Flights not cancelled but FCO advice not to travel

Daley01

Hi, I have done some searching online but can’t find the answer to this so I am hoping someone can help or has resolved a similar situation. 

I had flights to Australia booked for my family on 21st March.   The flights were not cancelled but FCO advice on 17th was not to travel.   Singapore airlines are only offering a voucher to use before end of March 2021 rather than full refund.   I am not sure we will rebook in this timeframe so would prefer a refund, I have contacted them twice but they say the voucher is the only option.  

I am waiting to hear back from my insurer but at best they will still deduct 3 x the excess if they don’t find any other loophole to exclud paying out... 

Most advice I have read about consumer rights is for flight cancellations, can anyone point me to anything else that might help?  Thanks 

Caz3121

insurance would be the route. No requirement for the airline to issue a refund as the flight operated as planned (also no S75 claim for the same reason)

Aylesbury_Duck

I suspect insurance won't work because the flight wasnt cancelled and you've been offered a refund, albeit in voucher form.  In some ways it's similar to buying a physical item in a store and wanting a change of mind return. You wouldn't be automatically entitled to one but if their policy said it was permissible but only in voucher form, that would be entirely lawful. 

Daley01

Thanks both my fear is I won’t get anything back, I don’t think the voucher will be used.  It wasn’t so much a “change of mind“ because the FCO advice was not to travel and there was a compulsory 2 week isolation on arrival in Australia but by still running the flights and offering a voucher I may not be able to get any kind of refund from the airline or insurer.

Aylesbury_Duck

The trouble you have is the term "advice".  If it were a directive it might have been differen . Still, no harm in asking your insurer but be prepared for pushback. 

Daley01

Nightmare - in fact the insurance does say it won’t cover FCO advice except if specifically included (which it isn’t).    

I am so annoyed with myself as I realised my original travel insurance excluded pandemics so I bought another and made sure there was coverage but now this may apply.   

Only other avenue insurance wise is that it says it does cover cancellation / curtailment due to quarantine, possibly I could argue this for the self isolation on arrival and the high risk relatives I wouldn’t have been able to visit.   Insurance is so confusing .....

Nebulous2

Singapore have now changed their policy to allow refunds (yesterday) Whether that would apply to you as your flight wasn't cancelled I don't know.

https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/precautionary-measures/

Daley01

Nebulous2, Thanks, that does look applicable to me, I won’t count my chickens but I’ll let you know how I get on.  It might seem a bit trivial with everything else that is going on but with pay cuts and potential furloughing on the horizon, getting this back could be a godsend!  Cheers

Birseh_

I refer you to a previous post https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6115053/travel-insurance-during-corona-virus
Who is your insurance company can I ask?
Mrs (Mr?) Duck is right. Expected push back from some insurance companies. Which magazine exposed Holidaysafe as breaking the terms of the policy and by definition FCA rules a few days back.
You can cancel under the curtailment given they refer to quarantine as you correctly state. Ignore them if they say it is a policy that is not designed for COVID-19. The language in the policy is the language in the policy so that's there problem. Insurance is for unexpected events and not to make the likes of Holidaysafe (tifgroup) money without downside. Please read the Ombudsman link.

Daley01

!

Nebulous2 said:

Singapore have now changed their policy to allow refunds (yesterday) Whether that would apply to you as your flight wasn't cancelled I don't know. 

So, it did work, thanks! No feedback on the application but  full refund last week!  Only thing left to resolve is car hire which has been promised but not received yet!  Cheers