Travelling to Malaysia via Dubai

tanvir

I booked a holiday to Malaysia in Jan 2026 for June 2026. The flight is indirect via emirates with a stopover in Dubai.

My flight is in few weeks and I still have not heard from Emirates or Carlton Leisure (where I booked my flight) of if the flight will go ahead or needs to be cancelled. I don't know if it needs to be cancelled as I'm only transiting via Dubai and the FCDO advises against all but essential travel in that region.

I booked Travel Insurance(GoCover) back in Jan 2026 , I can see they updated their T&Cs effective 30 April 2026.

Looking through the policy, it explains that if you go to a country or area where the FCDO or WHO advise against all or all but essential travel:

• The assistance and services the insurer can provide may be limited.
• “The cover provided by this policy will be limited and there will be no cover for claims relating to the reason why the FCDO/WHO advise against all or all but essential travel.”

This is then reinforced in the General Exclusions:

• Exclusion 17 removes cover for “the circumstances or event that caused the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office … or the World Health Organisation to advise against all travel or all but essential travel to a country or area, if You travel to that country or area.”

So: the policy does not cancel all cover, but anything connected to the reason for the FCDO warning is excluded.

However, whether airside transit counts as “travelling to” the country is ultimately an interpretation point for the insurer, not something the wording answers explicitly.

Anyone know If i can continue on my original route, or I should contact Emirates and Carlton Leisure to cancel?

MyRealNameToo

Have you checked with your travel insurers? A number of insurers are making temporary changes to their policies to cover travel against FCDO advice as long as you are only transiting in the country with the advice?

A google doesnt turn up any insurers called "GoCover" in the UK

tanvir

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82006127#Comment_82006127

Thanks for the reply.

I have sent them a message this morning so just waiting for the reply. The key thing i could find relating FCDO advise is what i put in my main post, which isn't clear to me. So lets see what they say. Just wanted to know if anyone had similar experience or advice.

Thank you for also spotting my typo, the insurer is called GreatCover Travel Insurance

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82006160#Comment_82006160

https://www.greatcover.com/travel-disruption-middle-east

Their statement on the matter is on their website. They are therefore at this point saying there is no cover either way.

Its too early to determine how it will play out… there are several cases on the Financial Ombudsman website where people have cancelled their trip because they are pregnant and the FCDO has advised against travel if you are pregnant (eg due to Zikka). The insurer declined to cover the claim because normal pregnancy wasnt a condition covered and the person can't go on the trip because the policy won't cover against the FCDO advice. Almost universally the FOS has upheld the complaint saying the insurer has to pay despite the terms saying they dont, some insurers even tried to argue it was a deliberate event because they got pregnant via IVF so another grounds for rejecting the claim but the FOS didnt uphold that one either.

The FOS does not make binding decisions so there is no guarantees that they will decide that what's happening in the Middle East is the same conceptually in the prior cases but you would have nothing to lose in making a complaint and escalating it if it did come to it.

tanvir

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82006189#Comment_82006189

Thank you, i did see that but i saw it was published in March and many things have chnaged since then. So i was not sure.
As my trip is in few weeks, I have no idea what to do. Do i reach out to emirates/Carlton Leisure to cancel or risk it and use the insurance.
I think im just panicking now

luci

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6669163/travelling-to-malaysia-via-dubai

My understanding is that if you cancel, it's regarded as "disinclination to travel" and you won't be liable for any refund. As has been said, you should check with your insurer, as the terms in place when you booked should apply.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82006650#Comment_82006650

Which would be on the surface no cover for disinclination to travel however there may be an argument to be had, possibly via the FOS, that the insurer can't have their cake and eat it.