Originally Posted by
chris63
LH do not issue delay statements, for LH flights you would normally receive a notification of delay or a rebooking, those are proof of delay, or at the time you could copy from websites like FR24.
LH owe duty of care expenses regardless of the reason for the delay but you have not provided the routing etc.
You are right and my sense is that insurance companies (for travel insurance) know that and hence on purpose insert such wording in their clauses to be able to decline a number of otherwise legitimate claims.
A similar issue we had recently on an AMS-FRA-LEJ itinerary where the boarding (zoo) in AMS delayed departure by ~65mins (trying to get people to gate check luggage as full flight and sending the youngest, most inexperienced gate staff to talk to pax was prone to spell doom
) and then our connection time of 1:30hrs in FRA meant a sprint from A bus arrival to B11 (grrr, couldn't have been A17 or so?) and we basically were last two pax accepted onto the flight (bus transfer as well).
Of course, our luggage didn't make it (BR managed a "hot transfer" of my 2 pieces of luggage in TPE within 20mins on CDG-TPE-BKK due to 2hrs delay from CDG, but that's an aside) and we got the notifications that it would be coming in on the 23:00ish arrival into LEJ. So after arrival in LEJ we filed a PIR and they said delivery to hotel next morning. So far as expected. Luggage arrived the next day and received by hotel staff, but courier didn't want to give a delivery receipt / copy (allegedly). Fine.
Filed claim under my annual travel insurance policy and came across the same type of clause. The insurer wanted written proof of the delivery time from the airline. Well, I understand that it makes a difference in compensation as they pay 200 SGD for every 6hrs delay, but I could only proof that the luggage arrived like 8hrs in LEJ based on the email confirmation from LH system. I tried to pull up the PIR, but no luck, not working. Luckily I managed to email the Leipzig (luggage) service team and they got the time from the courier and kindly replied from an LH email address so the insurer accepted it as written proof. 1,200 SGD secured at last.
I always read policy T&Cs, but this bit had totally escaped me and it is only spelled out in the claims process section and kind of "naughtily hidden". Many travel polices here have this provision. I can venture a guess that LH probably doesn't want to provide any type of such acknowledgments to avoid admission of fault / liability etc., but it can present a headache even in situations where one doesn't want to claim against them, but a personal insurance. Anyways, YMMV.