Non refundable tickets and a pregnant wife - please help

jgallcash

My wife and I booked flights with BA via Expedia two weeks ago for a trip in March31st/ April11th 2015. Total cost ws £1500

Within a week we found out that my wife is pregnant and would be due May 19th. Our email states the tickets are non refundable nor transferable. Our annual travel insurance policy (with protect your bubble) doesn't seem to cover for this in terms of curtailment and on a cursory look it will not cover her for any pregnancy related problems whilst away.

Is there any scope at all for us to get our money back for the flights? Would BA be sympathetic if I contacted them?

Would a credit card chargeback work?

Any advice would be very welcome.

PeacefulWaters

I doubt the airline will allow her to fly at that stage.

If your travel insurance excludes pregnancy then you are reduced to begging. And buying better quality insurance in future.

Worst scenario is you will get APT back minus a fee. Probably nowhere near the fare.

There is a suggested approach here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1306567-non-refundable-tickets-pregnancy.html

No evidence of success though.

Do either of you have a bank account you pay a fee for? Does that include travel insurance? Unlikely it will cover pregnancy, but you can check.

Would a credit card chargeback work?

No. You got what you booked. Non-refundable tickets.

InsideInsurance

jgallcash wrote: »

it will not cover her for any pregnancy related problems whilst away.

Is there any scope at all for us to get our money back for the flights? Would BA be sympathetic if I contacted them?

Would a credit card chargeback work?

The travel insurance almost certainly would cover pregnancy problems whilst away but wouldnt cover any routine pregnancy developments which includes a slightly early birth. No travel insurance is going to cover cancelling a holiday because of not using contraception properly.

You agreed to have locked down tickets in exchange for a discount on the flexible fare prices. What allegations of misconduct or fraud are you going to make to your bank against BA/ Expedia for them to consider protecting your rights by doing a chargeback???

If you want the right to change your tickets then stump up the money for flexible tickets and dont think that if you cut corners and buy locked down tickets that the world owes you because your wife's gets knocked up

Speak to Expedia and BA about what they can do and if she'd even be allowed to fly that late in a pregnancy but change the attitude from trying to weasel out to admitting its your fault and begging for sympathy from them

PeacefulWaters

No travel insurance is going to cover cancelling a holiday because of not using contraception properly.

A tad harsh.

While it may or may not be the truth in this case contraceptive methods don't guarantee 100% success.

lgw29

after 28 weeks of pregnancy you need a doctors / midwife's letter confirming the estimated date of delivery and that there are no complications, after 32 weeks you will not be allowed to fly

jpsartre

jgallcash wrote: »

Would BA be sympathetic if I contacted them?

BA would send you back to Expedia since you booked from them. This is yet another case where you would have been in a better situation had you booked direct with the airline as you would have been able to deal directly with them (although I suspect the chances of an outright refund would have been very small anyway). Your best bet is to try and move the holiday forward and go well in advance on your partner giving birth. There'll be a change fee and you have to pay the difference in fare (if any).

agrinnall

jpsartre wrote: »

Your best bet is to try and move the holiday forward and go well in advance on your partner giving birth. There'll be a change fee and you have to pay the difference in fare (if any).

Although if the OP is correct that their cut price travel insurance won't cover pregnancy related issues while on holiday it would be a risk to go, and they might think just losing the price of the tickets would be a better idea.

jpsartre

Or they could get better travel insurance.

peachyprice

jpsartre wrote: »

Or they could get better travel insurance.

Probably too late now as the pregnancy is 'pre-existing'.

jpsartre

It's not a problem geting travel insurance when you're pregnant although obviously it may be more expensive than usual.

George_Michael

jpsartre wrote: »

It's not a problem geting travel insurance when you're pregnant although obviously it may be more expensive than usual.

It won't matter how good or how expensive the travel insurance is, no insurer will provide cover for cancellation due to pregnancy if the applicant is already pregnant when taking out the policy.