May Still Pay Out

Here’s something many travellers don’t realise: trip delay benefits may still pay out even when the underlying cause is war-related. This requires a covered reason and no applicable exclusion, or an explicit insurer accommodation.

If your policy includes a trip delay benefit, check that section and the policy-wide exclusions. Many trip delay sections reimburse necessary out-of-pocket expenses after a delay threshold — typically 6 to 12 hours, depending on your insurer — for covered causes, subject to policy-wide and benefit-specific exclusions.

Allianz’s published U.S. accommodation requires an eligible plan effective by 28 February 2026 and a qualifying itinerary in an impacted country on that date, including passengers in transit scheduled to arrive that day. For qualifying Trip Interruption claims, the five-day expense limit is waived, but daily and total limits remain. This does not establish coverage for new September trips.

What Expenses Are Covered During a Delay

If your trip delay benefit kicks in, it typically reimburses reasonable, necessary out-of-pocket expenses you incur while waiting. These include:

Hotel accommodation if you’re stranded overnight
Meals and refreshments during the wait
Ground transportation to and from your hotel
Toiletries and essential personal items

Reimbursement limits are modest, often between USD 100 and USD 300 per day, depending on your plan. Some plans set a per-incident cap (e.g., USD 500 or USD 1,000 total) rather than a daily limit.

You’ll need to keep all receipts. Missing documentation can delay a claim or lead to denial.

Credit Card Travel Insurance: Check Your Delay Benefit

If you don’t have a standalone travel insurance policy, check whether your credit card includes a trip delay benefit. Many premium credit cards offer delay coverage automatically when you pay for flights with the card.

Credit card trip delay benefits typically have the same war exclusions as standalone policies in their cancellation sections. But — just like standalone plans — the delay-specific section must be read alongside all general exclusions and covered causes.

Check your card’s certificate of insurance for the specific terms. Look for the delay threshold (often 6 hours for premium cards), the reimbursement cap, and whether any policy-wide or delay-specific war exclusion applies.

How to Make a Trip Delay Claim

If you’re currently stuck at an airport or hotel due to Middle East–related delays, here’s how to protect your ability to claim:

Check your policy’s delay threshold. Most plans require a minimum delay of 6 to 12 hours before the benefit activates. Some credit card travel benefits require only 6 hours, while standalone policies may require up to 12
Get written proof of the delay. Ask your airline for a delay confirmation letter or screenshot the delay notification from the airline’s app — you’ll need evidence of the delay duration and cause
Keep every receipt. Meals, hotels, transport, toiletries — save the originals. Insurers require itemised receipts for reimbursement
Only spend on necessities. Trip delay benefits cover reasonable expenses. A basic hotel room and meals may be reimbursed within policy limits; discretionary spending such as spa treatments is generally excluded
File your claim promptly. Filing deadlines vary by policy and jurisdiction. Don’t wait — gather your documents and submit as soon as you’re home

What Your Airline and Local Authorities Are Doing for Stranded Passengers

Even if your insurance doesn’t cover delays, your airline may owe care under the rules that apply to your flight.

EU Rules: Airlines Must Provide Care During Long Delays

If your delayed flight departs from the EU, Iceland, Norway, or Switzerland — or arrives there from outside the EU on an EU airline — EU Regulation 261/2004 requires the airline to provide care while you wait, even when the delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances like military conflict.

Depending on the length of the delay, this includes:

Free meals and refreshments after a delay of 2, 3 or 4 hours, depending on flight distance
Access to phone calls or emails
Hotel accommodation and airport transfers if you’re delayed overnight

These care obligations apply regardless of the cause of the delay. The extraordinary circumstances exemption can remove the airline’s obligation to pay cash compensation (€250–€600) if its legal conditions are met — it does not remove the duty to look after you while you wait.

What You Should Do Right Now

If you’re currently stranded, focus on documenting everything. Whether your claim ends up going to your insurer, your airline, or both, receipts and proof of delay are what get claims paid.

Here’s your action plan:

Check your flight status using Wego’s flight tracker — know whether your flight is delayed and by how long before contacting anyone
Ask your airline for care and assistance — for covered EU departures, care starts after the applicable 2-, 3- or 4-hour threshold, with accommodation where an overnight stay becomes necessary
Confirm assistance before paying for a hotel — if you’re stranded in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, ask your airline to confirm any accommodation or reimbursement it will provide
Review your insurance policy’s trip delay section — look specifically at the delay threshold, reimbursement cap, and whether the delay section has its own war exclusion
Keep every receipt — meals, hotels, transport, toiletries — organised by date and amount
Don’t travel against government advice — doing so may affect coverage, depending on the policy and the claim

If you need accommodation while waiting out a delay, compare hotels in Dubai or Abu Dhabi on Wego.

Frequently Asked Questions

My travel insurance has a war exclusion — does that mean my delay claim will be denied?

Not necessarily. The war exclusion in your policy may apply to the main cancellation and trip interruption sections but not to the trip delay section. Coverage still requires a covered reason, no applicable policy-wide exclusion, or a specific insurer accommodation. Check both the delay section and general exclusions.

How long does my flight need to be delayed before I can claim?

Typically 6 to 12 hours. The exact threshold depends on your insurer and plan. Premium credit card benefits often kick in after 6 hours, while some standalone policies require delays of 12 hours or more. Check your policy documents for the specific trigger.

I bought my travel insurance after 28 February 2026 — can I still claim for delays?

Allianz treats 28 February 2026 as the known-event date, but other insurers set their own terms. A new policy generally will not cover a foreseeable disruption. An unrelated future delay may be covered if it meets your policy’s covered reasons and exclusions.

Does my credit card’s travel insurance cover war-related delays?

It depends on the card. Credit card travel benefits typically mirror standalone policies — with war exclusions in the cancellation sections. But the delay-specific benefit may still cover your out-of-pocket expenses while stranded. Check your card’s certificate of insurance for policy-wide exclusions as well as the delay section’s exclusions and trigger threshold.

What happens to my travel insurance if I travel against my government’s advice?

Coverage may be restricted or excluded, depending on the policy, advisory and circumstances of the claim. Travelling against advice does not automatically void every benefit under every policy.

Sources

Disclaimer: Wego strives to ensure all information presented in this article is accurate and up to date at the time of publication. Travel policies, prices, visa requirements, and conditions can change rapidly. We strongly recommend verifying critical details with official sources before making travel decisions. Wego does not accept liability for any inaccuracies, oversights, or changes that may occur after publication.