Coronavirus travel disruption - latest info and your rights

RogerGT

Our return flight was cancelled by Emirates when we were still in Australia, We were unable to contact the airline, the travel agent or the UK FCO. We had to arrange a return flight home that cost £3000 ourselves, Now the airline will not give us a refund as it was booked through a Travel Agent who keep saying they are waiting to hear from Emitates. Our travel Insurance company won't pay out until they do. Any ideas?

Life__Goes__On

RogerGT said:

Our return flight was cancelled by Emirates when we were still in Australia, We were unable to contact the airline, the travel agent or the UK FCO. We had to arrange a return flight home that cost £3000 ourselves, Now the airline will not give us a refund as it was booked through a Travel Agent who keep saying they are waiting to hear from Emitates. Our travel Insurance company won't pay out until they do. Any ideas?

If you paid the TA, then that's who should refund you.
Are you claiming from your insurer  for the cost of the extra flight minus the refund you  due at some point from the TA?

Zoegates

Good morning,

I am looking for some advice in regards to a holiday I booked for March 17th 2020 to Edinburgh via lastminute.com.

My flight nor hotel were cancelled but I called Lastminute as the night before travel the PM announced no non essential travel.

When calling lastminute they told me to contact the airline (Easyjet) and hotel (Jurys Inn) myself and rearrange the dates independently. This I did, I had to pay an extra £148 for flights and the hotel have now said that I owe them for the room. The amount I have spent on rearranging and paying is now more than the original package. I called lastminute to ask for confirmation they had paid the airline and hotel (as the date for travel had already passed) and if I could have a receipt with a breakdown of how much was paid to each. I was assured I would get this in a few hours or days. It has now been over a month and I have still not received anything from them.

Can I ask for a refund from them? During my calls with them I have asked them several times to update the dates (now September) on my account on the website so I can access the details of my trip but it is still showing as a past trip.

As the hotel is currently closed I have not paid the amount they are asking for yet just the extra for the flights.

I wanted to know what my options are in regards to this if anyone can help?

Thank you.

Life__Goes__On

Zoegates said:

Good morning,

I am looking for some advice in regards to a holiday I booked for March 17th 2020 to Edinburgh via lastminute.com.

My flight nor hotel were cancelled but I called Lastminute as the night before travel the PM announced no non essential travel.

When calling lastminute they told me to contact the airline (Easyjet) and hotel (Jurys Inn) myself and rearrange the dates independently. This I did, I had to pay an extra £148 for flights and the hotel have now said that I owe them for the room. The amount I have spent on rearranging and paying is now more than the original package. I called lastminute to ask for confirmation they had paid the airline and hotel (as the date for travel had already passed) and if I could have a receipt with a breakdown of how much was paid to each. I was assured I would get this in a few hours or days. It has now been over a month and I have still not received anything from them.

Can I ask for a refund from them? During my calls with them I have asked them several times to update the dates (now September) on my account on the website so I can access the details of my trip but it is still showing as a past trip.

As the hotel is currently closed I have not paid the amount they are asking for yet just the extra for the flights.

I wanted to know what my options are in regards to this if anyone can help?

Thank you.

What method of payment did you use? was it one or two transactions billed on your statement?

MrSpongeHead

Hi all, I did do a quick search but couldn't find an answer to this.  I live in Wales and have been advised to shield due to my medical condition and treatment.  I am due to travel to Egypt on the 27th July, but in Wales the shielding advice has been extended until 16th August (though I've not received an updated letter yet).  Do you think this would stop me from travelling (as I don't really want to travel without travel insurance)?  What seems unfair is that in England I think the current shielding advice only runs up till the 30th June, in which case I would be ok, but in Wales it's 16th August, even though my risk profile is exactly the same no matter which side of the border I live on.

Life__Goes__On

MrSpongeHead said:

Hi all, I did do a quick search but couldn't find an answer to this.  I live in Wales and have been advised to shield due to my medical condition and treatment.  I am due to travel to Egypt on the 27th July, but in Wales the shielding advice has been extended until 16th August (though I've not received an updated letter yet).  Do you think this would stop me from travelling (as I don't really want to travel without travel insurance)?  What seems unfair is that in England I think the current shielding advice only runs up till the 30th June, in which case I would be ok, but in Wales it's 16th August, even though my risk profile is exactly the same no matter which side of the border I live on.

If's not FCO advice AFAIK, so shouldn't affect your travel insurance.

Who is your holiday with?

MrSpongeHead

TUI, and my travel insurance is with Stay Sure.  I really want to go on the holiday as we've had it planned for so long (originally with Thomas Cook before that fell through) but obviously won't be able to risk it if my travel insurance turn round and say well you're not covered because you should be shielding.  I can't be the only person in this situation as TUI are currently planning to resume holidays from the 01st July.

Life__Goes__On

I think it's just a waiting game to see if the FCO changes it's advice to Egypt,  if the advice remains the same, then you will be entitle to cancel. 

MrSpongeHead

Yeah, think I need to see if they cancel the holiday, I should at least get the 20% discount to re-book then (hopefully).  It's just annoying that it seems to be the differing advice between England and Wales is now causing the problem, as StaySure have now just said the shielding letter would invalidate my insurance.

Life__Goes__On

MrSpongeHead said:

Yeah, think I need to see if they cancel the holiday, I should at least get the 20% discount to re-book then (hopefully).  It's just annoying that it seems to be the differing advice between England and Wales is now causing the problem, as StaySure have now just said the shielding letter would invalidate my insurance.

Then I would have thought you can claim off your insurance, if StaySure are saying on medical grounds you aren't covered if you travel, surely that's the same as saying you are not medical fit to travel so can claim.