Spanish Travel News - January 2008 Edition

Dear {!firstname_fix},

With the news in the UK full of warnings about the various viruses attacking the country, we thought it might be a good idea to kick off the year with up to date information on what sort of health care cover you can expect if you are travelling to Spain and how to go about obtaining it. The good news is that the sun is shining here at the moment and so far we have not had any cases of the Norovirus sickness bug reported!

Again with health in mind, we have also detailed the rules and regulations laid down by Aena (the Spanish Airport Authority) for passengers with special needs who are flying into any of the Spanish Airports.

Unfortunately the most frequently asked questions on our message board last year were about lost luggage. So again we have gone to the Spanish Airport Authority and produced a guide to the liability of the airlines and the best way to make a claim if you are unlucky enough to arrive here without your suitcases.

The Spanish tourist office is predicting a record number of travellers this year. If you are planning a trip here in the near future (in our off peak season) when public transport tends to operate limited services in some areas, then the best way to get around mainland Spain, the Balearic or Canary Islands is to hire a car. So if you are coming to Spain over the next few months it is worth getting a Free Car Hire Quote Here Also by making a reservation in advance you can often get offered some better deals.

Gary Ingram

If your hold luggage is lost or damaged in transit then the airline you are travelling with is liable for the damage caused in the event of the destruction, loss of or damage to any registered baggage, as long as the occurrence took place on board the aircraft or while the registered baggage was in the custody of the airline. The airline are not liable if the damage resulted from an act of nature or is due to an inherent defect in the baggage.

With hand baggage and personal objects the airline is responsible if the damage is either their fault or caused by one of its employees or agents.

The airline is also responsible for any damage caused by delay in baggage transport, unless they can prove that every reasonable measure necessary was taken to avoid the damage or that it was impossible for such measures to be taken.

If you need to make a claim for lost baggage then the receipt you received when checking it in constitutes the presumption, unless proven to the contrary, that the baggage was handed over in good condition in accordance with the transport docket.

In the event of an incident with registered baggage (destruction, loss, damage or delay),go immediately to the airline or their ground handling agent's desk to register the complaint by completing a form called the Property Irregularity Report (PIR). If you cannot find the company's desk go to the Aena information desk who will point you in the right direction.

• In the event of damage you must present a complaint to the carrier immediately after noticing the damage and certainly within 7 days of receiving the registered baggage.
• In the event of delay the complaint should be made within 21 days
• Any complaints made before a court of law will be presented within two years from the arrival of the aircraft or from the day in which it should have arrived.

 

If you hold a UK Passport then a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles you to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment that becomes necessary while you're in Spain. It is normally valid for three to five years and covers any medical treatment that becomes necessary during your trip, because of either illness or an accident. The card gives access to state-provided medical treatment and you will be treated on the same basis as an insured person living here.

The EHIC also covers any treatment you need for a chronic disease or pre-existing illness (but you need to make arrangements in advance for kidney dialysis and oxygen therapy). To arrange for kidney dialysis while you are in Spain contact your NHS renal unit in the UK before you travel. For limited information on oxygen supply services call the Department of Health's Customer Service Centre on 020 7210 4850.

You may be entitled to reimbursement of any contribution you have made where the actual cost of your hospital treatment abroad (minus the amount of the contribution you have made towards the cost of your treatment abroad) is less than what it would have cost the NHS to have provided the hospital treatment in the UK.  You are not entitled to be reimbursed an amount greater than the contribution you made.

You are advised to take out private travel insurance to cover any contribution which is not reimbursable, as well as anything not covered by the EHIC. The EHIC will not provide cover you if getting medical treatment is the main purpose of your trip, but it should cover you for routine maternity care while you are away. If you are coming to Spain to have your baby, you will need an E112 form.

You can apply for an EHIC card in several ways: online, by post or telephone.

When seeking treatment in Spain make sure the doctor or you use works within the Spanish state health service. In some parts of Iberia, particularly the outlying islands, you may have to travel some distance to attend a state surgery , health centre or hospital clinic. If you have to call out a doctor in an emergency then make it clear that you have an European Health Insurance Card and that you want to be treated under the EU arrangements. Doctors, health centres and hospitals have separate surgery times for private patients and those treated under the state health service. If you are asked to pay, you are not being treated under the Spanish health service and your EHIC will not be accepted.

Dental treatment is not generally provided under the Spanish state system, and the costs will not be reimbursed.

A doctor will usually arrange any hospital treatment you may need, but in an emergency you can only get free treatment in a public ward at a public hospital. You must show your EHIC or you will be charged as a private patient and will not get your money back. Make sure you have private medical insurance in case you are treated in an emergency in a private hospital. Doctors in the emergency departments of state health service hospitals can prescribe medicines on the but do not issue official prescriptions. You must take the report to a primary care doctor who will issue the official prescription.

Prescriptions medicines can be obtained from any pharmacy and will have to pay up to 40% of the cost unless you are a UK or other European Economic Area (EEA) pensioner, in which case the medicines are supplied free of charge. You must show proof that you are a state pensioner, otherwise you will be charged 40% of the cost, which you can claim back on your return to the UK.

Persons with reduced mobility (PRMs) are offered most services that they require at Spanish Airports, (for example help in boarding) at no additional cost. But it is always a good idea to make sure that no extra services will be charged when booking the flight. Aena recommend that if possible you book your flight seven days in advance and a minimum of 48 hours before undertaking the trip to ensure that the assistance you require will be available.

It is the responsibility of the carriers, the airports and the service agents to tend to the needs of PRMs, and it is the responsibility of the PRMs to specify their travel needs when making the reservation. For reasons of safety in the event of evacuation or emergencies, airlines limit the number of PRM travelling on one aircraft or might require that they be accompanied. This limitation depends on the size of the aircraft and the level of service requested by the passenger.

Airlines use internationally recognised assistance codes to identify the level of assistance required by each individual PRM which are as follows:

• WCHR: passengers that need help moving from the aircraft to the terminal, self-sufficient to board and move about the aircraft.
• WCHS: passengers that need help between the aircraft and the terminal and for boarding, self-sufficient inside the aircraft.
• WCHC: passengers lacking all mobility and not self-sufficient. Must be accompanied to their seat and need total personal attention. An accompanying person is required for trips longer than three hours.
• DEAF: deaf passengers.
• BLND: visually impaired passengers.
• DEAF/BLND: deaf or visually impaired passengers that require an accompanying person
• STCR: passenger on a stretcher.
• MAAS: passenger who requires assistance.
• WCHP: passengers that need help to get to their seat and can move about the aircraft with the help of an on-board wheelchair, self-sufficient in their personal care.

If you use a folding wheelchair it may be stored in the passenger cabin if space permits. If the chair is battery powered it must be transported in the aircraft's hold. Spanish airport's allow PRMs to stay in their own wheelchairs up to the door of the aircraft as long as the chair is manual and it is not necessary to go up or down stairs. Otherwise, the airline will provide a chair for transport and return your wheelchair upon arrival at the destination.

Even though we are now in the low season for travel to Spain we are still receiving a steady flow of requests for information on our message board. Between Christmas and New Year this free service will be reduced so please give us as much as notice as possible if you need information on bus and train timetables in order to plan your journey as they can sometimes take some time to find.

And please carry on sending your travel tips or advice as we can pass them on to other travellers and include them in our monthly newsletter.