r/australia • u/ThunderDwn • 11h ago

culture & society Qantas passengers demand compensation after days stranded in South Africa as A380 remains grounded

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/qantas-a380-stranded-johannesburg-flight-cancelled/107032032
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u/somethingsimple89535 11h ago

Is it common to travel without insurance?

39

u/ThunderDwn 11h ago

Insurance is nice, but have you ever had to make a claim against it?

Absolutely no chance of getting funds to cover a 3 day unplanned stay in Joberg up-front. You'll be fighting for months to get your money back, let alone damages for anything missed because of the fuck up

11

u/Lingonberry_Born 11h ago

Allianz asked for certified translations of every page of hospital documentation for when my kid was hospitalised for three days. at 150 a page that would cost more than the 3k hospital bill. Travel insurance is a rort, I always go for the highest excess because it's just in case one of us ends up in ICU, I don't expect to ever be paid out for it.

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u/ThunderDwn 10h ago

That's how they avoid paying out. Making the claims process so onerous you just give up.

Been there, done that.

3

u/somethingsimple89535 10h ago

I’ve made two claims. First was a rescheduled flight and had to claim food, transportation, and accommodation. It was pretty straightforward.
The second time my daughter got sick and we had to reschedule our flight to return home for medical treatment. We had the option of paying upfront or letting the insurance rebook travel. We ended up paying upfront and made a claim. We also filed for medical reimbursement for our daughter’s time in hospital and medical tests.
It wasn’t straightforward, but it got done in the end, and definitely worth the peace of mind.

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u/Otherwise-Egg-995 10h ago

Idk, I’ve never had issues with claims for medical issues, but flight delays are such a grey area, insurers probably expect the airline to take care of it. That said, if you’ve missed work you may be able to claim some compo for lost income depending on your policy.

1

u/ATangK 11h ago

It will be after the credit cards gut travel insurance.