Manulife deems fuel shortage a ‘known event’ — how it affects Canadians’ travel insurance
Canadians buying Manulife travel insurance should be aware of recent changes that could affect their coverage.
From rising flight prices to cancellations, fuel shortages have disrupted travel plans for many Canadians, and Manulife has now updated its policy in response. In a statement shared on the company’s website, Manulife stated that it has made changes to its individual travel insurance coverage as a result of the airline fuel shortage.
Starting on Tuesday, Manulife has categorized worldwide jet fuel shortages as a “known event” under its Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance coverage.
“Any coverage available under Manulife travel policies is subject to coordination of benefits and is secondary to other sources of compensation, including remedies offered by the travel supplier or applicable credit card refunds,” states the company.
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That means that if an airline or travel supplier cancels or changes flights as a result of fuel shortages, those companies are responsible for offering customers refunds, rebooking options, or travel credits.
Manulife states that airlines are responsible for addressing these issues, and are therefore not covered under Manulife Travel Insurance. However, coverage varies depending on customers’ circumstances or policy terms. Certain benefits, such as missed connections or travel disruptions, may still apply.
How these changes affect Canadians depends on when they purchased their policy.
If you purchased it before May 5, 2026, misconnection or disruption benefits may apply if you were affected by fuel shortages. For policies purchased on or after that date, however, benefits related to this situation would no longer apply, as Manulife considers it a “known event.”
For travellers who have already departed and bought their insurance policy before May 5, they could still be eligible for coverage if their trip was affected by fuel shortages. This won’t apply to policies purchased on or after May 5.
Fuel shortages have sent travellers scrambling after Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Transat announced that they’re suspending some routes or reducing capacity to manage fuel costs.