Not upheld: Home insurance claim disputes complaint against AWP P&C S.A.

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs A and Mr H claimed on their travel insurance policy after their airline cancelled return flights due to airspace closure caused by war in the Middle East. They had booked alternative flights as Mrs A needed to return home due to medical conditions. AWP declined the claim under a general war exclusion in the policy. The ombudsman found the circumstances did not fall within any covered section of the policy and that the war exclusion was clear and unambiguous. Although sympathetic to their situation, the ombudsman concluded AWP acted fairly and reasonably and did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that no section of the policy covered Mrs A and Mr H's circumstances. The situation did not fall under Emergency medical expenses or Travel Disruption sections as the trip was not cancelled or cut short. Additionally, the policy contained a clear and unambiguous general exclusion relating to war which AWP was entitled to apply. The ombudsman noted that insurers are generally entitled to limit the risks they accept under a policy as long as they treat customers in the same situation consistently.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website