Disruption caused by volcanic ash

Updated 20 May 2010

A message from John O’Roarke – Managing Director to LV= travel insurance customers

As I’m sure you are aware, the volcanic eruption in Iceland has meant many people experiencing travel disruption.

Most people who are impacted will be able to recover their costs from the airline or their tour operator. These organisations have a legal obligation in most cases to refund or re-book the trip. They should also provide accommodation and food for their customers who have been delayed abroad, waiting for new flights.

We are treating the volcanic ash as if it was bad weather, which means we will pay claims under the delayed departure benefit (section 9 in your policy booklet) subject to our usual terms and conditions. However, because of the severity and unexpected nature of initial airport closures in April 2010 we have also extended the cover for people who had an LV= insurance policy and trip booked before 15 April 2010. Please see the details below for more information on what we are and are not covering.

For policies bought and trips arranged before 15 April 2010:

If you have been unable to travel
If you had a trip abroad booked that you were (or become) unable to take because of the closure of airspace, we will pay claims for those elements of your trip for which you cannot get a refund. This doesn’t apply if your provider has a contractual or legal obligation to give you a refund. We will pay up to a maximum of £5,000 per person and we will not pay the first £50 per person. This is most likely to apply to you if you booked your accommodation separately from your flight and not as part of a package. The general exclusions, general conditions and making a claim sections of your policy still apply. These can be found towards the back of your policy booklet.

If you experienced a delay in your travel
If your flight either to or from the UK was delayed due to the decision to close airspace, we will pay the delayed departure benefit. This is £25 per person for each full 12 hours of the delay up to a maximum of £250 per person. The general exclusions, general conditions and making a claim sections of your policy still apply. These can be found towards the back of your policy booklet.

For policies bought after 15 April 2010 and for trips booked after 15 April 2010:

If you have travel insurance and have not yet travelled
If you purchased after 15 April 2010, booked a trip after this date, or do not yet have a trip booked, we will deal with claims under the normal terms and conditions in your policy booklet.
 

If you do need to make a claim, please call us on 0845 640 5194. Because of the fluctuating impact of this situation we may be experiencing particularly high call volumes, so please be patient if this happens. We always do our best to answer all our calls as quickly as possible.

We hope this information along with the questions and answers below gives you a clear view of our approach to dealing with this situation. Below is some additional information that may be of help. But if you have any other questions please call us on 0845 640 5190 and we will be happy to help you.

FAQs

Questions and answers if you are affected and are still in the UK

We are due to go on holiday, but the flight has been cancelled. Are we covered for our unused holiday costs eg what we have paid for our accommodation?
If you booked all elements of your trip through a tour operator as a package, you should be able to get a refund for these through them. Some of your costs may not be met if you have booked elements of your holiday separately. As soon as you are aware you may have to reschedule your trip, you should contact the provider of each element of your trip to see what alternative arrangements can be made. If you are unable to recover your costs and there is not a legal obligation on the provider to do so, you can claim for these if your policy was in place and your trip was booked before 15 April 2010.

Will you change my policy dates for my new trip dates?
If you are rescheduling your trip by only a few days and the trip length remains the same, we will make a note of your new travel dates and endorse your policy. If you are rescheduling for more than one week in the future, if you call before the start date of your original trip we will cancel your original policy, refund your premium, and set a new policy up for you.

I'm due to travel in two or three weeks time – if I am delayed due to a backlog of flights can I claim?
Yes, the delayed departure benefit (section 9 of the policy) will apply. This provides each insured person with £25 for each 12 hours of delay up to £250. Evidence of the delay and/or your flight details will be required.


Questions and answers if you are affected and are already overseas

I am abroad and unable to fly home – what am I covered for?
Under your travel insurance policy you can claim the delayed departure benefit of £25 for each 12 hours delay up to £250. Other additional accommodation and subsistence costs may be met by your tour operator or airline.

I’ve had to pay for a hotel abroad as I can’t get home - can I claim this back?
If the additional costs have been incurred because your flight was cancelled by the airline, you should be entitled to compensation from the airline. Some tour operators may provide the additional accommodation or cover these costs, although they are not obliged to do this.

My policy has expired but I am not yet home – am I still covered?
Your policy will be automatically extended provided you return home as soon as this is possible. If you are travelling under a visa you should also make sure this remains valid and get this extended if this is necessary.

If we are able to make alternative travel arrangements (eg ferry), will these costs be covered?
Additional travel costs are not covered. Your original tour operator or airline provider should arrange for you to get back to the UK.

I am abroad and will run out of medication, what should I do?
See if the medication you require is available at a local pharmacy or go to a local hospital or doctor. If you need help to find a hospital or doctor check with the British Embassy (contact details can be found on the FCO website www.fco.gov.uk) or call the travel insurance emergency assistance line on +44 1243 621537. Your NHS prescription will not be recognised overseas. You should provide the name and dosage of the medication you are taking. If you don’t have this information you should have someone email or fax it over. If you have run out of essential medication because your return flight has been delayed and the cost to get additional medication for the expected additional duration you will be away from the UK is more than £50, we will pay those costs above the £50 excess.

My flight has been rescheduled but I'm going to run out of money well before then. What should I do?
You should ask a relative or friend to transfer money to you using a commercial money transfer service. The British Embassy can advise you how to do this or you can contact the travel insurance emergency assistance provider for help on arranging a transfer. If you have a credit or debit card, cash can be withdrawn from cash machines abroad, charges do usually apply. Any costs incurred in obtaining cash will not be covered by the policy.

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