You’ve boarded your flight and settled in watching a Netflix TV series you downloaded ahead of time. Minutes pass before you look up and notice a passenger in the front of the plane, standing up and talking to 2 flight attendants.
You realize your plane, which had been in reverse, is now headed back to the gate.
A flight attendant walks by and you inquire about what is going on. He states “She says she’s having a medical emergency and needs to get off the plane.” Ironically, when you reach the gate, she puts her bag back in the overhead bin and sits back down in her seat.
What the heck is going on?
Flight attendants and gate agents now appear to be attempting to convince this woman to get off the plane. This continues until finally, the woman is escorted off the plane. All the while you are sitting and watching the time pass; your flight that should have taken off 30 minutes ago is just now heading for the runway. Your 1-hour layover, which seemed like plenty of time before the delay, may not quite cut it anymore.
Unfortunately, most of us have been there. It may not always be a passenger issue, but weather, mechanical issues, or other unforeseen circumstances that put your travel plans in jeopardy.
The above situation occurred during a recent trip I took with my husband. While watching the scene unfold we realized that the possibility of making our connecting flight, which also happened to be the last flight out of the night, was looking dismal. So, due to another passenger’s “issue” we were looking at possible additional costs to our trip – hotel, transportation to from and from the airport, meals, etc. Not to mention the possibility that our checked bags might make it to our final destination without us, that we’d make it but our bags wouldn’t, or even worse, that our bags would get lost.
Can you tell that I tend to worry? Luckily for me, my husband does not AND he plans ahead. He purchased our plane tickets using our Chase Sapphire Reserve® card. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, we have travel benefits to cover us in unforeseen situations.
These include benefits like:
- Trip Delay Protection
- Up to $500 per ticket for reasonable expenses (meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal use items) if your trip is delayed for more than 6 hours
- Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance
- Up to $10,000 per person per covered trip (maximum $20,000 per occurrence)
- Up to $40,000 per 12 month period
- See the Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits Guide for more details
- Lost Luggage Protection
- Covers the cost to repair or replace lost luggage and personal items inside
- Up to $3,000 per person each trip with a limit of $500 for items such as jewelry and electronics
- Baggage Delay Protection
- If your baggage is delayed for more than 6 hours, you could be reimbursed for purchases of essential items (i.e. clothing, toiletries, cell phone charging cables, and more)
- Up to $100 per day for a maximum of 5 days
- and more!
You can read a full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and all of the card’s amazing perks here.
I have to tell you, it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders when he shared this with me. Although the extra annoyance and hassle of an unexpected disruption can’t be amended, at least the extra financial burden could.
Any guesses on how our story ended?
If you guessed that we sprinted (just like in the movies!) to our connecting flight, made it just in time, and were able to get home that night as planned, then you guessed right! So, while we did not have to use our travel benefits offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card this time, it is comforting to know they are there just in case for future travel. Everyone loves a happy ending.