Cancelled flights travel insurance won't payout

[stripeymonster]

During half term we were due to fly back from Italy on the Sunday 4th June but the day before received an email, stating our flights were cancelled due to the baggage handlers strike. There were no flights out of Italy due to strike action.

So we looked at alternative flights with our airline, the next one was on a Wednesday - we couldn't stay that long, so claimed a refund from the airline. Then purchased new flights from a different airline for the Monday. These cost considerably more than original flights, but opted to have an indirect flight to limit costs. We also had to pay an extra nights accommodation and fund a long taxi drive in the UK to take us back to our original airport and my car.

However, I have just received an email from insurers refusing to pay anything due to us not being already at the airport when the flights were cancelled. Also because we paid by credit card they say we should try to claim off that.

Any advice gratefully received? Our policy was with a platinum level policy so not cheap and when I first phoned up they claimed it would be straightforward.

The insurance was with goodtogo.com which is an slightly ironic since they seem anything but!

I've just looked up Goodtogo's policy and they seem to say that if the airline cancels your flight, then the airline should refund you, and it is also the airline's responsibility to find you another flight. So Goodtogo are absolving themselves of responsibility for this. You should contact the airline and see what you can get back from them, as well as your credit card company. Sorry this has happened.

Afraid you would only be able to claim for cancelled flights on cc if you didn't get your refund.

I think that's rubbish your insurance won't cover at least some of it.

Have you tried a claim with the airline for the additional costs?

No not tried to get back additional costs yet with airline. Will definitely look into it and try credit card too.

When we tried to get different flights back with the same airline the only ones they could offer were three days later.

Something similar happened to us around the same time. We got a refund from the airline, so it would definitely be worth looking into that.

i think in theory the original airline should pay but if you already cancelled and received a refund before booking new flights it could be tricky. but they will say it was outside of their control so not their fault.

I bet this is why your insurer is refusing to help. A letter/email from the airline stating why they won’t pay out may help-
basixally insurers will do everything possible to get other parties to pay. I doubt credit card company could help as you have a refund from the original airline.

good luck, sounds like a nightmare and I think the insurer is wrong in their reasoning. I don’t get the not being at the airport argument.

She has got a refund from the airline, she wants them to compensate her for the cost of the new flights which is different

You should have insisted they book you on a different routing or even different airline if necessary, having first researched possible flights yourself before even calling them. Pretty sure they're obliged to under EU regulations.

I agree - your airline had an obligation to book you on an alternate flight even if with another carrier, at their cost. They can offer a refund as an alternate but you don’t have to accept. As you did, I think the original airline don’t have a further obligation to you and I can see why the insurer consider it was your decision to incur the costs over and above the refund.

Yes, your mistake was in accepting a refund and then booking your own flights. Had you not, the airline would have had to book you on alternative flights at no extra cost, and fund any extra hotel nights, etc.

The insurers don't owe you anything, because you already had your flights refunded.