Travel insurance

Jo Knox travelled to Tenerife for a relaxing break, but was left with only the clothes on her back after a shuttle service booked through easyJet Holidays lost her suitcase on the way to the hotel

A holidaymaker who was left without her luggage on a ten-night trip to Tenerife has slammed easyJet Holidays’ response as ‘unhelpful’ and ‘rude’.

Jo Knox arrived on the winter sun island on January 13, eager to enjoy some sunshine, but her holiday turned into a nightmare when her case went missing from a Canaryshuttle service en-route to her hotel.

Jo, who was travelling in a party of four with her husband, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law, has taken easyJet Holidays to small claims court as she claims it left her thousands of pounds out of pocket.

When contacted for comment, easyJet declined to give a statement, with a spokesperson saying: “We’re sorry to hear about Joanne’s missing luggage on her recent holiday to Tenerife. Our team in resort worked hard to assist in resolving the situation as quickly as possible. As this matter is now subject to legal proceedings, it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

However, Jo says that easyJet have only given her £231 in compensation for her lost baggage, and her travel insurance company will not cover the claim as she willingly handed her luggage to the shuttle bus driver before it went missing.

She said: “We landed into Tenerife South and collected four cases, one each. We walked up to the coach and the driver was there. He took my case off me. I’m always a bit paranoid when I go on holiday, so I always stand there and make sure my case is definitely on.”

Jo claims that when the cases were loaded, they were put on neatly, “like a box of matches”, but later she noticed the luggage had been moved. Jo’s brother-in-law took a photo on arrival to show family members the sunny weather, and managed to capture proof that Jo’s distinctive red suitcase had been loaded onto the shuttle bus.

“He said,’ I’ve got a picture here’.”, Jo recalled. “So he’d sent me it and it was timestamped 12.33pm. Now as we’d got on the coach my husband said we definitely departed that coach at 12.42pm because they have big clocks at the front like digital clocks and I noticed the time. But he said on this picture my case is facing the other way he said it’s like it’s been turned as if it’s easy to get off”.

Jo said the shuttle bus made a couple of stops before hers, and she saw passengers get off at their hotels but didn’t see anyone take her red case. However, a short while later when they reached their destination, Jo’s luggage was nowhere to be found.

“It definitely never came off that bus”, Jo claimed. “So, we immediately spoke to the driver, and when we’d got on the bus he was laughing and joking with us. He could speak broken English. But the minute we started questioning about my case, he shrugged his shoulders.”

“So my husband and my brother-in-law are bending down, trying to look under, you know, inside the cage. And he put his arm out and he’s like, no, no, no, no. And then literally the, the flap came down and he got on the coach and drove away.”

Heading to reception, Jo rang easyJet immediately, and claims they were less than helpful. Jo says she couldn’t recall the name of the coach company at the time and easyJet were unable to give her the information. She began to panic, as she was there for 10 nights, and all of her belongings including some medication was in her case.

The next morning, she headed to the airport and tried to speak to members of the Canaryshuttle team, where she was told to email the office. One airport worker who worked for another airline told Jo that as she booked a package through easyJet, it was the company’s responsibility to assist her.

Going back to the easyJet desk, Jo said she pled with a rep to help her out, only to be told the case had already been investigated and closed. She claims the rep told her, “The case is closed. Move away. There’s nothing we can do.”

However, later the rep got in touch with Jo and agreed to escort her to the police station. While Jo wanted to make a complaint about the driver, she claims that the rep said she’d known the driver for eight years and could “vouch for him”. She requested that the police look at CCTV around the coach stand, but says that the airport has not provided the data to police.

Instead of relaxing on a sunbed, Jo faced a dash around the island’s shops to try and get some items together for her holiday. She managed to get replacement diabetes medication from a local pharmacy, and bought some basics such as dresses and knickers to replace the lost items. She said easyJet initially offered €25 a day for three days, a maximum of €75, which is just over £65.

When claiming online with easyJet, she submitted 16 receipts and says eventually they paid 12 of them, with her compensation so far totalling £231. However, she has been left unable to claim any other expenses or resolve her case with easyJet customer services.

Jo sat down and itemised everything in her case, estimating the total value would be £2,712. She’s now submitted a claim to a small claims court to cover the cost of her luggage, as well as the cost of her holiday for her and her husband, and £500 for the “severe distress” caused.

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Jo’s sunshine break was ruined by the events: “It spoiled all our holidays, literally, I was just in tears. I just wanted to come home. And my husband sort of said, look, if it’s just me and you, yes, I get it. Let’s go home. But because it was [my in-laws’] first time in Tenerife and they’d been looking forward to this for so long, I begrudgingly stayed but I just wanted to come home in all honesty.”

She added that “all I want in an ideal world is just my case to turn up”.

ALSA who own Canaryshuttle have been contacted for comment.

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Jet2 and Ryanair have similar policies

Certain passengers flying with Ryanair and Jet2 will need an extra document to board their flights, according to similar terms and conditions published on both airlines’ websites.

NHS guidance states that most women can fly safely “well into their pregnancy, with the proper precautions such as travel insurance”. And travellers are urged to “make sure your travel insurance covers you for any eventuality, such as pregnancy-related medical care during labour, premature birth and the cost of changing the date of your return trip if you go into labour.”

While airlines typically adopt similar positions regarding pregnant passengers at different stages, each carrier has its own specific guidance. For instance, beyond a particular point in pregnancy, women travelling with Ryanair and Jet2 must provide medical documentation – or they risk being denied boarding.

Ryanair’s guidance states that “you may fly up to 28 weeks of pregnancy” and once the 28-week mark is reached “you will need to carry a completed ‘fit to fly’ letter from your doctor/midwife”. Its website further explains: “If you have a single pregnancy, travel is not permitted beyond the end of the 36th week of your pregnancy; For a twin/triplet pregnancy, a ‘fit to fly’ letter is required between 28-32 weeks, and travel is not permitted beyond the end of the 32nd week of pregnancy.

“If you have any doubts about your suitability to fly or if you have had any complications while pregnant, please consult your doctor before booking your flights.”

Jet2 has a similar policy, and information on its website reads: “We are not able to carry expectant mothers after: the end of the 35th week of pregnancy in the case of a single pregnancy; or – the end of the 33rd week of pregnancy in the case of multiple pregnancies (for example twins).

“After the end of the 27th week of pregnancy, expectant mothers must provide us with a doctor’s certificate confirming their stage of pregnancy and that they are fit to fly, failing which we reserve the right to refuse carriage. This certificate needs to be dated within 7 days of the outbound date of travel and 16 days of the inbound date of travel.”

Elsewhere, easyJet advice suggests that “you are able to travel until quite late into your pregnancy” but adds: “If you have experienced any complications during your pregnancy, you should consult your medical practitioner before flying with us.

“You can travel up to the end of the 35th week for single pregnancies. If you are expecting more than one baby you can travel up to the end of the 32nd week”.

The safest city in Europe is a gorgeous Alpine destination.

Whilst travel can never be entirely without risk, certain holiday spots prove considerably safer than their counterparts. Research conducted by Reassured has crowned Salzburg in Austria as Europe’s most secure city.

The Austrian gem boasts minimal crime levels, with Numbeo data revealing that precious few residents fret about potential attacks or vandalism. An impressive 90 per cent of locals reported feeling secure whilst strolling solo after dark.

Little wonder that Reassured has also hailed it amongst the finest destinations for expat families to settle. Famed as Mozart’s birthplace, Salzburg draws countless visitors year-round.

The historic Old Town, or Altstadt, proves perfectly walkable, with the city’s premier attractions clustered within easy reach of one another, reports the Express.

One holidaymaker, ‘Robert P’, shared on Tripadvisor: “Lovely area to walk around, small enough not to tire the feet. Salzburg is almost the perfect tourist town, history and scenery combined.”

Swiss city Zug and the Netherlands’ Leiden claimed the subsequent spots on the safety rankings, both featuring similarly low criminal activity rates.

Switzerland commanded the listings, with numerous other Swiss cities securing places in the safety table.

Every featured destination scored significantly higher for safety than major British cities such as London and Leeds.

Europe’s safest cities

• Vienna, Austria
• Prague, Czechia
• Rome, Italy
• Helsinki, Finland
• Salzburg, Austria
• Nuremberg, Germany
• Innsbruck, Austria
• Bergen, Norway
• Galway, Ireland
• Trieste, Italy

Many money saving travel hacks are trotted out year after year, but do they really save money? Travel specialists have weighed in on some of the most common tips that are often repeated

January and February are peak times for booking holidays, and at this time of year you’ll often see lists of travel tips that claim you can save money by following certain ‘hacks’.

But do they really work? The travel insurance team at Tiger.co.uk has shed light on five travel hacks that are shared pretty much every year, but may end up being a waste of your time. Luckily, the team has also revealed some practical tips to save money that can actually help holidaymakers slash their travel costs.

1. Using incognito mode when booking

Some money saving sites will tell you to use incognito mode when you make a booking, claiming this can lead to cheaper fares. This is based on the assumption that if you make repeated searches, the airline or travel provider will take your history into account and raise the fares.

However, Tiger explained that flight pricing algorithms are much more sophisticated than that, and while fare prices do change over time, this is based on demand, availability, and pricing, rather than what’s in your search history. An article in Quartz backs up this theory, citing studies that have shown there’s very little effect on the overall cost.

Many airlines offer different fare classes even within economy, and once one type of fare sells out, it’ll automatically move to the next, higher-priced one. This is more likely to explain why a fare has jumped up in price the second time you search.

2. Booking flights during the night

In the early days of internet travel booking, airlines used to update their fares manually overnight. Savvy travellers could set an alarm for first thing in the morning to save money on their flights.

Nowadays, airline websites are much more sophisticated and update prices 24/7, meaning its unlikely to make a difference whether you book during the day or night. However, this outdated travel hack still gets repeated now and again.

3. Booking last-minute gets you the best deals

Travelling at the last minute used to be a great way to bag bargain holidays. If you’re not fussy about your destination and flexible on dates, there are still cheap package holidays to be found, though they seem to be getting harder to find.

However, Tiger says that if you’re looking for cheap flights, planning ahead is a better option. Fares often increase as the departure date approaches and seats become scarcer. Try using Skyscanner or a similar flight comparison site with a price tracker to alert you when fares to your destination drop.

4. Only looking at budget airlines

Budget airlines often appear the cheapest because they offer impressive headline fares, but once priced up, a budget carrier might not be the best option for saving cash.

Once you’ve added the basics, such as baggage and paid to select your seat, you may find the cost is comparable to standard airlines where these extras are included. Always look at the total cost for a true comparison.

5. Always book a return

In the past, travellers were always advised to book return tickets as it worked out cheaper. But nowadays, with flight comparison tools available, it’s easier than ever to compare return fares on the same airline versus buying two singles with different carriers. Mixing and matching could save you money and often makes it more convenient to book a flight time that suits you.

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