Forgot to purchase flight delay insurance?
If you forgot to purchase flight delay insurance, and later
regretted it, you may still have just cause to claim
compensation.
In fact, the vast majority of travellers make do without flight
delay insurance so you are not alone in your carelessness. However,
if you travel regularly it is fairly certain that at some point you
will experience a delay or cancellation of some kind. But even an
apparently harmless delay can have unexpected ramifications that
lead to much greater upheavals down the line; missing connecting
flights for example.
But does the absence of flight delay insurance spell doom for
the consumer, or are there any available options?
You may not have insurance but start with a sensible approach.
Seek advice from the airline website regarding their flight delay
and cancellation policy. Determine your eligibility according to
their published guidelines, and then proceed with your case. You
will normally begin by contacting the airline directly (not the
airport you flew from). Any phone call you make will probably be a
forerunner to an actual complaint letter.
Describe what happened in your letter, including the length of
the flight delay or cancellation and the reasons given for
it. For example, did you stay in the airport or did you need
overnight accommodation? Who paid for your accommodation? Did you
miss a connecting flight as a result? Tell them how much it cost
you and how much money you are expecting in compensation in lieu of
an insurance policy.
There is the further option of contacting the Air Transport
Users Council on 020 7240 6061, and visiting
complaints@auc.org.uk. These are useful contacts should your
initial attempts fail.
And don't forget the courts. Our GUIDE TO THE
SMALL CLAIMS COURT contains helpful information on
this lesser used tactic.
Are you aware of Section 75 regarding credit card
purchases? Providing that you bought your tickets with a
credit card, then according to Section 75 of the Consumer Credit
Act 1974, you probably have the legal right to claim a refund from
the credit card provider to cover the costs of
your flight delay. Almost as good as insurance
really! See our Section 75 Claims guide for more information on
this very powerful consumer protection tool!
Good Luck!
Claims Financial