St Kitts
1 May 08, 11:26 AM
For anyone who has trips planned in the near future which involves passing through Terminal 5 at Heathrow please check with your travel insurers.
On tuesday I dropped my Mom and her friend off at Newcastle Airport to catch the BA 2.20pm flight to Heathrow to then get an Air China flight at 8.20pm for a long ago planned touring holiday - the first Mom has been on since my Father died. At 4.30pm they were still at Newcastle and informed that the flight was cancelled due to mechanical failure and they would be put on the 6.50pm flight. Upon arrival at Heathrow Terminal 5 my Mom's luggage was missing and she had to registered it at the BA customer services desk. The Air China flight had already been held-up by the tour operator and could wait no longer so left without them.
They queued in pouring rain outside the Chinese Embassy yesterday morning for 4 hours to get a new visa ( their original visa was as part of the touring group) and missed the cut off time of 11.00am. A visa has been issued this morning and they are booked on the Air China flight tonight - will have lost 3 days out of a 10 day holiday.
The travel company - TRAVELSPHERE HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC - they have paid for hotel accomodation and meals, been on hand 24hrs to help them and have actually had to pay for the Air China flights THREE times - a cost which they are absorbing.
The attidute of BA has been terrible. Mom's luggage had not been put on the flight at Newcastle - and as BA have their own baggage handlers and do not use SERVICE-AIR they cannot blame anyone else. BA are taking the stand that they will not commit to paying compensation - and talks with ABTA show they are not obliged to - and that any claim must be made in writing and they will then consider it.
Having contacted Mom's travel insurance company they are saying TERMINAL 5 is a known risk and any disruption to travel arrangements caused by passing through this terminal will not be covered by insurance. This was a holiday booked in OCTOBER 2007 prior to all the disruption. The missing of the flight was caused by the luggage not been put on the plane at NEWCASTLE - not Terminal 5.
Would you believe that ABTA also say there was no reason for my Mom's friend not to get on the AIR CHINA flights as her luggage was there - that is a totally unrealistic arguement.
Please check your insurance - we have been unable to find out how long the insurance company are going to class Terminal 5 as an 'at risk enviroment' - I thought that would only apply to areas of terrorist activity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fingers crossed that the AIR CHINA flight leaves OK and a big thumbs up for TRAVELSPHERE.
Christine :wavey:
On tuesday I dropped my Mom and her friend off at Newcastle Airport to catch the BA 2.20pm flight to Heathrow to then get an Air China flight at 8.20pm for a long ago planned touring holiday - the first Mom has been on since my Father died. At 4.30pm they were still at Newcastle and informed that the flight was cancelled due to mechanical failure and they would be put on the 6.50pm flight. Upon arrival at Heathrow Terminal 5 my Mom's luggage was missing and she had to registered it at the BA customer services desk. The Air China flight had already been held-up by the tour operator and could wait no longer so left without them.
They queued in pouring rain outside the Chinese Embassy yesterday morning for 4 hours to get a new visa ( their original visa was as part of the touring group) and missed the cut off time of 11.00am. A visa has been issued this morning and they are booked on the Air China flight tonight - will have lost 3 days out of a 10 day holiday.
The travel company - TRAVELSPHERE HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC - they have paid for hotel accomodation and meals, been on hand 24hrs to help them and have actually had to pay for the Air China flights THREE times - a cost which they are absorbing.
The attidute of BA has been terrible. Mom's luggage had not been put on the flight at Newcastle - and as BA have their own baggage handlers and do not use SERVICE-AIR they cannot blame anyone else. BA are taking the stand that they will not commit to paying compensation - and talks with ABTA show they are not obliged to - and that any claim must be made in writing and they will then consider it.
Having contacted Mom's travel insurance company they are saying TERMINAL 5 is a known risk and any disruption to travel arrangements caused by passing through this terminal will not be covered by insurance. This was a holiday booked in OCTOBER 2007 prior to all the disruption. The missing of the flight was caused by the luggage not been put on the plane at NEWCASTLE - not Terminal 5.
Would you believe that ABTA also say there was no reason for my Mom's friend not to get on the AIR CHINA flights as her luggage was there - that is a totally unrealistic arguement.
Please check your insurance - we have been unable to find out how long the insurance company are going to class Terminal 5 as an 'at risk enviroment' - I thought that would only apply to areas of terrorist activity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fingers crossed that the AIR CHINA flight leaves OK and a big thumbs up for TRAVELSPHERE.
Christine :wavey: