Coronavirus travel disruption - latest info and your rights

Bluenose64

Apologies if I’m posting in the wrong forum it’s my first posting.
My airline has cancelled my flight and are processing the refund.  I’d booked my hotel separately as the airline did not offer that hotel in their brochure.
My insurers say I’m not covered.
Is it right that through no fault of my own I’m going to be out of pocket?
Any advice gratefully received.

AlfieConn

@Westin :

Hi Westin, unfortuately don't have a month's + to decide, I need to decide much sooner. I don't think it unreasonable for a large outfit like BA to plan for contingencies, in these uncertain times. They should also have staff better prepared for such obvious questions - mind you getting disconnected on a call to BA is a sign of business as usual.

Megadave

Bluenose64 said:

Apologies if I’m posting in the wrong forum it’s my first posting.
My airline has cancelled my flight and are processing the refund.  I’d booked my hotel separately as the airline did not offer that hotel in their brochure.
My insurers say I’m not covered.
Is it right that through no fault of my own I’m going to be out of pocket?
Any advice gratefully received.

That’s possible, depends on the wording of your insurance policy. Have you contacted the hotel directly to see if they will refund you?

silvercar

Jesslbr said:

silvercar said:

Jesslbr said:

I am in Thailand now and due to fly home with Emirates via dubai on 26th March, I cannot get through to Emirates or my insurance. Now that the FCO has advised against all but essential travel, from the UK, how does this impact me if I am already abroad? My flight doesn't look as though it has been cancelled yet to fly home on 26th? Do we need to looking for an earlier flight? Any advice would be appreciated 

FCO advice to not travel from the UK is a bit late for you. contact the airline to see if it hopes to operate your flight, so you can plan to go home earlier if necessary. Worth noting that an airlines duty of care (to look after you with accommodation) if the flight is delayed is a EU directive, so only applies to an EU airline and/or flying from an airport in the EU. So flying from Dubia with Emirates won't give you any rights to accommodation.

Thanks for the info. My flight is from Phuket to Manchester with a connection via dubai (1hr 15mins). The whole journey is with Emirates so would this not be covered by EU as my actual end destination is Manchester and I am only transitting through Dubai? Trying to get hold of Emirates but it is proving to be very difficult.. 

No, it has to be an EU airline or travelling FROM the EU. You need to speak to them to find out if the flight is going ahead and./or whether you can change to an earlier flight.

silvercar

ericthelobster said:

This is exactly the same position I'm in.  Have contacted my insurer but no reply.   I have heard of someone else with the same problem and they've apparently been told that all they can do is renew their policy in due course without corona virus cover; ie there is no way of claiming for the cancelled holiday. .
If so, this can't be right, surely?

malc_b said:

What is the legal position when you have annual insurance that was in place when the booking was made (not a package but separate hotel and flight), but that annual insurance ends before the holiday is due?

If you have insurance now, you make can make a claim on it, even if the holiday date was after the end of the policy. You should renew the insurance if you haven't cancelled the holiday before your insurance runs out.

silvercar

mar7t1n said:

Have "a holiday of a lifetime" booked for July to USA, paid deposit, balance due next week. Travel insurance terms mention "does not apply for pandemic", so think we're not covered for this. But travel company say ABTA will apply if you can't go, we'd cancel and refund/rebook. But am I best to let a £600 deposit go and be sure it's gone, or risk a lot of money on something which may try to push ahead when things haven't settled back to business as normal - e.g. what was all that fuss about! 

Ask the insurer if they will cover.
Then you do have a choice, pay the balance and expect a full refund if the holiday doesn't proceed or don't risk further cash. Your real problem occurs if the flights a hotel are separate bookings and the hotel available but you can't get there. But it sounds like you have a package deal with an ABTA bonded company. 

silvercar

sysop-paul said:

I was due to fly to China this week, my flights were booked through an on-line travel agent. The flights were cancelled by the airline. Had I booked direct with the airline I would have received a full refund from the airline, the on-line travel agency are deducting a "ticketing fee" from the refund, approx £90 are they within their rights to do this? It was not covered by my insurance company who have kindly refunded 50% of the policy I paid them, I have also received a full refund from all other organisations, hotels, bus companies etc. I wrongly assumed I was safer booking through a travel agency.

Complain to them formally. If that doesn't work then name and shame. 

Alan_Bowen

Just for everyone's information it appears as though BA, after a lot of pressure, maybe about to confirm that if a flight is cancelled you can have a refund and not just a credit note. 
There are so many complaints about online agents and Corona Virus, if you book without reading the booking conditions, you may miss the fact that they charge fees for everything, including giving you your money back. It may be £5 cheaper than booking on the High Street with a good travel agent with a human face or directly with an airline, but it will frequently come back and bite you later.

Caz3121

sysop-paul said:

 Had I booked direct with the airline I would have received a full refund from the airline, the on-line travel agency are deducting a "ticketing fee" from the refund, approx £90 are they within their rights to do this?

what do the travel agents terms and conditions say? If they need to do the work to get the refund from the airline and refund you they will expect to be paid for the work (these third parties make such a tiny margin on selling tickets they rely on fees for the work they do)
As to being 'safer', involving a middleman usually adds complexity....you will be speaking to the agent, who then has to go off and speak to the airline, then relay the airline response to you. Much easier to book directly with the airline
often people stumble across third parties when looking at comparison sites and just choose the cheapest not realising that ultimately it is probably not the best idea. (many of the online ticket sellers are, lets say, not very good and have high fees)

malc_b

silvercar said:

ericthelobster said:

This is exactly the same position I'm in.  Have contacted my insurer but no reply.   I have heard of someone else with the same problem and they've apparently been told that all they can do is renew their policy in due course without corona virus cover; ie there is no way of claiming for the cancelled holiday. .
If so, this can't be right, surely?

malc_b said:

What is the legal position when you have annual insurance that was in place when the booking was made (not a package but separate hotel and flight), but that annual insurance ends before the holiday is due?

If you have insurance now, you make can make a claim on it, even if the holiday date was after the end of the policy. You should renew the insurance if you haven't cancelled the holiday before your insurance runs out.

Silvercar I think you have misread this.  I can only claim if FO says no travel, but the holiday starts after the end of the current ban.  Hence can't cancel now.  If FO extends ban then this might be after policy has renewed.  Then I could cancel but I'd not be covered if coranvirus is excluded from the renewed policy.