We were unlucky enough to be on the TC flight which was diverted from LAS to Ontario, California on the 17/12 (first time that the airport has ever closed)
As a result of this we were delayed for 28 hours before arriving in Las Vegas.
When I spoke to our insurers - Marks and Spencer - they said that as per the terms and conditions because our initial delay was only 5 hours - we were entitled to nothing. I did ask what the difference was between being stuck in Manchester airport and Ontario airport, neither of which is the holiday that I had paid for and been insured for? They would not answer me. I suggested that it is a way of not paying for this sort of eventuality hidden in unclear language, they disagreed but still could not or would not offer an explanation as to why a delay or diversion is ok once you have taken off from the UK. We pay a lot more to insure ourselves going to the US, and we insure ourselves for the holiday - of which we lost 1/7 of our time.
I know that there is nothing that I can do at this stage - I did however want to make sure that others were aware of this situation when they are purchasing insurance. . We are awaiting a response from Thomas Cook also - I will update with hopefully better news from them?!!
Sorry to hear about the bad start to your holiday. I understand your frustration with the insurance company but I think you will probably find that in your insurance policy booklet it states that delayed departure can only be claimed if the delay is at the final departure point in or returning to the UK. The delay has to be at least 12 hours.
Keep pushing Thomas Cook. Did you register a complaint whilst you were away? They might be feeling benevolent with it being the seaon of goodwill but I wouldn't raise my hopes too high knowing what the tour operators customer service are like.
I hope you get good news.
I am not holding out much hope with regard to TC - a discount on a future flight would be acceptable. If not - Delta or US airways next time
I agree the cover doesn't seem to portray good customer service but if you find a policy that does cover for delays after leaving the UK please let me know as all the ones I have used have all been the same. Would be good to know for future reference. My annual policy is up for renewal in a few months.
Travel insurers increasing work on the basis of what they specifically say will be covered and not what they specifically exclude and I suppose no-one thought about a flight being seriously delayed once it had taken off. The only real use of insurance these days is to get you home if you have an accident or are taken ill - assuming it's down to a problem that is included! If you ever have any other sort of problem and find that your insurance will pay out you can class it as being just short of winning the Lottery!
I can well understand the frustration when such things happen but it is a case of you pays your money and takes a chance. There is plenty of good advice and information here on HT about destinations and accomodation but insurance is an area where we really do lack an expert here on HT.
fwh
Please can you give me some names of insurance companies that cover delays/diversions after leaving the UK (when it's a direct flight). I can't find any and as my annual insurance is nearly up for renewal it would be really useful. Thanks.
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=1329&start=0
The alternative would be to contact a broker or possibly the Association of British Insurers who would be able to advise you of members who specialise in travel insurance.
http://www.abi.org.uk/
There have been some horrific tales over the year where people taking part in adventerous acivities have not been coverred by the normal policies. If you are someone who does that then the governing body will have a list of specialist insurers who will tailor the polcy to meet your needs.
People find reading the T&Cs and small print daunting yet many of the policies bought fail to give even basic cover for normal holiday activities. You don't find out until you try to claim.
Many of the complaints here on HT are so often about TOs but the problems people encounter with TOs are trivial compared to failings in insurance cover.
fwh
The airport closure was, I am sure, due to adverse weather conditions, namely Snow and Ice. I am afraid no-one except the 'Big Man' himself is responsible for that, so I think you are wasting your time trying to aportion blame to TCs or indeed to your insurance company.
I agree. I cannot understand how this can be Thomas Cooks fault? It is an Act of God, and unfortunately these things happen.
I sympathise with your frustration, but feel you must put the incident down as one bad experience on what hopefully was otherwise an enjoyable holiday.
As a recent traveller subjected to extra nights in Bangkok at considerable expense to myself (due to protests totally closing the airport down for many days) I thought I would be able to recoup the expenses from my insurance but, upon reading the policy at length I found this was not so. So to an extent I understand your frustration though I think you will have to just put it down to one of those unforseeable things that happen during travel from time to time.
Perhaps some of you have misread my intentions - I am aware that there is no-one as such to blame for the situation and that it is not covered by my insurance. I thought that I was being helpful in making other people aware of the lack of coverage in the same way that I found out on here about not being covered if alcohol is a factor in an incident.
I took it as yet another valid warning about the inadequacies of most policies.
In fact there maybe someone to blame if the airport management didn't handle the situation as well as they might. But without detailed knowledge of the weather forecast and what resources the airport had we'll never know.
This case highlights the general problem of airlines not being required to give auditable detailed explanations when things go wrong. The European courts recently gave a ruling tightening up on what constitutes exceptional circumstances regarding aircraft faults but until we have a right of access to details this will be practically useless. And the exceptional circumstances rule is still open to abuse for other causes. Until we get a right to accurate information airlines will be able to hide behind it when they shouldn't and we won't trust them even when they are being genuine! Whilst there is a lack of openess it's no wonder insurance companies don't want to touch the problem.
In the UK the Financial Services Authority (FSA), from 1st Jan 2009 will regulate all travel companies selling connected travel insurance (CTI). Travel agents including ABTA members and tour operators have now got to be approved and regulated by the FSA to sell or refer you to purchase travel insurance. You can check if they are registered on the FSA website. http://www.fsa.gov.uk
FWIW Sainsbury are offer 10% online discount for customers at the moment. http://www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/insuring/ins_travelinsurance_trv_skip.shtml
In answer to the op, I am sorry that you missed out on some holiday time, but not sure what advise to give after the event. Some policies will cover missed departure for connecting flights, some don't. If you plan a trip make sure you get the right cover. I think some agents were miss selling policies and this is why the FSA have stepped in. Sounds like yours didn't provide the right cover for you.
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