Travelling to Israel & Airline refusing full refund

phatbear

Crystalpalacian1 said:

phatbear thanks but sorry completely forgot to mention been distracted with all the bashings, Amex confirmed Travel Insurance is included with the BA Premium Plus card where flights and holidays are bought with the card.

Hmm....so not so perfect after all are we, giving misleading information? Naughty! 

You said i was perfect not me..and hate to be "that guy" but it doesnt come with travel insurance it comes with "travel inconvenience insurance"  which is very different to travel insurance as it only covers you for quite specific issues.

So again, please get travel insurance! 

eskbanker

Crystalpalacian1 said:

completely forgot to mention been distracted with all the bashings, Amex confirmed Travel Insurance is included with the BA Premium Plus card where flights and holidays are bought with the card.

Seems to me that the debates about insurance were just some of the largely pointless cul de sacs that this thread went down, but you were correctly advised that it was unlikely that the airlines would be legally or contractually obliged to refund you (advice that remains valid, despite Virgin's subsequent offer), and travel insurance was initially mentioned (constructively) in the context of being a potential alternative for recovering those losses.  It's perhaps moot now, especially if Air Seychelles end up mirroring Virgin's stance, but would that Amex policy reimburse you for disinclination to travel?  And does it have exclusions if travelling against FCDO advice?

The recommendation to secure travel insurance promptly certainly isn't exclusive to those you choose to perceive as 'bashers' but is prominently made in the first line (initially) of the MSE travel insurance article:

If you've booked a holiday but not got travel insurance yet, DO IT NOW, DON'T DELAY. Half travel insurance's value is protecting you BEFORE travelling if something happens and stops you from going, in addition to cover once you are on holiday

[...]

Buy travel insurance as soon as you book to cover cancellation and pre-trip illness

If you've booked a holiday, do not leave arranging the insurance on the 'things to do' list, as you'll be taking an unnecessary risk. 

This is because travel insurance doesn't just cover you while you're away – it also covers you for cancellation, events such as redundancy or an injury or death in the family, or anything else that might go wrong BEFORE you make your trip. You're also covered if you catch coronavirus shortly before your trip and can't go.

So, always buying your travel insurance ASAB (As Soon As you've Booked a holiday).

k12479

Crystalpalacian1 said:

k12479 looks like Virgin didn't read it too, as they are now cancelling flights and offering full refunds. 

Once again, your reasoning is quite off - they've reduced their twice daily flights on the Heathrow to Tel Aviv route, to once daily. Entirely consistent with reduced demand and people's reluctance to travel, rather than any sudden realisation that a middle eastern hotspot is in fact...a hotspot.