New Delhi, Sept. 3 -- My daughter, on a sabbatical, recently travelled to Europe. The trouble began on the return leg. Her first flight was delayed by four hours, enough to make her miss her connection to India. The airline rerouted her through another European city; that flight was delayed too. By the time she landed in Delhi, she was 12 hours behind schedule. Somewhere in the scramble between terminals, she twisted her ankle. Her checked luggage did not make it either, turning up in Delhi two days later.

She had a top-end travel insurance policy with a long list of covers. A few days later, I sat down to see what she could claim. The answer? Nothing.

The policy promised $500 for a missed flight connection, less whatever the airline ow...