If you miss your flight due to EES queues, airlines are under no obligation to put you on another flight without an extra charge.

Travel insurance is unlikely to cover the cost of new flights, hotels or any other losses incurred as a result of delays caused by EES queues, the Association of British Insurers says.

Anne Robinson, from Dunbarton, and her 13 year-old-son Jack missed their flight home from Rome in June when they got stuck in a 90-minute queue. They had to pay £250 for a replacement flight two days later, which they could not claim back.

No travel insurance policies explicitly cover EES delays, because it is an expected procedure or routine process, explains Anna-Marie Duthie, travel insurance expert at analysts Defaqto.

“In practice it is your responsibility to allow additional time for such long queues or delays,” she says.

There is a slight chance of a claim under missed departure, or delay or abandonment, cover. However, immigration or border delays are often not listed covered reasons, she says.

Top tip: Read your paperwork or speak to your insurer before you travel.

VA loans are becoming a more common path to homeownership as elevated home prices and mortgage rates squeeze buyers — but many veterans and service members still do not fully understand the benefit they earned.

A Rocket Mortgage and Redfin analysis of county records across 40 major U.S. metro areas found VA loans accounted for 7.7% of mortgaged home purchases in March, up from 6.8% a year earlier and tied with 2020 for the highest March share in a decade.

The increase comes as eligible veterans, active-duty service members and surviving spouses search for ways to lower the upfront cost of buying a home.

VA loans, which are backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and issued through private lenders, typically require little to no down payment and no private mortgage insurance.

FORD AND NASCAR TEAM UP FOR MILITARY TRIBUTE DURING AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR

VA loans typically require little to no down payment and no private mortgage insurance. (iStock)

Even as VA loans gain traction, many veterans and service members still do not fully understand how the benefit can help them buy a home, according to Rocket Mortgage.

A January Rocket Mortgage survey of more than 1,100 active-duty service members, veterans and their spouses found that 59% said they know about VA loans, but fewer than half said they had used or planned to use one to buy a home. 

Just 16% said they were familiar with state-specific veteran housing resources, the study found.

For Ryan Dandin, a former U.S. Army cryptologic linguist and current Rocket Mortgage team member, the benefit helped his family move from temporary military housing to a permanent home in Michigan.

Dandin spent years moving his family between military assignments, including stops in California and Germany. Even when military housing was comfortable, he said it never fully felt like theirs.

USAA, ARMED SERVICES YMCA LAUNCH CHILDCARE PROGRAM AHEAD OF MILITARY SPOUSE APPRECIATION DAY

VA loans accounted for 7.7% of mortgaged home purchases in March, up from 6.8% a year earlier and tied with 2020 for the highest March share in a decade. (iStock)

“When I left the military, all the focus was on VA health care and making sure we went through the right steps to get the health care we needed and the disability rating we needed,” Dandin told FOX Business. “There was probably a footnote about VA home loans, but it wasn’t the main focus.”

Homeownership, Dandin said, gave his family roots.

Dandin said many veterans may assume they do not qualify or that buying a home is out of reach, but he encouraged them to look into it before ruling it out.

“When we got our first home, that was the same mindset that I had,” Dandin said. “I had no clue that I could actually afford a home. I had no clue that I would actually qualify.”

Steven Mohler, who served in the Army Reserves, also said veterans should not assume the door is closed.

“Go for it! At least try,” Mohler told FOX Business. “It’s easy.”

Mohler said he refinanced through a VA loan and was able to secure a low mortgage rate on his Arizona home.

LAS VEGAS VETERAN PUSHES BACK AFTER HOA REPORTEDLY TARGETED FRONT YARD HYDRANT DISPLAY: ‘THE LAST STRAW’

A recent survey of more than 1,100 active-duty service members, veterans and their spouses found that 59% said they know about VA loans. (iStock / Getty Images Plus)

“I got a beautiful home here in Arizona,” he said. “I got a low-interest loan. I can’t believe it.”

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Dandin said veteran homeownership carries added meaning against the backdrop of America’s 250th anniversary year.

“Homeownership is one of the most tangible expressions of the American dream,” Dandin said. “It means independence, owning a piece of America. A home is where you raise your kids, where you build equity for your future and where you pass on something greater than you started with.”

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BMW is “here for the long game” in the U.S. as it completes a $1.7 billion South Carolina investment and prepares to build fully electric vehicles at its largest plant, its North America CEO told FOX Business.

Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO of BMW of North America, said the investment marks a major milestone in the automaker’s U.S. manufacturing strategy and proves BMW is doing more than making promises.

“One thing is to announce an investment and another one is to actually do the investment, implement it, [and] build the expansion of this facility,” Mackensen told FOX Business.

The expansion, first announced in 2022, includes a $1 billion upgrade at BMW’s Plant Spartanburg and a $700 million battery assembly facility in nearby Woodruff, South Carolina.

BMW COMPLETES $1.7 BILLION SOUTH CAROLINA EXPANSION, UNVEILS ALL-ELECTRIC X5

Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO of BMW of North America, said the investment marks a major milestone in the automaker’s U.S. manufacturing strategy and proves BMW is doing more than making promises. (FOX Business / Fox News)

As part of that push, BMW also unveiled the all-new X5 on Tuesday at Plant Spartanburg. The automaker said its new iX5, the first battery-electric BMW X5, will become the first fully electric BMW assembled in the U.S. when production begins at the end of this year.

The iX5 is expected to be the first of several electric models built in South Carolina. At least five additional fully electric BMW models are expected to be assembled in the U.S. by 2030, according to the company.

The move comes as some automakers have scaled back or delayed their EV plans. BMW, however, says it is staying the course.

“We are convinced that the EV is a relevant and here-to-stay drivetrain option,” Mackensen said. “Will it be the majority of vehicles sold? Probably not in the U.S., at least not in the foreseeable future. But at the same time, we are exporting to global markets from this plant.”

FORD ROLLS INTO NATION’S CAPITAL WITH HISTORIC CAR SHOWCASE CELEBRATING AMERICA’S 250TH

That global reach has long been central to Plant Spartanburg’s role within BMW’s manufacturing network.

Plant Spartanburg, first established more than three decades ago, currently assembles BMW vehicles including the X3, X6, X7 and XM for both U.S. and international customers. 

Mackensen said BMW’s growth in South Carolina has also had a broader economic impact, helping attract suppliers and other businesses to the region.

“It has really had a changing impact on the whole community, not only in Greenville [and] Spartanburg, but also for the entire state,” Mackensen said. 

That local footprint is also part of a larger U.S. strategy. Mackensen said the U.S. is BMW’s second-largest market by volume and remains central to the company’s global plans.

POLESTAR BANNED FROM US MARKET UNDER RULE TARGETING CHINA-LINKED CONNECTED VEHICLES

Vehicles await export at the Port of Charleston in South Carolina. (BMW / Fox News)

“It shows our clear commitment to the U.S. market,” Mackensen told FOX Business. “It makes a lot of sense to assemble your cars where your customers are.”

BMW said it has been the largest automotive exporter from the U.S. by value for more than a decade, exporting nearly 3 million vehicles worth more than $113 billion from 2014 through 2025.

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FOX Business’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.