Collinson Insurance is supporting Expedia to extend its One Key flight delay benefit to Gold members in the US, following its launch for Platinum members. The extension gives Expedia another way to recognise loyalty by providing a complimentary benefit that members can use when a flight is disrupted.

Gold and Platinum One Key members who book eligible flights through Expedia are registered for SmartDelay+ automatically. If their flight is delayed or disrupted for 90 minutes or more, they receive an alert through the Expedia app and a QR code for airport lounge access. If no eligible lounge or airport experience is available, each eligible passenger on the same itinerary receives $20 in OneKeyCash towards future eligible travel bookings on Expedia. Members do not need to register separately, submit a claim or provide evidence of the delay.

For loyalty programmes, the value of tier status depends on members being able to see and use its benefits. SmartDelay+ adds a benefit linked directly to the journey, complementing One Key rewards such as member discounts and OneKeyCash for future bookings.

Collinson provides the technology, live flight monitoring, servicing and access to more than 1,800 airport lounges and travel experiences across 788 airports in 144 countries. Starr provides the US underwriting capacity, while Expedia manages eligibility, booking and delivery through its app and One Key programme.

Alex Lawrence, Global Head of Product and Proposition at Collinson Insurance, said: “Loyalty is strongest when members can feel the value of their status in the way they’re treated. A disrupted flight puts that promise to the test. By extending the benefit from Platinum to Gold, Expedia is recognising a wider group of higher-tier members by making the airport wait less frustrating, without asking them to do anything extra.”