Terminal 5 has, quite frankly, been show to be about as useful as a fork in a sugarbowl.
In addition, the whole fiasco has done nothing to enhance British Airways’ less than sterling reputation (something we mentioned this time last year in British Airways; flying the flag but losing your bag)
Now, just to add even more pain to those of us using Terminal 5 at Heathrow, it has been revealed that some insurers have stopped offering travel insurance cover for lost luggage or delayed flights going through the new terminal.
That’s’ just what you need with all the delays and lost baggage isn’t it?
But, if you bought travel insurance before the problems started, you will still be able to make claims. If you have bought travel insurance since then, it may not pay out for delayed or cancelled flights, or lost or delayed luggage.
Insurers, including Direct Line and Churchill (both owned by Royal Bank of Scotland) and Tesco have said they will exclude baggage loss and delays from new travel insurance policies.
A spokesman for Direct Line said:
“It is a general principle of all insurance that it only covers unforeseen chance events. Once something becomes widely known like this it is no longer unforeseen.”
Those of you who are not covered should have been alerted to this when you bought your policy. Direct Line said it was in continuous contact with British Airways and would restore the cover to new policies once Terminal 5 is working properly (whenever that is!)
- Annual policies ok
Policies bought before the decision was taken are not affected, so if you have an annual travel insurance policy, you will still be entitled to a pay out.
Direct Line’s spokesman added: “Every claim we get we consider on its own merits anyway.”
Currently, Terminal 5 is seeing no more delays on flights and the backlog of bags (that was nearly the size of the airport itself) has now been cleared, although some bags are still on their way back to their owners.
Because of the massive fiasco, last week British Airways, decided to delay until June moving most of its long-haul flights there.
A spokeswoman for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said it was up to individual insurers whether they offered cover in these circumstances:
“Insurance is there to pay for the unexpected, but some companies are taking the position that you can’t help which terminal you fly out of and are still offering cover. Our advice is to check with your insurance provider.”
She added that you could take up claims for lost or delayed luggage with your flight operator.
- You can still get insurance!
However, there is some good news for the weary travelers among you as not all insurers are excluding Terminal 5 losses and delays from their recently sold travel insurance policies.
Norwich Union said it would still offer travellers the same level of cover as before, as its travel claims manager, Paul Wells said:
“Norwich Union is not making any changes to exclude claims from customers who travel from Terminal 5. This includes those who are buying travel insurance through us now and in the future.”
Those still offering cover also include Saga and direct travel cover provider InsureandGo.
InsureandGo’s managing director, Perry Wilson, said:
“Some insurers are hiding behind the excuse that problems at Terminal 5 are not ‘unforeseen’ because they have been going on for weeks. That is like saying you’re not going to cover someone against being mugged in Johannesburg because crime is so rife there.”
Even if you can’t get the travel insurance cover you would like, this doesn’t mean you will be left to bear all the cost of lost luggage or cancelled flights. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) pointed out that an international agreement makes airlines the first point of contact for any compensation.
Malcolm Tarling of the ABI said:
“You are entitled to compensation under the Montréal Convention if your luggage is lost damaged or delayed. Airlines, in this case BA, are also the first port of call for delayed or cancelled flights”
Have you had any problems with your travel insurance related to Terminal 5? Why not let us know in the comments below?
In fact why not tell us about your Terminal 5 experiences?
If you are looking for travel insurance, why not use Quotezone?
They are a free-to-use impartial online insurance comparison service which searches over 40 different websites.
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