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Travel Insurance
Hi Ab'ers, we are going to Madeira next July, we are finding it hard to find a travel insurance covering any government lockdowns that may occur which would lose us our holiday with no payout. Has anyone found one that does, thanks in advance.
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Yes a few travel companies tried this on last year.
When the "Red" Amber" Green" system was first introduced you were not (and still are not) prevented from travelling to countries in any category. It's what you have to do upon return where the differences lie. At that time, people returning from "Amber" countries (which mine was) had to isolate at home for ten days. This was clearly impossible for many people and undesirable anyway.
My tour operator suggested that because both my flight and accommodation were operating as planned, if I should cancel I would forfeit my money. However, what they did not seem to realise was that to all "Red" and almost all "Amber" destinations the Foreign Office had advised against all but essential travel. This meant that virtually all travel insurance policies did not provide cover. Since almost all tour operators make a condition of booking that travellers have adequate travel insurance, they were therefore insisting (on pain of forfeiture of payment) that their customers travelled not only against FO advice, but also without the insurance cover which they insisted on.
I think that stance lasted no more than a few days. ABTA and ATOL both decreed that where government regulations effectively prevent you travelling, that a full refund is due. You should note that this only applies to package holidays where all elements of it are booked with one provider.
When the "Red" Amber" Green" system was first introduced you were not (and still are not) prevented from travelling to countries in any category. It's what you have to do upon return where the differences lie. At that time, people returning from "Amber" countries (which mine was) had to isolate at home for ten days. This was clearly impossible for many people and undesirable anyway.
My tour operator suggested that because both my flight and accommodation were operating as planned, if I should cancel I would forfeit my money. However, what they did not seem to realise was that to all "Red" and almost all "Amber" destinations the Foreign Office had advised against all but essential travel. This meant that virtually all travel insurance policies did not provide cover. Since almost all tour operators make a condition of booking that travellers have adequate travel insurance, they were therefore insisting (on pain of forfeiture of payment) that their customers travelled not only against FO advice, but also without the insurance cover which they insisted on.
I think that stance lasted no more than a few days. ABTA and ATOL both decreed that where government regulations effectively prevent you travelling, that a full refund is due. You should note that this only applies to package holidays where all elements of it are booked with one provider.
Here's an extract from the original e-mail I received from my tour operator:
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What does this mean for your holiday?
• Green: Holidays will go ahead as planned. You will need to ensure you comply with the Government requirements and those in place at your destination at the time you travel.
• Amber: Again, holidays will go ahead as planned. The requirement to quarantine on your return does not give you the right to cancel your holiday and receive a full refund. The actual holiday is not affected by this, therefore there is still a responsibility to pay the suppliers (for example accommodation and flights) for their services.
If you are unable to quarantine at home, then you may wish to look into moving your holiday to a later date. We will do our best to accommodate this, but please bear in mind there may be an increase in cost due to: an increase in accommodation costs, flights costs or any admin fees charged by the airline.
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That was dated 13th April 2020. I contacted them to suggest this was nonsense and less than a week later I received a call saying they had realised what I have explained in my first post and that if my destination remained "Amber" and the FO was advising against travel, I would receive a full refund.
I frankly found their original approach appalling. I realised in a few minutes that it was unsound and they should have known better. I let them know this in no uncertain terms and received an apology - but nothing else for helping them realise they had made a blunder.
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What does this mean for your holiday?
• Green: Holidays will go ahead as planned. You will need to ensure you comply with the Government requirements and those in place at your destination at the time you travel.
• Amber: Again, holidays will go ahead as planned. The requirement to quarantine on your return does not give you the right to cancel your holiday and receive a full refund. The actual holiday is not affected by this, therefore there is still a responsibility to pay the suppliers (for example accommodation and flights) for their services.
If you are unable to quarantine at home, then you may wish to look into moving your holiday to a later date. We will do our best to accommodate this, but please bear in mind there may be an increase in cost due to: an increase in accommodation costs, flights costs or any admin fees charged by the airline.
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That was dated 13th April 2020. I contacted them to suggest this was nonsense and less than a week later I received a call saying they had realised what I have explained in my first post and that if my destination remained "Amber" and the FO was advising against travel, I would receive a full refund.
I frankly found their original approach appalling. I realised in a few minutes that it was unsound and they should have known better. I let them know this in no uncertain terms and received an apology - but nothing else for helping them realise they had made a blunder.
Thanks New Judge, sorry about late response, I was pre-occupied. We are using Jet2 for the trip, it being a package holiday would make sense to follow your advice and apply their own insurance. It may well be an improving situation with all insurers too but we may as well keep it simple. Thanks again.
The refund I received was nothing to do with insurance, dagman. Tour operators cannot operate their trips to countries where the Foreign Office has advised against travel. And if they have to cancel their trips for that reason they are obliged under the travel industry's regulations to provide a refund.
If England goes into a lockdown again (such that people are not permitted to travel to the airport) the operators will not be able to run their trips. They cannot insist that their customers break the law in order to take their holiday, so again they must provide a refund. The difficulties come for people who book their flights and accommodation separately. Under the package holiday rules, if one part of the package fails a full refund for all of the trip must be provided. So if, say, your accommodation is no longer available but the flight is still running (or vice versa), you are entitled to a refund. If you had booked the two individually you would only get a refund for the part which failed.
If England goes into a lockdown again (such that people are not permitted to travel to the airport) the operators will not be able to run their trips. They cannot insist that their customers break the law in order to take their holiday, so again they must provide a refund. The difficulties come for people who book their flights and accommodation separately. Under the package holiday rules, if one part of the package fails a full refund for all of the trip must be provided. So if, say, your accommodation is no longer available but the flight is still running (or vice versa), you are entitled to a refund. If you had booked the two individually you would only get a refund for the part which failed.
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