Losing flight due to train accident

Dear suscribers,

I would like if somebody can help me regarding this issue:

After traveling through Japan for one month, I have booked a flight with Scoot Airlines to return to Thailand on December 2nd.

My flight was departing from Narita airport at 9.35 a.m, so I woke up at 5 a.m to be able to take express train leaving from Kinshicho station at 6.18 a.m and arriving to Narita's terminal 2 at 7.31 a.m, exactly two hours before flight departure, as suggested by the airline.

Everything was going as planned, until just 30 minutes before getting to the airport, a person has decided to jumped to the railways.

I don't blame on this guy. I feel sorry about his radical decision, but unfortunately train has been delayed for two hours and I couldn't make it.

While I was on the train, one passenger allowed me to use her phone, so I have called the airline, and assistance advised me to get to the airport, and try to solve it there.

When I went to Scoot airlines counter, and I told them what has happened, they said I will probably need to pay an extra to be rebooked for next day flight, but I needed to make this calling the company.

When I have called the company, they said that I was not able to rebook, and that I have lost my ticket.

So, finally I needed to book in another airline that also made me pay extra, as Scoot airlines allows you to take 10 kgs. carry on, and Air Asia just 7 kgs.

10.000 yenes, apart from the 30.300 for new ticket.

In total I needed to pay more than 40.000 yenes, excluding my time, food and phone expenses.

Really bad luck.

I got Jr's report about accident, thinking on asking my credit card for some kind of compensation, but I have called card, and they said they could not help me.

Anyone could advise me how can I manage with this situation?

I'm already in Thailand, and that money I needed to use for new ticket and carryon fee, now is missing and is complicating my plans.

Is there any insurance that I can claim to train company when is delayed for two hours? Or maybe this guy that jumped to railway,insurance ?

I would appreciate any kind of advise.

Best regards,
Lisandro

Railway wont pay it.

Claim it on your our travel insurance with the proof of incident form the railway gave you.

Thanks Hakata14 for your reply.

Unfortunately my travel insurance expired; that's the reason I thought about credit card first, and have asked on the forum.

You're not going to get anything back; forget it. Probably your travel insurance would not have covered the missed flight due to a train delay anyway.

I think most delay is 6hrs before you can claim, but if you had insurances then the airline ticket will be covered depending on the insured amount.

Anyway you should make sure you had travel insurances before traveling, without it, you won't get anything back.

It is the reason I usually return to Narita and spend the night at a hotel there and enjoy the sights of Narita-town and Narita-san temple and eat some unagi and have a choice of options to go to the airport, including a free hotel shuttle, in case of a disruption.
Earthquakes, suicides, typhoons; trains run on time in Japan, but disruptions do occur and are unpredictable.

Some people prefer to think that things happen by luck, and others prefer to think that they happen by preparation. If you are the former, don't read my post.

If you are the latter, I would like to encourage you to think that this was a great learning lesson to plan for your future.

First of all, cheap tickets, moreover cheap airlines come with more risks. If nothing happens, you get to travel cheap. If something happens, that's as far as you paid for. Speaking from experience, expensive airlines sometimes offer you better service even if you're traveling on free milage tickets.

Next, you could have called a taxi when the train stopped. Train conductors can often provide advise such as how/where you can get alternative transportation such as buses and taxis.

Finally, if nothing works, think of it as an opportunity and explore the airport or town or whatever is left to you. If it weren't for the happening, you wouldn't have been able to explore them. This, I speak from experience too.

Either way, you have tried everything you can. Be proud of yourself.

I agree, cheap airline such as LCC provide no security is something happens, but some like peach and HK express now with a much higher payment allows instant cancellation or change of time, or you can just rely on travel insurance and claim from them.

I use HK express most of the time, and it works out cheap for me, but instead of arriving at the time set by the airlines, i start to make my way to the airport and arrive about 2-3 hours before the flight time, both narita and haneda have plenty to see whiles waiting for the flight.

Short version of story... Have travel insurance.

It would have cost less the 20% the money you had lost.

Well , insurance sounds cheap when something has happened. But if you analyze it over all travel the OP is doing the likelihood of something going wrong versus accumulated cost of all insurances is not likely to pay off. Thus I personally take out insurance for risks that are either high or albeit small could easily become very expensive, eg health insurance or liability insurance. But for other things in life, I guess itfs gshit happensh, but remember all the other trips you did without incidents and the money you would have spent on all those insurances.

There is a reason why insurance companies have money. They get overall more than they pay out.