Missed my flight due to M25 Friday 14th Nov 2014

Bobbymax

Lily-Rose wrote: »

I'm really sorry to hear this Jams, but I don't think you have a case. It's just plain old stinking rotten luck! If you do want to try and claim something; you could contact someone at Surrey Highway Maintenance, (if it's not them, then they may be able to point you int the right direction,) as there were repairs being done on the road at the time. They were laying concrete in the rain! Maybe if you could prove this delay cost you extra money, you could get the money back from them? Just a thought.

You did indeed give yourself plenty of time for sure, and it's very unfortunate that this mammoth traffic jam occurred. I think maybe public transport would have been better, but then again, sod's law says that the bloomin' trains would have been delayed or cancelled.

Also, sorry to say this, but maybe it's a good idea to check the roads in future; I mean this incident happened at 5am, and you didn't leave the house til 9.30am, so it happened 4 hours before you even left. If you'd checked for traffic issues, you would probably have spotted this and could have taken an alternative route; so this may go against you: it's not like it happened 15 minutes before you got to that particular spot. They may ask you why you didn't check for traffic issues before you left the house.

But what a horrible, long, tedious journey that must have been.

Hopefully this is the one and only time this happens to you.

Another idea maybe, would be to stay at a travelodge (or similar) near the airport, that is a short walk or short taxi drive away from the airport, so you don't have to worry about getting there that the day you go, as you will already be there!!!

P.S. re; the debate on here at the mo; I have always thought that you should arrive at the airport approx 2 hours before your flight, but I don't know if it's written in stone, or if it's just what people do! When we went to America a few years ago, the travel agent did recommend that we did that.

Jams,
You have my total sympathy.
We were booked on a 2pm flight out of Gatwick and left Sheffield at 5.30am, allowing five and hours before check-in opened for a journey that should only takes 3 hours 20 mins
We didn't hear the warning on the radio until 9.15am when we were only 30 miles from Gatwick. The BBC were saying up to an hour's delay and the overhead signs on the M25 were saying 10 minutes delay. We couldn't do anything about it anyway as we were stuck between junctions 10 and nine. We got to Gatwick at 2.15pm.
Needless to say, our travel insurance won't reimburse the £1260 it cost four of us to book another flight nor the extra it cost to find two trains and a bus to Heathrow (cabs were in very short supply and the Gatwick-Heathrow National Express had been suspended).

zagfles

Bobbymax wrote: »

Jams,
You have my total sympathy.
We were booked on a 2pm flight out of Gatwick and left Sheffield at 5.30am, allowing five and hours before check-in opened for a journey that should only takes 3 hours 20 mins
We didn't hear the warning on the radio until 9.15am when we were only 30 miles from Gatwick. The BBC were saying up to an hour's delay and the overhead signs on the M25 were saying 10 minutes delay. We couldn't do anything about it anyway as we were stuck between junctions 10 and nine. We got to Gatwick at 2.15pm.
Needless to say, our travel insurance won't reimburse the £1260 it cost four of us to book another flight nor the extra it cost to find two trains and a bus to Heathrow (cabs were in very short supply and the Gatwick-Heathrow National Express had been suspended).

Just goes to show - even if you allow bags of time you can still end up missing your flight when something like this happens. Why wouldn't the travel insurance pay? Don't they cover missed departure? Pretty useless policy if they don't!

Bobbymax

zagfles wrote: »

Just goes to show - even if you allow bags of time you can still end up missing your flight when something like this happens. Why wouldn't the travel insurance pay? Don't they cover missed departure? Pretty useless policy if they don't!

The insurance company will only pay out if we'd had a mechanical breakdown and couldn't continue or were on public transport.

buglawton

It depends on your policy.

To repeat from my post #35:
From the Virgin Money single trip insurance policy

Section G, missed flight due to traffic (max £500 cover)
Under this policy you must:
1. Leave enough time to arrive at your departure point at or before the recommended time;
2. Get confirmation of the reason for the delay and how long it lasts from the appropriate authority

Who was your insurer so we know to avoid them?

buglawton

It depends on your policy.

To repeat from my post #35:
From the Virgin Money single trip insurance policy

Section G, missed flight due to traffic (max £500 cover)
Under this policy you must:
1. Leave enough time to arrive at your departure point at or before the recommended time;
2. Get confirmation of the reason for the delay and how long it lasts from the appropriate authority

Have you carefully read the similar section in your policy?
Who was your insurer so we know to avoid them?

warehouse

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Driving rather than taking the train was a stupid decision, and this is the result.

Yeah, trains never go wrong do they? If they'd taken the train and it had been late then no doubt you'd have said driving was the best option.

peachyprice

warehouse wrote: »

Yeah, trains never go wrong do they? If they'd taken the train and it had been late then no doubt you'd have said driving was the best option.

I believe Voyager meant 'on this particular day'.

OP had enough time to check the traffic, see the M25 was fooked, and taken the train.

martindow

warehouse wrote: »

Yeah, trains never go wrong do they? If they'd taken the train and it had been late then no doubt you'd have said driving was the best option.

Some policies cover you on public transport but not in a private car. Assuming adequate time had been left between the scheduled arrival and the flight these insurance policies would cover you if your train was cancelled or delayed causing the flight to be missed. As would a passenger in a coach stuck in the same traffic jam as the OP.