Can I claim some costs back?

karltin

Hi everyone,

I have a question if anyone can help please4 as I am unsure after reading so many confusing definitions.

I and my family (wife and 6 year old son) had our flight back from Paris with EasyJet canceled due to some strike action in France. I have already requested a refund as the next available flight would have been 3 days later therefore we had to make alternative travel arrangements back to the UK.

This involved the following:

EuroStar train tickets from Paris to Brugges GBP117.00

Overnight hotel in Brugges GBP65.00

Taxi from Brugges to Zebrugge GBP20.00

P&O Ferry ticket from Zebrugge to Hull GBP225.00

I work out that the cancellation has cost me an additional GBP400+

We are insured with the EasyJet travel insurance and would this cover me and would I be entitled to claim any of these additional expenses?

Many thanks in advance.

apt

You need to contact the insurers directly. They might pay - minus £50 excess - but there are riot, civil commotion, strike or lock-out exclusions which they may well invoke. If you had stayed and demanded easyJet sort out your return the airline would have been liable for your accommodation and subsistence.

HXDave

If you requested a refund, re-imbursement under right of care on EU261/2004 has gone out of the window, so highly unlikely you will be covered under this.

there may, however, be a claim of compensation by having your flights cancelled at last minute by Easyjet, however i am not 100% sure if this would cover or not due to the cancellation being by strike action, and i do not have my details of the EU directive with me.

karltin

Many many thanks for the replies and I must admit it seems as though I may be at a loss.

I can well imagine that all airlines have these "small" clauses were once you request for a refund all further issues are not of the airlines concerns.

Easyjet informed me of the cancellation (txt and email) b2 days before the flight home (Tuesday just gone and due to fly home Thursday). They gave us the option of either a refund or a return flight home of which the next available was Today (Sunday). This was not an option therefore we requested a refund and made other plans to get home which involves the above details and cost of in excess of GBP400.00

I have not even received the original refund of the flight yet although it was requested only on Tuesday but overall the cost of the trip has increased greatly due to the additional expenses incurred.

I know there is no easy way around this but how these is allowed simply baffles me despite being insured.

I plan to call the insurance company involved and see where I stand.

Thanks again

richardw

I think EC261/2004 and the Montreal Convention apply no matter what terms and conditions an airline might make up.

Was it a strike or a 'work to rule'?

karltin

Hi Richard,

Sorry if this may sound dumb but I have no idea if it was a strike OR "work to rule".

EasyJet informed me of the cancellation firstly by text in which they described it as "Industrial Action in France" then, secondly by email of which I have posted the details below:

We are really sorry to inform you that due to industrial action by Air Traffic Control in France on 28th October 2010 your easyJet flight 2442 to LTN has regrettably been cancelled.

We always aim to provide the best possible experience when flying with easyJet, however from time to time situations such as this arise which are out of our control and are affecting all airlines operating in over French Air Space.

We will do all we can to help you make quick and suitable alternative arrangements and have detailed the options available to you below.

Please read this email carefully - it contains vital information on the next steps to take.

Once again, we are very sorry for the inconvenience this will have caused you.

As you can see, it was an issue with the Air Traffic Control in France.

Still, I will contact the insurance company.

Thanks again

Alan_Bowen

Unless you have a very generous insurer, I cannot see any prospects of a claim. Not only that but you were flying to Luton and made your own decision to increase the cost of return by making you own way back to Hull. Perhaps if you had travelled direct by Eurostar to London there might have been a slim hope but EU261 won't help once you decide to take the refund rather than wait for Easyjet to help. Best of luck