Travel insurance/vent/ndr

Welsh_Dragon

Y Ddraig Goch
Joined
Feb 23, 2019
I am curious to know how travel insurers are addressing claims.
My son was in the midst of a year abroad, required as part of his Uni degree. He flew from the U.K. to Costa Rica, then to Peru and Colombia, then overland to Ecuador and that’s where he was when the FCO issued the Advisory. Eventually, he managed to book one of the only international flights allowed to leave Quito, Ecuador, a KLM (humanitarian repatriation) flight to London via Amsterdam at the ‘economy’ price of £1500.
Before he left the U.K. in September 2019, he had booked (so well pre virus) a flight from Quito, Ecuador to Salvador, Brazil via São Paulo with GOL airlines on 20 April 2020, hotel accommodation in and around Salvador, a flight from Salvador to Ilheus with Azul in May, a flight from Ilheus to Rio de Janeiro with GOL in July and a flight from Buenos Aires to the U.K. in August 2020. He planned to backpack in between.
At the outset he notified his travel insurers, LV, explained the above and they confirmed by e mail,
‘You are covered for the scenario below. As all non-essential travel has been banned by the FCO, you can claim for the unused accommodation and connecting flights under your policy.’ They also confirmed that they would cover the cost of the repatriation flight.

Great I thought....
On his return LV asked him to request a refund from the airlines and accommodation and asked for proof of this in writing. One hotel has said ‘non refundable’, one has said non refundable but offered to reschedule; GOL and AZUL have offered credit notes for use within a certain time, BA say non refundable as the flight from Buenos Aires to London in August has not been cancelled. All passed to LV.
Yesterday LV wrote, ‘Where your accommodation/airline are able to offer either a refund, credit note, voucher or to reschedule, we are unable to make a claim as this is a way of compensation. You are only able to claim for irrecoverable costs.’

But my son is highly unlikely to return to South America within the timescales allowed for use of the credit note/ rescheduling, so, these credit notes and rescheduling offers from Brazilian airlines and hotels are worthless to him.
Has anyone negotiated their way through a similar situation?

In addition to the £1500 repatriation flight, the other ‘lost’ parts of his trip amount to almost £3000, a significant amount for a student, who worked hard to save for this. He very sensibly took out a premier insurance policy to cover his travels, so I am slightly shocked that they are now moving the goal posts. Or am I expecting too much?

LV haven’t (re)mentioned reimbursement in respect of the repatriation flight yet, but my feeling is that my son should deduct from that claim the amount it would have cost him to return to the U.K. at the normal end of his year abroad. But should that be the cost of a direct flight at ‘normal’ prices from (where?) to the U.K. or his planned, but disconnected route, via various Brazilian cities and Argentina? I am getting in a pickle😂.

Thank you for listening.
 
You are expecting too much. Where your accommodation/airline are able to offer either a refund, credit note, voucher or to reschedule, we are unable to make a claim as this is a way of compensation. You are only able to claim for irrecoverable costs.’ This is standard, they don't care that you wont be able to use the future credit or that rescheduling is not an option, they just see that you have been compensated.

The repatriation flight claim should be submitted separately and you should only claim for the actual cost , £1500

One hotel has said ‘non refundable you should be able to claim for that, as long as that hotel was after the repatriation flight and the area is covered by a Government Travel Advisory.

BA say non refundable as the flight from Buenos Aires to London in August has not been cancelled. Nothing you can do about this. As long as the flight is scheduled and not cancelled by the airline, then you can not claim on Travel Insurance. You will have to wait to see if BA cancel. If they do, you will be compensated by BA, either with a credit note, a full refund or whatever BA policy is.

But my son is highly unlikely to return to South America within the timescales allowed for use of the credit note/ rescheduling, so, these credit notes and rescheduling offers from Brazilian airlines and hotels are worthless to him. Both the travel insurance and the hotels and airlines offering credit notes do not care about your sons ability in the future to travel. They have offered compensation and are not legally obliged to do anything further.
 
Liking to show gratitude for you taking the time to read and reply. I wish that your answer was different though!😉

I wised up to travel insurance and the small print a long time ago. I was in New York on September 11 2001. I was due to fly home on September 11 but was stranded for 5 days. My memories of that time are all over the place but I do know that I go very little back from my travel insurance, due to very similar reasons as your son.

Since then I make sure to understand exactly what is covered and what compensation travel insurance will actually pay out for.
 



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