Natural disasters and severe weather
If you have booked your accommodation independently i.e. not through a bonded tour operator and it becomes uninhabitable due to fire, flood, earthquake, explosion, tsunami, landslide, avalanche, storm, hurricane or volcanic eruption, Saga will pay up to £5,000 for reasonable additional accommodation and transport costs if you need to move to alternative accommodation on arrival or at any other time during your trip. Saga will also cover you for your unused travel and accommodation costs in the event that you have to cancel or abandon your trip as a result of your accommodation becoming uninhabitable.
If you have booked your holiday as a package through a bonded tour operator, we recommend you contact them direct to make alternative arrangements.
Customers who are stranded abroad as a result of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, tsunami, flood, fire or severe weather in the country of travel
If you are stranded abroad, Saga will automatically extend your travel insurance cover without charge – so your personal possessions continue to be protected and you are covered for medical treatment as per your original policy.
If your flight home has been cancelled and you have booked through a tour operator or an EU airline we advise you to contact them for alternative arrangements to get you home. Under EU legislation passengers are entitled to assistance including reasonable meals and overnight accommodation. We advise you keep any receipts for additional costs paid out.
If you are booked on a non-EU airline the regulations will also apply when operating from EU airports. If the airport is outside the EU, these flights will not be covered by EU legislation and passenger rights will depend on the airline’s conditions of carriage.
If you have booked your holiday independently and not as a package, and you cannot recover your costs from elsewhere, Saga will pay you £100 for every 24 hours that you are unable to return home up to a maximum of £1,500. Alternatively, we will pay up to £1,000 if after a period of 24 hours or more, you unavoidably have to make immediate alternative arrangements to return home.
Customers whose travel plans are disrupted as a result of severe weather in the UK and are unable to travel on their outward journey from the UK
If your flight is disrupted as a result of severe weather in the UK then we recommend you contact your airline to confirm your original flight time. If your flight is cancelled the airline will either issue a refund or re-arrange your flight.
If you have booked your holiday as a package through a bonded tour operator, we recommend you contact them direct to make alternative arrangements.
If your flight is delayed for more than 24 hours at its international departure point in the UK, you will be able to cancel your holiday provided that you have checked in for your flight in line with your original booking conditions.
In the event of severe weather it is important that you ensure you leave enough time to get to the airport to check in.
If you have attempted to get to your departure airport via scheduled public transport but are unable to due to the severe weather, you will be covered for Missed Departure, i.e. any additional accommodation or travel costs you have to pay to reach your destination.
The airline is responsible for providing food and drink if your flight has been delayed for two hours or more for flights of 1,500km or less; three hours or more for longer flights within the European Union or for other flights of between 1,500km and 3,500km; four hours or more for flights of over 3,500km outside the European Union. For further information, please visit the following link which details passenger rights; http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passenger-rights/en/08-air-long-delays.html
If you are at your point of international departure and have checked-in, you are covered for £35 for the first full 12 hours and £15 for every full 15 hours up to a total of £215. You will also be able to claim for a refund for any unused travel and accommodation costs if you choose to abandon your trip after waiting more than 24 hours on your outward journey.
Customers whose travel plans are disrupted as a result of severe weather in the UK and are stranded abroad
If you are still stranded abroad, Saga will automatically extend your travel insurance cover without charge – so your personal possessions continue to be protected and you are covered for medical treatment as per your original policy.
If your flight home has been cancelled and you have booked through a tour operator or an EU airline we advise you to contact them for alternative arrangements to get you home. Under EU legislation passengers are entitled to assistance including reasonable meals and overnight accommodation. We advise you keep any receipts for additional costs paid out.
If you are booked on a non-EU airline the regulations will also apply when operating from EU airports. If the airport is outside the EU, these flights will not be covered by EU legislation and passenger rights will depend on the airline’s conditions of carriage.
If you have booked your holiday independently and not as a package, and you cannot recover your costs from elsewhere, Saga will pay you £100 for every 24 hours that you are unable to return home up to a maximum of £1,500. Alternatively, we will pay up to £1,000 if after a period of 24 hours or more, your unavoidably have to make immediate alternative arrangements to return home.
Customers who have had to re-arrange their holiday due to flight cancellations
If your airline or tour operator has re-arranged the dates of your holiday for which Saga Travel Insurance is currently covering you and you do not make a cancellation claim, then we would be happy to change the current Single Trip policy to the new trip if:
- The previous travel dates have not passed; and
- The new return date is not longer than 12 months from the inception date of the policy and the destination and trip duration is the same.
If you fall outside of these guidelines then a new policy will need to be issued and any difference in premium paid.
Further advice and up to date information
The link below contains up to date information on alternative travel options, passenger rights and contact details for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and its embassies overseas.
www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-news/