If you were planning a relaxing gondola ride around the canals of Venice or a luxury cruise in the next few months, it is safe to say that your dream holiday is looking a lot less idylic now. With the coronavirus on the brink of escalating into a full-blown pandemic, many people are probably anxious to avoid bustling city centres, busy airports, packed train stations and crowded cruise ships. Even if you consider the risk to yourself is low and decide to go ahead with your holiday anyway, your trip could be cancelled or severely curtailed now that the raging infection has swept into about 50 countries. Wherever you want to go your plans could be wrecked, whether it is a sporting event being postponed, such as the Six Nations rugby match in Dublin between Ireland and Italy, or attractions being closed, such as museums, theatres and churches in Milan. This is usually an add-on to a basic policy which would cover you if Foreign Office advice changed while you were travelling. Airlines such as Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have suspended flights to mainland China and passengers are entitled to a full refund. British Airways says you can refund your ticket online using its 'Manage My Booking' system, or call 0800 727 800. Can I cancel my cruise, flight or package holiday even if it's not in a coronavirus affected area? The majority of travel insurance policies provide cancellation cover – but be warned, this is only for a list of limited reasons. The only exception would be those with underlying health problems who have a letter from their doctor confirming they are advised not to travel to an area due to their condition. Many cruise ship operators are amending their itineraries to avoid coronavirus affected areas or cancelling some routes altogether. Many are offering full refunds or cruise credits for cancellations andchanges close to the departure date. Contact the airline to see if you can get a refund or reschedule the flight – and check to see if you are covered for any costs through your travel insurance provider. But if there is no Foreign Office advice against travel, the airline might refuse a refund – or could charge you for the rescheduling of flights. If you are quarantined on holiday, you generally cannot claim for curtailment as even though your trip may be ruined, technically you have not cut it short. On a small number of policies, a daily benefit might be payable if you are admitted to hospital or confined to your holiday accommodation on medical advice. If you are concerned about passing through an area – flying to Rome, for example, to board a cruise ship in Civitavecchia – you have no right to a refund or replacement flight unless you have bought a flexible ticket which allows changes or cancellation. Some airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, are offering customers the chance to reroute flights if they are concerned. It is worth remembering that you should also contact your travel agent, tour operator, airline, holiday accommodation provider and anyone else involved in the chain to see what costs (if any) you can recover. Columbus Direct's Stuart Lloyd says many companies, especially where the holiday is sold under an ATOL Licence, have a duty of care to the customer – refunding costs or rescheduling or rerouting trips. If holidaymakers decide to go ahead with their trips, as long as these are to areas the Foreign Office has not advised against travelling to, any medical costs will be covered and assistance provided if they are then diagnosed with the virus while abroad.
Komentar
Posting Komentar