Q: My son and his fiancée missed a flight from Girona to
Stansted as the motorway to Girona was closed because of forest fires and
they were diverted and delayed. They had to pay for a night in a hotel and
two tickets on the next morning’s flight. But my son’s insurers said he was
not covered for missing his return flight. Obviously he should have checked
the small print, but shouldn’t this be in the large print? My son now thinks
that travel insurance is a waste of money. Anne Fawcett
A: I sympathise — no wonder he’s cross. Policies with
gaping holes like this do the insurance industry no favours. Unfortunately,
while some travel insurance policies will cover missed flights due to things
like natural disasters or the failure of public transport, and others will
not. I’m afraid it is important to check the small print before you buy.
Q: I am a frequent traveller to Bulgaria, which along with
Romania is an EU accession state. It appears my car insurer will not provide
cover under the “Green Card” system for those travelling through Bulgaria,
Romania, Turkey and Morocco. Jonathan Mills, Sutton, Surrey
A: If you take your car overseas you should always check
with your insurer that they will cover you for the countries you are
visiting. Some do so automatically, some will ask for a further premium, but
some may decline (although by law, all of them must offer you the basic
minimum cover required by law in the country you are visiting — typically,
this means third party cover).
Ian Crowder of the AA said that the AA was happy to extend cover to its
customers for the countries you mention, though he said drivers would
normally be offered a Green Card. This internationally recognised document
(which is neither green, nor a card!) proves that you have appropriate
insurance for the country in which you are driving. But other insurers, such
as yours, may decline to offer you comprehensive cover in these countries,
in which case you should shop around for another policy. The AA has useful
information on the subject at www.theaa.com (click on “Motoring Advice”).
Q: We are flying to New York on Maxjet, and the next day will
fly on to Cancun in Mexico with American Airlines, returning the same way. I
want to be insured for the missed departure of the New York-Cancun flights,
because if we miss them we will need to buy new tickets. However, my travel
insurance only covers me for missed departure of flights out of or returning
to the UK. Can you help? Clive Reffell
A: This is a sensible question. If you buy two flights
with different airlines, the airlines have no obligation to each other, so
if you don’t turn up for the connecting flights you will indeed have to buy
new tickets. If you miss the flight out of, or back to, the UK you should be
covered by your travel insurance (but see the first question, above), but
you are rarely covered for connecting flights with a different airline.
I suggest you contact the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (0870 950
1790, www.biba.org.uk) who will put you in touch with a broker who may be
able to arrange a one-off, bespoke policy to cover this situation.
If you book your entire holiday through a tour operator, you will be
covered by the EU Package Travel Regulations, so if you miss a flight that
is part of the package, the tour operator will be obliged to help you.
Q: At the end of our holiday on Cephalonia, we were told by
the holiday rep to leave our luggage in an open porch, until it was
collected later that day and taken to the airport. We had expensive sports
equipment with us and were not happy at this arrangement, as the porch was
open to all and sundry.
I felt the tour operator was asking us to invalidate our travel insurance, as
she said that our luggage was left at our own risk. I therefore insisted
that the luggage remain in the apartment until it was picked up and the
property owner was very accommodating and agreed to this. Is this the norm,
or should travel companies provide a secure area for luggage storage? Louise
McMenamin
A: Well done on sticking to your guns and insisting your
luggage was secure. I’ve not heard of this before but if the rep does insist
on this, and there is no alternative, ask the rep to put the request in
writing. That way, you can prove to the insurer that you were following
instructions and had no choice.
Malcolm Tarling of the Association of British Insurers added: “If you had
no choice, the insurer would be very mean to turn down a claim for theft,
and the financial ombudsman would take a dim view of such a claim being
rejected.” Always ensure that you can lock your luggage, too.
Q: I have now passed the apparently disastrous travel
insurance age of 65. I have problems that many of your older readers may
face, including being an insulin-dependent diabetic. I find I am unable to
get travel insurance without a very high loading. Are there companies that
will insure me for a reasonable sum but with, say, a £2,000 excess if
anything happens? John Ingham
A: See point 7 of my original article on Times Online,
which lists companies that specialise in insuring older travellers or those
with medical conditions. You could also contact the British Insurance
Brokers Association (details above) for more suggestions. You are wise to
declare every pre-existing medical condition, as failure to do so will
probably invalidate your policy should you need to claim.
Q: I have what appears to be a fairly comprehensive insurance
policy provided by my bank and another from an insurance provider. What are
the key areas I should compare, to save me reading all the small print? Paul
McKenna, Blanford, Dorset
A: I outline in point 1 of my original article, the key
areas to be covered for — with medical expenses being the most important.
Further information is available from the Association of British Insurers
(020 7216 7455, www.abi.org.uk).
* Cath Urquhart is the author of The Times Holiday Handbook
(Navigator Guides, £12.95), available from The Times BooksFirst (0870 160
8080, www.booksfirst.co.uk) for £11.50 including free postage.
