Holiday cut short (Package Tour)

nayur89

Hi all,

Currently being past from person to person in trying to make a claim about disruption for my mother in laws holiday. Apologies but its not straight forward and I'll explain the specifics below:

1) My mother in law booked a package tour with an agent, it was for flight from Heathrow to Miami (5/3/20) with Virgin Airways from where she went on a cruise which returned back to Miami. Ordinarily most people had a flight back from Miami to Heathrow but as her son lives in Washington, she had booked an internal ticket with American Airlines from Miami to Washington (16/03/20). The package tour then included the return flight with Virgin Airways from Washington to Heathrow (6/4/20).
2) My mother in law left for her holiday at which time there was no real risk here and no advice from the government not to travel. However Covid then started spreading and when she returned to Miami it had developed into a pandemic was becoming more of an issue. As a result she decided to return back home upon her return to Miami.
3) Her son liaised with the original agent who booked the package tour to see if the flight could be re-arranged but was told that the original return flight could not be amended and new flight would need to be booked. As a result her son booked a flight himself on British Airways from Miami to Heathrow (16/03/20), the cost was $3123!
4) My mother in law had travel insurance, under which we made a claim. However they have advised they no claim could be made with the travel agent as this was a package holiday and any claim would need to be made with the agent who booked the package tour.
5) Upon liaising with the travel agent, they stated that they would only pay back the taxes associated with the original flight back from Washington to Heathrow and would not pay anything else. The reason stated was that as we had partially used the ticket, no refund of the whole ticket could be paid. Currently we have not asked for the taxes back as want to understand if this is correct before we accept this. 
6) We have managed to gain a refund for the internal ticket from Miami to Washington. 

Not sure what we are entitled to claim and what we can't but had thought that as a result of the Covid outbreak we had to return earlier than planned and the extortionate cost of the return flight could be claimed back? Would love some guidance from anyone who may know more than me as to our rights etc as the cost for the return flight was extortionate and at the time we just wanted her home and found the money as felt we recover this through the insurance. 

P.S. If it helps I can post replies from the travel insurance company (Barclays Travel Insurance) or the travel agent

Thanking you in advance.

sheramber

Your mother returned to UK on 16 March, the day before the FCO advice to return was issued  on 17 th March. So it was her own choice to return early.

nayur89

sheramber said:

Your mother returned to UK on 16 March, the day before the FCO advice to return was issued  on 17 th March. So it was her own choice to return early.

Thanks for this, but wasn't there advice out on the 15th about from the FCO about travel to the USA? This was when the states was imposing its own restrictions?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/travel-advice-for-the-usa