PAY BY CREDIT CARD – AND CHECK SMALL PRINT
TAKE out comprehensive travel insurance. Check the policy small print to ensure it covers the cost of all travel failures. For example, not just the price of replacement flights, but other transport and accommodation costs. Make sure the cover includes ‘scheduled airline failure insurance’. You may have to pay extra for this as a bolt-on – but it is money well spent.
PAY for your travel with a credit card. It means you may be able to claim under ‘section 75’ of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 if an airline or holiday company goes bust – or the travel trip paid for using this card is unexpectedly cancelled.
KNOW your rights. Do not allow airlines to fob you off with ‘extraordinary circumstances’ excuses. The Civil Aviation Authority has full details of when and how to claim. If your airline rejects a claim you may take the case to AviationADR. For train travel, demand compensation for any delays and cancellations via the train operator you used. These are usually signed up to ‘delay repay’ travel rules.