Missed flight - insurance claim query

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Returning home from St Moritz yesterday we missed our flight from Zurich to Luton with easyJet. The first train to Chur took about 20 minutes longer than scheduled (no reason given but presumably the weather). This meant we missed our connecting train and the one after that, resulting in us getting to Zurich airport over an hour later than intended. We got to the flight departure gate just after it had closed but well before the plane had left. Despite having our 9 month old baby with us, the staff there wouldn't let us board. So we had to buy new tickets back to the UK, the only route available yesterday being to Heathrow via Brussels at a total cost of £343.85. We arrived at Heathrow very late and had to get a car to take us to Luton to collect our car - at a cost of £100, which we thought was a rip off but we had no practical option.

Our travel insurance covers us for such eventualities, but it says we have to "Get confirmation of the reason for the delay and how long it lasts from the appropriate authority". I don't fancy my chances of much success getting the different Swiss train companies to provide details of why their trains were delayed and how those delays caused the knock on effects to connecting train times.

Has anyone else had any experience of claiming for overseas missed departures caused by public transport delays, and what has been the outcome? Any advice on what I should do, other than adding £443.85 to the already expensive weekend cost?
 
Not a complete answer by any means, but assuming your train journeys were booked (THREE prior to checking for easy jet flight?!?), doesn't the proof part you discuss just come down to one Swiss train company - the first, as from your description, the missed connections that followed stemmed from the extended journey time/late arrival?

A query too ref the easy jet flight - you mention getting down to the departure gate - I'm assuming that was on a 'standby' basis, as otherwise, having checked you in (with hold luggage too?), they had accepted responsibility for you by checking you in?
 
Thanks Steve. Yes it was the first train delay that caused the late final arrival, but it was the knock on effect of non-planned trains that made a major difference. I could provide a copy of the time table I suppose. We hadn't booked any trains because it wasn't necessary, we just had an open ticket covering all the trains.

It wasn't a standby flight, we'd checked in online a few days ago. A helpful officer at security even phoned through to the departure gate to let them know we were on our way, but EasyJet rules appear to be inflexible. I know from personal experience that some airlines do hold aircraft briefly when they're certain that passengers are on their way to the gate.

(An example of easyJet "jobsworths" is that two different customer service people had insisted long before the flight out to Zurich that we take an aircraft approved car seat for our 9 month old baby to use the third seat l had booked and paid for because it was cheaper than their fixed charge for an infant - go figure! I explained that we didn't want to carry a car seat around Switzerland with us and that our baby would always be on one of our laps, but they both said the rules had to be followed "for safety". To make matters more confusing and frustrating, once onboard on the way to Zurich the cabin crew told us that we couldn't use the car seat and had to put it into an overhead locker! Carrying the ruddy seat together with our other luggage from train to train was naturally a total PITA. In the event, the only time we used that car seat was in the car from Heathrow to Luton!)
 
although I can't actually help here, there is a very useful learning point for everyone who reads this.


Maybe using Easyjet is not the best way to travel! The safety rule with baby seats is just rubbish. Seemingly along with their customer service.


The absolute hardest part here is knowing that the next time you book, not only will it be more expensive, but that you will give more time with inter connections to ensure you make the flights and that in turn may further add cost.

But at least you will get what you paid for, where as in this, someone else got your money and did not provide the service you paid for.

I hope however you do get some information which helps you get something back from it.
 
Take it on the chin. Sorry but I'd say you just cut it all too fine.
 
I think take it on the chin. Your train was late...but, unfortunately the insurance co can't be held responsible for this.

However...I'd be having a word with someone in Easyjet about the baby seat. How can they insist you have one...then insist you cannot use it.
 
I think take it on the chin. Your train was late...but, unfortunately the insurance co can't be held responsible for this.

However...I'd be having a word with someone in Easyjet about the baby seat. How can they insist you have one...then insist you cannot use it.

The OP says his travel insurance covers him for the risk of the additional expense he incurred.

He is not asking the insurance company to take responsibility for the cause but for the effect and as he has paid an insurance premium to cover this risk why not pursue it?
 
Very annoying, so you pay for insurance and they want you to do their work for them, ie, get conformation, I would want to question that......Just a thought
 
I think take it on the chin. Your train was late...but, unfortunately the insurance co can't be held responsible for this.

OP may have been cutting it fine, but the question isn't whether his insurance company is responsible for the train being late and the knock on effect it had, but whether the policy they sold him covers that eventuality.

If it is impractical to get the required proof of delay, that might well be a sticking point. It's an issue that at the time you are trying you best to get the thing resolved, and the last thing on your mind is getting proof for a future insurance claim, when you are still on the assumption that you are going to make your flight.
 
He missed his flight...his fault no matter what anyone says. you can't rely on railway timetables and cut it so fine.

You could just leave your hotel a bit late and claim because of the delay. Where does it end? The insurance co. cannot be expected to cover the late arrival/departure of all modes of transport in a country you happen to be visiting...that's ridiculous.
 
He missed his flight...his fault no matter what anyone says. you can't rely on railway timetables and cut it so fine. One train was only 20 minutes late. If it was so crucial I'd have got the earlier train...just in case.

You could just leave your hotel a bit late and claim because of the delay. Where does it end? The insurance co. cannot be expected to cover the late arrival/departure of all modes of transport in a country you happen to be visiting...that's ridiculous.
 
I think take it on the chin. Your train was late...but, unfortunately the insurance co can't be held responsible for this.

However...I'd be having a word with someone in Easyjet about the baby seat. How can they insist you have one...then insist you cannot use it.
^ I agree. If you had pre-booked train tickets you may have stood a chance, but absent that I fear a claim will go nowhere.

I do agree about the baby seat though, even if just to ensure that other potential passengers aren't given the same bum information.

Regarding EasyJet as a carrier, I have to make the point that one of their strong selling points is their punctuality. To achieve that they absolutely have to make sure the departure goes to schedule, which means no exceptions to the boarding policy. I know that sounds tough, but that's (part of) what makes them punctual. I'd add that there's no guarantee another carrier would have delayed the flight either.
 
A friend of ours hates EasyJet with a passion. They missed their flight, with no sympathy from EJ...because the flight decided to leave early!!
 
He missed his flight...his fault no matter what anyone says. you can't rely on railway timetables and cut it so fine. One train was only 20 minutes late. If it was so crucial I'd have got the earlier train...just in case.

You could just leave your hotel a bit late and claim because of the delay. Where does it end? The insurance co. cannot be expected to cover the late arrival/departure of all modes of transport in a country you happen to be visiting...that's ridiculous.

If the OP says his insurance covers such eventualities and the insurance company have accepted the risk and taken the premium then it is not "ridiculous" it is a simple business transaction that the insurance company have agreed to take on.

If he had left his hotel late it would have been his fault, he did not, it was a circumstance out of his direct control but one for which he appears to have covered by insurance.

You may damage your own car due to carelessness and choose to claim on your insurance, or you may not. The point is a policy was in place that covered this risk / loss.
 
Well we'll agree to disagree....and await the outcome.
 
Our travel insurance covers us for such eventualities, but it says we have to "Get confirmation of the reason for the delay and how long it lasts from the appropriate authority".

Can you not show them proof of one set of outbound tickets and two sets of return tickets as sufficient proof of what occurred?
You couldn't fabricate this claim as A) the tickets (presumably) are unusable by anyone else being in your name and you have e-mail verification of the first (missed) flight and B) there was insufficient time between the missed and subsequent flight for you to have utilised both.
Unless this claim is dependent on fault - your's or the train's - then surely proof of purchased flights is sufficient.
 
I recall a TV series about Easy Jet and their check in process, I was left with two lasting impressions:

They never let latecomers through whatever the reason.

The late passengers always throw a strop and start calling the desk staff 'jobsworths' or worse.

I can't imagine that any insurance company would just roll over and pay if no evidence can be produced to support a claim.
 
A friend of ours hates EasyJet with a passion. They missed their flight, with no sympathy from EJ...because the flight decided to leave early!!
Did they close the Gate before the scheduled time, or did they close the Gate at the prescribed time but push back early?

If it's the former your friend almost certainly had a claim for being denied boarding.
 
Did they close the Gate before the scheduled time, or did they close the Gate at the prescribed time but push back early?

If it's the former your friend almost certainly had a claim for being denied boarding.

The former. Their get out apparently was they had texted/emailed passengers to notify them. Not in time though.
 
How many on this thread work in insurance??
 

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