Not upheld: Home insurance claim disputes complaint against Chubb European Group SE

Decision detail

Summary

Mr M claimed on his travel insurance policy after his flight from the Middle East was cancelled due to civil aviation authority suspension of flights in the region, resulting in additional expenses. Chubb declined the claim citing the general war exclusion. The ombudsman found the claim was fairly declined because the policy only covered specific listed insured events, none of which applied to Mr M's circumstances. Additionally, the war exclusion reasonably applied given the reported hostilities and flight suspension. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the policy terms clearly limited cover to specific insured events listed in Section 1.6, and Mr M's circumstances (flight suspension) were not among those listed events. Additionally, even if cover existed, the war exclusion reasonably applied given the reported hostilities in the region and suspension of all flights. The policy terms were clear and unambiguous, and Chubb did not act unreasonably in declining the claim.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website