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The risks customers face with flights, trains, and ferries
Travel is fragile. Plans change, often when people least expect them. Illnesses appear out of nowhere. Family emergencies can’t be scheduled. And the weather? It can throw entire operations off course in a matter of hours.
Flights are one of the clearest examples. In 2024, US carriers managed to run just 78.1% of flights on time. In Europe, the situation was similar: the average delay was 17.5 minutes per flight, and only 72.4% of services arrived within fifteen minutes of schedule. For travellers, that means missed connections, late arrivals and plenty of stress.
Rail passengers see it too. Between April and June 2025 in Great Britain, punctuality stood at 86.3% and cancellations hit 3.2%. That’s thousands of journeys disrupted.
And then there are ferries. They’re even more vulnerable to weather and route constraints. Domestic UK sea passenger numbers grew to 38.3 million in 2024. More people travelling is great news, but it also means more exposure when something goes wrong, and more refund claims when it does.
Why delays feel worse for customers
The real problem with delays is how quickly they spiral. One late train or cancelled flight doesn’t just ruin that leg of the trip; it can derail an entire itinerary. Connections get missed. Rebookings are more challenging to find during peak times. Late arrivals mean lost events, from concerts to weddings.
It hits families and groups the hardest. Stress rises, costs climb, and the sense of control disappears. In those moments, what customers want is simple: clarity, empathy, and fast refunds when they need them.
Lack of coverage in traditional booking systems
The problem is that most booking systems weren’t designed to handle this reality. Legacy platforms were built to manage inventory, not people. They can handle schedule changes, but when it comes to compassionate exceptions, such as illness or bereavement, they fall short.
Even regulations don’t cover the full picture. EU air passenger rights handle cancellations and long delays, but not personal emergencies. Rail protections vary widely across countries. Ferry passengers only get help after a ninety-minute delay, and again, personal emergencies don’t count (GOV.UK).
In other words, there’s a big gap between what customers face in real life and what existing systems actually cover.
A gap between coverage and real life
Emergencies are personal, not operational. A broken ankle, a sick child, or a family crisis doesn’t fit into neat regulatory categories. Customers, however, expect empathy when life gets tough.
Operators need that balance too: a fair and predictable way to handle exceptions without constantly eating into revenue.
Industry trend: more pre-booking, more risk
On top of this, travellers are booking further ahead again. In EMEA, bookings made more than 90 days in advance hit 37% at the start of 2024. That’s great for cash flow, but it also extends the risk window. The further out a booking is made, the more chance something will change.
Timing matters, too. Flight disruption rates spike after 3 p.m. One study found a one-in-three chance of a delay or cancellation by mid-afternoon. For multi-leg journeys, those odds add up quickly.
What this means for operators
For operators, it’s a trade-off. Advance sales give stability and cash flow, but they also increase the chance of disruption or cancellation. Customers expect flexibility, but it has to scale with demand.
That means offering protection that matches modern booking behaviour—simple, clear, and embedded directly in the flow.
What modern refund protection should look like
Modern refund protection isn’t about complicated insurance policies. It’s about giving customers the option to upgrade to a refundable ticket at checkout. The language should be plain and honest. The coverage should be crystal clear about which emergencies are included. Evidence requirements should be transparent and reasonable.
Speed is non-negotiable. Customers expect payouts fast, with visibility on where things stand. Behind the scenes, pricing should adapt to live signals of risk. AI makes this possible, delivering fairness for customers while protecting margins for operators.
Dashboards should let teams track revenue, conversions, and refunds in real time. And when a claim is made, customers should feel looked after from start to finish.
Our view on the standard
At Protect Group, this is exactly the standard we set. Refund Protect upgrades tickets directly at checkout and covers a wide range of real-life emergencies. It’s not old-school insurance. It’s designed for modern ecommerce.
AI-driven pricing enables Partners to strike a balance between revenue and risk. The Pulse Reporting Dashboard offers teams real-time visibility into their performance. And with Protect Plus, we add extra ancillaries, like carbon offsetting, eSIMs, Flight Delay Compensation and Delayed Baggage Compensation, when they’re helpful, without overcomplicating the experience.
The opportunity for transport providers
The benefits go beyond customer satisfaction. Refund protection boosts confidence at checkout, which drives higher conversion rates. Confident customers not only book more, but they also spend more across the journey. Ancillary sales grow, complaints fall, and support teams get breathing space to focus on operations.
Over time, refund protection also brings revenue predictability. This is a big win in a sector where volatility is the norm.
Proof in market signals
The data backs this up. Across Europe, airlines continue to struggle with mounting costs of disruptions. Eurocontrol highlights the financial toll of delays. Operators who add refund protection don’t just manage the impact better; they win goodwill. Customers remember when their experience was handled with care, and that drives loyalty.
Bringing it together
Travel demand is rising, but so are the risks. Operational delays are constant. Personal emergencies will never disappear. And traditional systems weren’t built to handle both.
Modern refund protection closes that gap. It protects travellers when they need it most, while giving operators a smarter way to grow revenue, build trust, and scale with confidence.
That’s not just protection. It’s a competitive advantage.
