Even after a massive ?4.3bn investment, teething problems, according to BA, have plagued the opening of Heathrow terminal 5. Major technical difficulties have caused chaos in the luggage halls with bags going missing, severely delayed and forcing some aircraft to depart without any bags at all. Other technical problems have caused check-in to be suspended for a while leaving passengers frustrated and angry with some flights delayed and cancelled. And it's not just passengers who are angry. The travel insurance industry is once again bracing itself to pick up the pieces with claims for delayed departure, abandonment and lost or late baggage, there is going to be a huge number of passengers making claims against their travel insurance policies and against British Airways under the European Air Passengers Rights. Not all passengers will have travel insurance but many will and, although it won't solve the immediate problem of where are my bags?, is my flight delayed?, it will ease the financial pain later on.
A good travel insurance policy will cover you for delay after a qualifying period of time so at least you won't be out of pocket for the snacks and endless cups of coffee waiting for your flight or missing bags. Check what your policy covers and make sure you get a letter from the airline confirming the duration of any delay. For missing bags, get a Property Irregularity Report from the Airport Lost Luggage Section. Do keep any receipts for expenditure as well as this will help in any subsequent claim. If when you get to your final destination and your bags are not on your flight, again get a report from the airline. What travel insurance should provide in these circumstances is an allowance, usually based on each 24 hours the luggage is delayed, for you to buy essential replacement items, such as clothing and toiletries, for you to survive until your bags arrive. There will be an upper limit to this daily allowance and your travel insurance company will be looking for receipts for these items to accompany any claim you make. This still requires you to pay first and claim back later but at least it means you won't be too much out of pocket. Do again remember to obtain a Property Irregularity Report. You will need to send this to your travel insurance company to substantiate your claim and they will also be looking for proof of when the bags were returned to you, so a signed and dated receipt will also be expected. If you don't have these, then it is very possible that the insurers will not pay your claim. If your bags become 'irretrievably' lost, then the insurance company will need a letter from the airline confirming this and you will then be able to claim for all the lost items under the Lost Baggage Section of your policy.
