Help for refund/change names on tickets flights with Emirates

[1*Katherine*1]

Hello, I was hoping for some advice please. My 65year old father was diagnosed with bowel cancer three years ago and had successful treatment to which he seemed to fully recover. In June this year he booked flights (with emailflights.com, to fly with Emirates) to Australia for December to visit family at a cost of £2352.92. However we were totally shocked in August when after a routine scan he was told the cancer had returned in his liver and lungs and it was terminal. They contacted Emirates and emailflights.com regarding the flights hoping to either get a refund or change the names on the tickets so other family members could make use of them. They were told that the only thing they could do was delay the journey until next year at a cost of £500 administration fee. They cannot afford to lose especially now, that money and the stress is making things worse for my Dad. Any advice would to gratefully received.

[ims21]

Thread moved to Holiday and Airline forum where the guys will be happy to help as soon as they are available

[1*Katherine*1]

Thank you

[Cityboy62]

Katherine

 

Presumably your father would have taken out suitable travel insurance to cover this trip so the insurer will be the place to turn to recover the sum involved.

[1*Katherine*1]

No unfortunately not, they hadn't yet sorted travel insurance believing they had time to arrange before travelling.

[honeybee13]

No unfortunately not, they hadn't yet sorted travel insurance believing they had time to arrange before travelling.

 

Hello there.

 

I'm afraid I agree with Cityboy62. The time to arrange travel insurance is when you book the holiday/flight and are committed to the expenditure. I hope Emirates don't quote that at you.

 

I wonder if there is any wriggle room to claim a charge back on the card used to buy the ticket. I don't claim to be an expert on this.

 

My best, HB

[1*Katherine*1]

Yes I think about trying to claim from the card issuer but they paid by a debit card not a credit card. Thanks anyway

[honeybee13]

Hello again.

 

It's worth checking if the debit card has any cover. I could be wrong, but I thought I read something here the other day about debit cards being able to help too. Often the telephone operatives don't have all the facts.

 

HB

[honeybee13]

Hello again.

 

It's worth checking if the debit card has any cover. I could be wrong, but I thought I read something here the other day about debit cards being able to help too. Often the telephone operatives don't have all the facts.

 

HB

[1*Katherine*1]

Hi, I've just spoke to my step mother and apparently they did have holiday insurance through her bank account ( a natwest gold account) however in reading the small print when my dads illness was diagnosed the insurance said if 'if you have received any treatment or taken any medication within the last 12 months and not declared it, you are not covered'. My dad was obviously still being monitored by the hospital after the original bowel cancer.

The card used to pay for the holiday was a visa debit, if that makes a difference! Thanks again in anticipation.

[assisted blonde]

Not sure that the travel insurance will cover it as I am covered for everything except cancer on mine through the bank, but monitoring may not count as treatment, so worth astelling them that, good luck