I read an interesting story this week from the great folks at Latitude 38 that raises an important topic when it comes to planning a charter. Apparently, small airline "Aero California" has been shut down by the Mexican Civil Aviation Department due to safety concerns. So what, you ask?
Well, apparently, some folks from the San Francisco Bay area were planning a charter in the Sea of Cortez (out of La Paz) and relying upon Aero California to get them there. With little time to make alternate flight arrangements, the charter group was forced to abandon their charter vacation until a later date. Fortunately, Moorings is allowing the group to reschedule their charter for a later date at any of their charter bases worldwide. (Good on ya, Moorings - very nice gesture).
But, this does bring up the question of if a.) you can't find time in the next year or so to take a trip, or b.) the charter company you signed on with doesn't make such a generous offer, how do you recoup your lost charter deposits/funds?
Many of the large companies have an in-house charter protection program for their clients. But, for smaller, lesser-resourced companies, here are just a couple options that some companies recommend for travel insurance:
(Note: we have not used either of these services so we cannot speak to their prices, quality, etc.)
Have you used one of these services? Or, do you have any experiences with insurance packages - often referred to as "Charter Protection Plans" - offered by some companies? Let us know and we'll combine the information as part of a general tips article.
Tags: sailing, travel+insurance, aero+california, yacht+charter, moorings, latitude+38, charter+protection+plan