Letters: Travel insurance, airline consolidators

Your trip won’t flop; wanna bet?

“Is Insurance Really Necessary? Yes. No.” [More for Your Money, Nov. 11] misses the critical point of any insurance buying decision. Never buy insurance to cover a loss you can afford. Insurance is a bet with the company about whether you will suffer a loss. The company wins enough of the bets to cover not only the occasional loss but also its overhead. When a trip has to be canceled, the money is gone. If you can’t afford to lose the money, the question is not whether to buy trip insurance. It’s whether you should take the trip at all.

--Arthur O. Armstrong, Manhattan Beach

See who belongs

A follow-up to “Swindled on Tickets? Don’t Blame the Airline,” On the Spot, Nov. 11: Consumers can see which consolidators are members of their professional association, the United States Air Consolidators Assn., at www.usaca.com. Not a guarantee, but members have been in business a long time and have an established code of ethics.

--S. “Scott” Feinerman Director, Clergy & Travel Industry Relations Israel Government Tourist Office, Los Angeles

The secret’s out

I’m so tired of travel writers who bemoan their favorite spots being “discovered.” Specifically, Judith Fein in her story “180 Degrees From Cancún,” Nov. 4. If you don’t want it to be discovered, don’t write about it. Or write about it but don’t complain.

--Flo Selfman, Los Angeles