Denied Boarding due to Airline Mistake - can I claim from Travel Insurance

jwrag

On the 26th of July this year (2018) I was due to take a trip from Dublin to Vietnam flying first to Hong Kong, then on to Hanoi. I had return ticket booked with a well known airline, accommodation for the first night and a 10 day tour around the country all paid for at a cost of more than £2000 gbp. I was refused entry on to the plane because I was didn't have a Visa, as a British passport holder flying to Vietnam for less than 15 days a Visa is not required.

Due to onward bookings if I didn't get my planned flight I had to abandon the whole trip. After complaining to the airline they have accepted that ground crew made a mistake and that I should have been allowed to board the flight. Can I claim for this under travel insurance, I specifically added "Travel disruption" additional cover.

garth549

Not sure about your travel insurance but you would have strong grounds for a court claim against the airline for the whole cost of the trip.

lisyloo

Due to onward bookings if I didn't get my planned flight I had to abandon the whole trip.

Really? Could you not have travelled to the next stop and just missed 1 day?


I am only the messenger, but I think any defence or travel insurer will look at why you couldn't have joined the trip 1 or 2 days later.


If you are saying you couldn't correct a simple misunderstanding within 10 days then expect to be questioned about what you did to resolve it.


I am not judging/criticising, just saying anyone paying £2K will look out why this simple matter was not resolved more quickly.

Can I claim for this under travel insurance

Have you asked your insurer or looked at the policy documents?

jwrag

Flight was Thursday 26th of July, next flight from Dublin on Saturday the 28th of July. I had booked a tour starting Friday the 27th at 6pm local time. By the time I would have arrived the tour would have left Hanoi and I would have had to travel south to attempt to meet up. Schedule was always tight due to work and family commitments.

Insurance cover doesn't mention anything about Airline mistakes, only more normal delays, cancellations etc.

TonyMMM

jwrag wrote: »

After complaining to the airline they have accepted that ground crew made a mistake and that I should have been allowed to board the flight.

And what have the airline said they are intending to do about that, presumably a full refund of the flight costs ? ?

lisyloo

By the time I would have arrived the tour would have left Hanoi and I would have had to travel south to attempt to meet up.

So you could have only been 1 or 2 days late?


I am not judging as I don't have the full facts but expect to be asked why you couldn't only miss 1 day rather than 10.


For insurance you are expected to mitigate losses where reasonable.



Now there might be reasons why you couldn't have done that e.g.
1) The airline wouldn't have boarded you the next day either
OR

2) The logistics on the tour e.g. Health & saffety briefing, meant you weren't allowed to join later.


So there could be valid reasons, but if there aren't you would be expected to mitigate the losses and join 1 day late.

peachyprice

Ok, I can see where the confusion arose when leaving from Dublin. But why didn't you access the .gov.uk website while still at the airport and get the airline to sort it out there and then. As it was their operatives mistake they could have put you on the first flight to London to pick up a flight to Hong Kong from there, of which there are many a day.

This is probably what your insurance company would consider reasonable steps for the airline to take.

lisyloo

You can put in a claim, but as already stated your insurer will expect you to have taken reasonable steps to mitigate losses as will any party compensating you.



I certainly would have tried to resolve the issue and arrived later unless there was a specific reason that missing the first day/days was a show stopper (for example picking up equipment on the first day for scuba diving/skiing without which it was not possible to participate in the rest of the trip).
I would also generally plan to arrive at least a day early when long haul flights are connecting with a tour/cruise ship (doesn't matter so much for a one-stop beach holiday).

sheramber

When my son's flight was delayed and he missed his cruise ship's departure the airline arranged travel for them to catch it up at the next port.

jwrag

On the day of the flight, ground crew insisted i couldn't fly to Vietnam at any time, without a Visa which takes at least 3 business days to get if you have booked an appointment in advance with the embassy, but weeks to get by post. I showed the UK government site to ground crew but this did nothing to convince them. It was only after complaining via the airline website and waiting a couple of weeks that they admitted their mistake and agreed to a refund, which I am still waiting for . Even considering the best possible luck and available flights times I would have missed at least 5-6 days and probably much more of my 12 day trip.

silvercar

jwrag wrote: »

On the day of the flight, ground crew insisted i couldn't fly to Vietnam at any time, without a Visa which takes at least 3 business days to get if you have booked an appointment in advance with the embassy, but weeks to get by post. I showed the UK government site to ground crew but this did nothing to convince them. It was only after complaining via the airline website and waiting a couple of weeks that they admitted their mistake and agreed to a refund, which I am still waiting for . Even considering the best possible luck and available flights times I would have missed at least 5-6 days and probably much more of my 12 day trip.

What reason did they give you for denying you travel in the first place?