Who should pay? Airline or Travel Insurance?

[Rojak]

I booked and paid for flights from Manchester to Malaysia for June this year.

We live in Belfast so I had to separately purchase flights from Belfast to Manchester.

However Malaysia Airlines, the airline we are travelling with from Manchester has now cancelled all its Manchester to Malaysia flights and are instead flying us from Manchester to Heathrow for a connecting flight to Malaysia.

The problem is that the Manchester to Heathrow flight leaves 3 hours earlier than the original Man-Mal flight. Our Belfast to Manchester flights does not get us into Manchester to connect with this earlier flight.

Malaysia Airlines has refused to pay for new, earlier flights from Belfast to Manchester.

I'm wondering if I can claim this off my travel insurance? I had travel insurance when I bought and paid for the flights but insurance has lapsed and I was planning to get new travel insurance closer to the date when of travel (in June).

Anyone been through anything similar and managed to the airline to take responsibility?

Thanks

As far as I am aware, you have no comeback against the airline as they are still getting you to Malaysia, albeit by a slightly different route. I'm sure you will find the small print on the ticket conditions will confirm this.

I also don't think you will get your travel insurance to pay out. It's too late for this trip but in future it would e better to get all the flights on one ticket (i.e. ask the agent or the airline to give you a price from your starting point - in this case, Belfast - and they would then have to change all your flights. However, if the airline is willing to pay for Manchester to H'row flights would they not instead fly you Belfast to H'row direct which should be only a small amount more expensive?

Thanks for that Annh - I tried getting them to pay for Belfast to Heathrow flights but only the more expensive B'fast to Heathrow flights are left and they won't stump up for that.

Thanks for that Annh - I tried getting them to pay for Belfast to Heathrow flights but only the more expensive B'fast to Heathrow flights are left and they won't stump up for that.