Travellers who have seen their flights cancelled because of the UK's unusual weather conditions are "unlikely" to have their costs covered by their travel insurance, according to the Association of British Insurers.
Travel insurance firms are "unlikely" to pay out to customers who saw their flight cancelled because of the extreme weather event in the UK, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said.
Large swathes of the country were hit by the freak weather conditions yesterday (February 2nd), caused by freezing weather blowing over from Siberia. Airports across the country were unable to operate, with almost 800 flights at Heathrow alone cancelled. Bradford, Gatwick, Newcastle, Leeds, London City Luton and Southampton airports also suffered cancellations and delays.
Additionally, a plane slipped off the runway at Heathrow because of the icy conditions, although no passengers were hurt.
The ABI said that delays at airports hit by snow are "usually covered" by travel insurance, with roughly £50 paid out for each eight or 12-hour delay, following an initial delay period of the same time. This is usually up to a maximum limit however.
But the organisation added: "Cancellation of flights due to bad weather is unlikely to be covered - insurance typically only covers passengers if they have to cancel their flight due to events like illness or redundancy. Travellers should check the details of their own policy, as cover varies, and if there is any doubt, talk to their insurance company, which will be able to explain what is covered."
