Coronavirus travel disruption - latest info and your rights

AudeE

Lots of posts and queries regarding a travel voucher rather than a full refund if your holiday is not going ahead. Im ok with a voucher , however, Ive been looking for the T & C 's for these vouchers and cant seem to find any?
How long are these vouchers valid for? 

Stavros91251

We were holidaying in Australia and were due to fly home on Thursday 26th March from Brisbane to Manchester via Singapore with Singapore Airlines. We were informed on Monday 23rd March 5.00am that our flight had been cancelled. We attempted to contact the airline with no success. We checked out of our apartment and travelled up to Brisbane Airport to find out what was happening & hopefully being able to get on the Monday night flight to the UK. A Singapore official advised us that nobody would be transferring via Singapore as the Airport was closed to transfers. His advise was to stay in Australia or to try and get a flight from another carrier ( sorry mate you’re on you own). After 3days of constant searching we managed at 7.30am Thursday26th to get a flight at 10.30am the same day with Air Canada via Vancouver to Heathrow (£1200 more expensive than the Singapore route ) which we took and arrived in Heathrow 2.00pm Friday. 
Are we in our rights to expect a full refund from Singapore Airlines and claim the difference through our insurance or do we claim all from insurance and let them sort it out with Singapore Air. 

Could we claim the lost last 3 days of the holiday while we were searching for routes home (car, accommodation etc).
Can we claim for fuel costs for our daughter and son-in-law travelling down from Yorkshire with 2 cars to enable us to get home minimising the risk of contamination. 

We have studied the insurance claim forms and they look mind boggling your help would be much appreciated 

MaebyJade

AudeE said:

Lots of posts and queries regarding a travel voucher rather than a full refund if your holiday is not going ahead. Im ok with a voucher , however, Ive been looking for the T & C 's for these vouchers and cant seem to find any?
How long are these vouchers valid for? 

Think it varies from provider to provider but most will be valid for a year. I read on ABTA's website that vouchers are still protected but only till the end of July. We're still refusing to accept vouchers because I can see 1 of 2 things happening;

1. Travel provider goes bust post July, meaning the voucher is no longer protected and we lose everything.

2. When travel restriction are lifted the travel companies hike their prices up knowing full well there are £x tied up in vouchers which must be used with a year of issue. This will leave many people having to either pay extra to go on over priced holidays they don't particularly want to go on (so they don't lose their original monies paid) or just sacrifice their voucher and lose everything. 

jitasb

Flight to Canada at end of April. Received email from Expedia saying I could cancel and get Flight Credits. I presume in order to get an actual refund you have to wait for the Airline to cancel the flight themselves ?  Even then I suspect it is going to be a hard slog ? 
Would I be right in saying that it boils down to 3 main options in order to get an actual refund.
1) The airline cancels and has to issue a refund.  (Air Canada is saying vouchers only - so this may be out)
2) Travel Insurance taken out when flight was booked. Would have to look specifically at the policy to see if pandemic scenario is covered.
3) Paid by Credit Card - so may be Section 75 could come into play.
Thanks

SevenOfNine

Has anyone approached their insurer yet to cover cancellation..........IF they are within 28 days of travel & FCO advice is "essential travel only".   Ours states we can (we do meet 28 day the criteria), but "very busy so unless within 48 hours of travel don't contact them yet".  But I've heard (Nationwide worldwide multi trip) they're bouncing people back to the tour operator anyway!

It seems wise not to accept any voucher offer (if you want a refund) in case it scuppers your chance of an insurance refund instead.

coey

Don't give in , demand a full refund , Latest [today] advice quoted from Which on UK holidays , unable to add link but easily found on google search....... " What you’re entitled to if your UK holiday plans are cancelled If you had booked a package holiday for the next few weeks – that’s where any two parts of the holiday were booked together, such as accommodation, car hire, transport and activities – the law says you are due a refund within 14 days. Some companies, such as Center Parcs and Haven, have already committed to providing full refunds. However, many companies are only offering customers credit or the chance to postpone their package. If this is not what you want, insist on your legal right to a refund. We’re lobbying for action to be taken over customers being refused refunds. If you had just booked accommodation and the hotel or B&B has now cancelled, you will generally get a refund. Many hotel chains, such as Premier Inn and Hilton, have said they will offer full refunds. Airbnb is also offering customers full refunds until 14 April. But we’ve heard from a number of customers struggling to get refunds. One disappointed holidaymaker, James, told us he had a holiday cottage in Northumberland booked during the lockdown period. But Cottages.com refused to refund his stay, offering him a 12-month deadline to rebook instead. James said the company ‘just couldn’t tell me what would happen if this all lasts more than a year, and said I might even have to pay more when I rebook. I feel very letdown.’ "

shell0672

MaebyJade said:

AudeE said:

Lots of posts and queries regarding a travel voucher rather than a full refund if your holiday is not going ahead. Im ok with a voucher , however, Ive been looking for the T & C 's for these vouchers and cant seem to find any?
How long are these vouchers valid for? 

Think it varies from provider to provider but most will be valid for a year. I read on ABTA's website that vouchers are still protected but only till the end of July. We're still refusing to accept vouchers because I can see 1 of 2 things happening;

1. Travel provider goes bust post July, meaning the voucher is no longer protected and we lose everything.

2. When travel restriction are lifted the travel companies hike their prices up knowing full well there are £x tied up in vouchers which must be used with a year of issue. This will leave many people having to either pay extra to go on over priced holidays they don't particularly want to go on (so they don't lose their original monies paid) or just sacrifice their voucher and lose everything. 

Hi We was due to travel on the 27th to Jamaica with TUI we were offered a refund or to change it which we did to mid June which is now looking unlikely. We decided that we would re-book for next March when we get contacted bout the new holiday but when we looked the exact same holiday has increased by over £700 they are already hiking the prices up 😔 now wishing we took the refund when offered 

jjoverton92

Hello, I was just wondering if anybody could help me understand my rights regarding STA Travel changing their cancellation policy.

I had flights booked to South America with STA Travel which has been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak and I was due to fly from the UK to Ecuador via Colombia on 24th March. I made the decision to cancel my flights prior to departure after the FCO website warned against all but essential travel. My trip was to Ecuador, the Galapagos and then to Colombia. The Ecuador -> Colombia flight in the middle of my trip had also been cancelled by the airline (Avianca) prior to my cancellation, which meant that my trip could not have gone ahead as planned anyway and I would not have been able to make it to my final destination to fly home.

The cancellation policy quoted to me when I booked was:

"CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS

If you decide not to travel the following cancellation fees will apply:

Before Departure PER PERSON: 400GBP CANECLLATION FEE."

When I cancelled I was told that this no longer stood and STA would not be able to offer me any refund at all. I am attempting to claim on my Travel Insurance which does cover cancellation in the event that FCO advice warns against travel. I am just wondering what my rights are with regards to STA Travel offering no refund at all when this was not the policy at time of booking? I also booked all flights on my credit card and was wondering if Section 75 can be invoked here at all as part of my route had been cancelled prior to my cancellation?

A further issue is that I had booked Allianz Travel Insurance via STA Travel when I initially booked the flights. I booked alternative insurance not long after this when I realised that the Allianz isnurance would not cover me if FCO advice changed.

When I booked the Allianz insurance I was told by STA that this would be fully refunded if cancelled within 14 days. I informed STA of my wish to cancel within this window and was again told that they could not offer me any refund and would only offer me credit with STA. Again I booked on my credit card. Should I be able to claim this back under Section 75 as the purchase cost was  > £100?

I would appreciate any help as I currently have over £1000 debt on my credit card that I stand to get no refund for and am about to go back to work in the NHS instead of having my planned break from doctoring! Thanks so much.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

I booked a tour in south american, which the tour company have cancelled and are only offering 110% credit, and will not be issuing refunds. I have contacted them and politely asked for a refund as I am not in a financial situation where having credit is possible. I have drafted an email (below), but am not sure if it is strong enough to get a refund, are there any other laws/acts I could be mentioning?

"Dear Sir or Madam,

Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992

On 31st January 2020 we agreed a contract for: [tour and booking ID go here].

It has now become clear that the following changes to the package will be made: The tour has been cancelled.

This constitutes a ’significant change' for the purposes of the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992. I therefore request that you allow me to withdraw from the contract without penalty and offer a full refund.

Please contact me within 14 days of receiving this letter with your proposals to do this.

Yours faithfully"


Thanks in advance

Kate7861

We had a holiday booked for departure on 14th April to Peru.  FCO advice changed on 12th March to all but essential travel.  We have attempted to negotiate a refund with the Tour operator but we are getting absolutely nowhere just a blanket ‘ we don’t have any information to give.  This holiday has cost us in excess of 20k - we are so frustrated and worried and don’t know what to do