Loss of medication is not seen as a reasonable excuse for abandoning a holiday

Insurance does not cover every eventuality. Customers must show they tried to mitigate their loss

READER

CHAMPION

A connecting flight cancellation and lost luggage led to a family ending up£4,800 out of pocket

QGILL CHARLTON

On Dec 22 my parents and I were due to travel with KLM from Humberside to Düsseldorf via Amsterdam to join a Rhine cruise. In Amsterdam, our connecting flight to Düsseldorf was cancelled at the gate due to “crew issues”. The next flight was fully booked.

We looked into taking a train but KLM then said it could not locate our luggage. Faced with having no clean clothes for the cruise, we felt we had no choice but to abandon the trip – especially as my father’s medication was in his hold bag.

KLM provided overnight accommodation, refunded our flight tickets and gave us each €250 in compensation. But we remain £4,800 out of pocket. We were insured with CoverForYou, Holidaysafe and Staysure. All turned down our claims because it was a connecting flight, not the first flight out of the UK. Would we have been covered if we’d bought the holiday as a package from Fred River Cruises (we booked flights separately as it was cheaper)? And would any insurer have covered us?

AJILL BOND

Your family’s claims were considered under the Abandonment, Curtailment and Travel Disruption sections of the policies. None of the wording applies to you because you chose to abandon your holiday rather than travel without bags. I sympathise with your decision, but travel insurance does not cover every eventuality. Customers must demonstrate that they have tried to mitigate their loss. Fred River Cruises said buying the cruise as a package would not have let you abandon the trip and receive a refund. Its legal duty is only to arrange alternative transport to the riverboat.

Loss of medication is not considered a reasonable excuse for abandoning a holiday. You are expected to carry it as hand luggage. If you fail to do this, you should phone the insurer for assistance in replacing the medication.

Most policies are worded to exclude claims for replacement transport or unused accommodation due to missed or cancelled flights. One exception is the Travel Plus policy from PJ Hayman (pjhayman.com) which includes connecting flight cover. If claiming for a missed connection (not a cancelled flight) you must have allowed a connecting time of three hours. Its Premier Plus policy would have paid up to £1,500 for onward travel and up to £500 for a luggage delay of eight hours or more.