Travel insurance claims for those affected by volcano

AS the airspace above the UK and much of Europe opens many people may soon be back in the comfort of their homes.

Those who have made the journey back from far-flung places are most probably resting, but all those affected are likely to be out of pocket after paying for extras such as hotels, taxis and train fares.

Consumer watchdog Which? Holiday has provided advice to people whose travel plans were affected by the volcanic ash plume, and how to make a claim for the costs incurred, Rochelle Turner, head of research for Which? Holiday, writes:

Who do I submit my claim to?

If your flight, with an EU-based airline, was cancelled and the airline made alternative plans for your travel they must, by law, refund you for reasonable costs incurred during the delay to your journey.

They must refund reasonable costs involved in buying food or refreshment; two telephone calls, emails or faxes; hotel accommodation in cases where one or more nights stay is necessary; and any transport costs.

There is no upper limit on the amount of money passengers can claim back, although all costs should be reasonable in relation to the waiting time.

Make sure you keep all receipts, and send a copy of these receipts to your airline, along with full contact details and any booking reference you may have.

Unfortunately, if your airline was based outside the EU you may not have the same protection. This is because the cancellation rights under the European regulations apply only if you are flying from an EU airport, or from an airport outside the EU, to an EU airport, on an EU carrier.

However, all airlines will have their own policy on what they will be doing in terms of compensating their customers, and customers should contact their airline to find out what they can claim for.

If your flight was cancelled but you chose to take a refund and make your own travel arrangements then the airline must refund you the cost of your ticket.

However, after that they have no duty of care to you.

Call your travel insurer to find out what their policy is on refunding customers for costs incurred in making alternative travel plans before making those plans.

According to the Association of British Insurers, there is no Act of God exclusion in travel insurance policies.

Insurers should not reject your claim on these grounds; however, some have other exclusions, which they may claim exempts them from paying compensation to passengers affected (e.g. some insurers are not paying out because they believe this falls under their definition of a ‘natural disaster’).

If you have already travelled but didn’t first call your insurer, it is still worth submitting your receipts.

Many insurance companies are taking claims on a case by case basis and may refund you for extra costs. Again, these should be for reasonable expenses.

If you do not have travel insurance, or if you were on a flight with a non-EU based airline, and paid by credit card, all airlines will have their own policy on what they will be doing in terms of compensating their customers, and customers should contact their airline to find out what they can claim for.

However, if you paid for your trip on a credit card it may be possible to claim back the original cost of your cancelled flights from your credit card provider under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

More advice from Which? Holiday.