Not upheld: Home insurance claim disputes complaint against Euroins AD

Decision detail

Summary

Mr D and Miss D claimed on their travel insurance policy after being denied boarding on a delayed flight in December 2022 and choosing to abandon their trip. Euroins refused the claim, stating it required written confirmation from the airline regarding the delay cause. The airline refused to provide this information directly to the claimants but indicated it would only respond to Euroins, which contacted the airline twice without receiving a response. The ombudsman found that while the claimants made reasonable efforts and Euroins acted reasonably in attempting to obtain information, the policy only covers abandonment due to three specific causes (strike, adverse weather, or mechanical breakdown), and the available evidence suggested the delay was due to general operational reasons. The ombudsman therefore upheld Euroins' refusal to pay the claim.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied FCA rules requiring insurers not to unreasonably reject claims. The policy only covers abandonment due to delays caused by three specific circumstances: strike/industrial action, adverse weather, or mechanical breakdown/technical fault. Although the ombudsman accepted that Mr D and Miss D were denied boarding and likely met the 12-hour delay threshold, the available evidence indicated the delay was due to 'operational reasons' rather than one of the three covered circumstances. The onus was on Mr D and Miss D to demonstrate their claim was valid by showing one of the three covered causes applied. Since they failed to do so, and Euroins had made reasonable attempts to obtain information from the airline, the refusal to pay was reasonable and not an unreasonable rejection of the claim.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website