Holiday lost £1000

[coffeandteav]

Had flights booked with Ryanair to Portugal. Have just found out the insurance doesn't cover pandemics.

Booked pre covid but looks like will lose the money. It's £1000.
AIBU to be absolutely gutted?

Anyone else lost out?

I keep hoping the flight will be cancelled but the same flight hasn't up to now and has mainly left on time. So very unlikely.

No, I wouldn't go anywhere if not FCO approved. It invalidates any insurance regardless of covid-19 cover. We are meant to be going to Lisbon in September. And I'm not going. Can cancel accommodation and get money back which I'll do. It's just the flights. If I have to lose them, then ce la vie. If the current restrictions remain, I should be be able to get cost back from insurance.
I don't understand anyone booking new holidays though, it's crazy. The instance this weekend with Spain is just going to keep happening. Anything can change in a day.
I suppose it's ok if you'd get paid still in quarantine. I wouldn't.

Yes Ryanair will allow you to rebook your flight. You have to do it within 7 days of departure and travel during 2020. Despite saying you will not incur a fee to change your flight when you do try to do so through their manage my booking facility, you will find that the price of your new flights are more e pensive than the ones you would book on the website. For example the website quoted £220 for two flights to Malaga but £270 when you try to book via manage my booking. I’m getting in touch withMartin Lewis asRyanair is taking advantage of people’s misfortune

Good luck and I hope one of the suggestions works out for you.

Make it your last ever booking with Ryanair as well.

Dollykitten do you know if that's all Ryanair flight or just those booked recently?
If I try to change either of the flights I've booked it automatically includes a £90 fee, but they are more than 7 days away.

We lost £900 with Wizzair. There was an FCO and our destination country was not allowing non residents into the country, but Wizzair would not cancel or allow us to change to another date. We had bought in January to fly in April. We supposedly had good travel insurance but they wouldn't process with out certain documentation regarding the cancellation and we could not reach Wizzair by phone and emails took months between. In the end we wrote it off.

I am sorry it has happened. Good luck

I’m in a similar boat OP. Booked a package holiday but flights are with RyanAir. We are due to fly end of August to a Spanish island, but long and short of it is, we aren’t going and will lose £1300. I suspect flights will happen no matter what (I think it’s cheaper to fly an empty plane than refund everyone!). But just wanted to say it sucks and I feel your pain. I’ve joined a RyanAir Refunds Facebook group which is interesting...

@somthinginthewoodshed

Your contract is with who you paid. I had this issue regarding a villa in April. Company said was down to the owner - I drafted up court papers etc ready to claim as my contract was with the company I booked the villa through not the owner. Check the T&C’s carefully x

When are you supposed to go? They were looking at lifting the restrictions to Portugal soon

As far as I know it’s possible to rebook any flights booked since June 10 th with Ryanair
Will never use them again! Luckily our hotel in Majorca was cancellable without charge so we only lost £230 but even so it’s their attitude that annoys me. They couldn’t care less

I know the feeling. We lost a £700 deposit on a £8000 holiday to Mexico. We pulled out in April before we had to pay the next instalment, knowing we didn’t want to take the risk and go even if flights were on.

Most travel insurance won’t cover Covid anyway and even if you caught it let’s hope it’s either a mild case or you wouldn’t notice till you got back home. I would go and have my holiday still the risk that poses now will be similar in 6 weeks (even if the FCO approve it). Unless they have a sudden major outbreak...

I still don’t understand why people don’t book on a credit card, I had the same with Ryanair, flights for April went ahead, to italy(🙄) and I rang Amex and they sorted it.

I was also in a similar position with Ryanair. Had flights booked for myself and 15 year old nephew for a treat after his exams (which didn't happen!) We were going to Denmark which has categorically stated that no entry would be given for stays of less than 6 nights in Denmark to which you had to provide proof of paid booking on arrival at airport. We were only booked for three nights. Have tried to change it but was charging me another £210 to change to next year. Even though through no fault of my own I couldn't travel due to Denmark covid rules! Ryanair are completely unfair scamming robbing bastards in my eyes. I've now lost the flights as I wouldn't pay to change but I am currently taking it further.
Have flights booked to NYC this year and United airlines have given me a free change of choice up until Jan 2022. Ryanair should be ashamed.

*booked pre-covid too.. now people booking are allowed a few change! Bastards

We bought our insurance long before any of this started - Nov last year and it doesn't cover pandemics either - they must have been caught out before, with SARS perhaps? We'll get our back but it will (apparently) take months.

Yep we lost about £1,200. Cancelled our holiday to Florida in mid March on the advice from the TA that we could claim it back from our credit card. This advice turned out to be a load of bollox & we now are going through ABTA with a complaint.

@bloodynamechangethe3rd

I still don’t understand why people don’t book on a credit card, I had the same with Ryanair, flights for April went ahead, to italy(🙄) and I rang Amex and they sorted it.

I booked on my Barclay card but not read anywhere that this is possible if they provide the flight.

What if the FCO has advised against travel to the area that I am travelling to?
If the airline or tour operator is still able to provide your flight or package holiday but you decide not to travel in these circumstances, you would not be automatically entitled to a refund from your flight operator or tour operator. You would therefore have no automatic right to make a chargeback or Section 75 claim. However, you should speak to the airline or tour operator to see if they can assist you further.
If the FCO advice is not to travel, you may have a chargeback or Section 75 claim if you cancel your booking in line with the provider’s terms and conditions but do not receive a refund when you are entitled to something back.

I was meant to fly to Estonia earlier this month with Ryanair but the concert I was going to got cancelled. My flights didn't and to add insult to injury, I looked them up a few days before I was due to go and it was £40 return instead of the £140 I spent they haven't released the flights as far as next July yet so I couldn't even rebook

My holiday to Canada was cancelled. Unfortunately I had spent over £800 pounds to reorganise the places I was visiting before corona virus hit, plus over £300 in travel insurance. Part of the £800 I will get back and because it is a package holiday I will get the main bulk of the cost back. Travel insurance would only offer me a £94 voucher travel insurance.o be used against future

Ryanair are money grabbing arseholes.

Just a thought for those struggling to get refunds from airlines.. my sister in-law got hers refunded by PayPal. Was having no luck whatever with Ryanair even after promises of a refund. She got in touch with PayPal who she paid through and et voilà! Might help someone else reading!

Have to put in a good word for Volotea. They cancelled my May flight and offered a 125% voucher, or could ask for a refund. I requested a refund - they sent an email in June saying it was taking time to get through all the emails, and notified me of my refund last week. KLM, on the other hand, still owes me 3 of 4 bag fees that I've been trying to get since April.

We've been screwed too. Paid about the same as you. Tried changing dates. Would have had to pay more than just cancelling and booking next year! Beginning the process of trying to get the money back via insurance but not holding my breath...

The FCO may lift restrictions to Portugal by the time you fly.