Qover/Monzo Travel Insurance

rhl_506

Hi all, I’m looking for advice on a rejected travel insurance claim.

I had a flight from Lisbon to Manchester on Monday this week that was cancelled due to the power outage in Portugal. Ryanair offered me an alternative flight - which wasn’t until Friday 2nd May or a refund. I took the refund and booked a new flight with easyJet for Tuesday AM and paid for an extra night of accommodation.

I submitted a claim through my travel insurance (via my Monzo Max plan, underwritten by Zurich), but it was rejected. They stated that the delay was not caused by one of the covered reasons:

• A strike or industrial action
• Adverse weather
• A technical fault or mechanical issue with the aircraft I was due to travel on

They seem to be saying that because the delay was caused by an external infrastructure failure (the power outage), it's not covered under the “Delayed Departure” section and possibly not under any part of the policy.

Has anyone had success claiming for something similar? Is there any route I could take to challenge this?

Thanks in advance!

Voyager2002

Your airline was obliged to provide "care" during your delay and "rerouting", that is, if they themselves could not put you on to a suitable alternative flight they had to pay for the flight you arranged yourself. However, by accepting a refund you have given up these rights.

No insurance company is ever going to pay for something that someone else (in this case the airline) is obliged to provide.

See if your insurance (perhaps your travel insurance, or perhaps any home insurance that have) provides a legal helpline. Perhaps there is still something you can do to claim from your airline. If at all possible, speak with a lawyer before accepting the refund from your airline.