After all the recent rail strikes taking place in London and beyond and the announcement of hundreds of airline workers expected to strike this summer, it raises the question – does your travel insurance cover airline strikes?
Recently, it emerged around 40% of travel insurers do not cover airline strikes. In fact, most types of strike – whether it be train or plane are not covered by a huge number of insurance providers.
Whilst strikes are a huge pain, they are not your fault. Therefore, it is important to know whether you are covered and financially protected and how to receive compensation if this has happened or could happen to you in future.
Check your insurance policy
If you are already covered by travel insurance, the first step is to check whether your plan covers strike action. Each policy is different, so check the policy of every person travelling – even if you are with the same provider.
Citizen’s Advice offers an amazing article which details all the steps you can take to claim compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight, and the circumstances under which a claim is likely to be awarded to you.
Contact your insurance provider directly and ask them for a copy of your insurance policy (if you don’t have it already). Once you have received this, go through it with a fine-tooth comb to see if there is any mention of what happens when your flight is delayed or cancelled due to strike action.
If nothing is stated specifically about strikes, contact your provider again and ask them to go through the document with you whilst it is in front of you. This is helpful as there may be jargon and wording on your policy which is hard to understand. Phrases such as ‘Industrial Action’ or ‘Travel Abandonment’ may be need within your policy to be covered.
Travel Insurance Explained has a great page all about policy wording, which explains certain terms and wording to look out for in your policy.
Finding travel insurance
If you do not yet have travel insurance, it is important to note you may not be covered if strikes were announced before you got the insurance. Similarly, if the strike was planned before you booked your trip, your cover may be void in this circumstance.
The best way to find a suitable travel insurance policy is to put a little time aside to really shop around. Thanks to the internet, there are plenty of price comparison websites out there, such as MoneySuperMarket and Compare The Market. These are useful for being able to compare different prices for your travel insurance.
There are also travel insurance specific websites, which are great not only for comparing the cost of different types of cover, but what each policy includes. Currently, it is not only important to think about cover for strike action, but delays and cancellations due to staff shortage, as well as cover in the incident you become unwell with Covid-19. These are things to keep in mind when considering which policy to go for.
Sites such as Paying Too Much allow you to search for and compare travel insurance policies from a range of providers. You can choose insurance for a single trip, or if you are a regular globe trotter, annual cover.
Staysure makes claiming for flight cancellations and delays easy and quick. They also boast premium Covid-19 cover, so you can rest easy knowing that, should something go amiss, you could be financially compensated. Avanti is another company which offers great single and multi-trip insurance.
Reminder
Some providers may offer cover for industrial action as part of their standard insurance and coverage plans. However, some may not, and you may need to pay slightly extra to receive add-ons such as this.
However, it is likely not to be a huge additional cost (perhaps a few pounds). You will be thankful you did if you find yourself in a sticky situation due to strikes.
Planning ahead
So, you have your flight booked, you are excited for your holiday and ready to go. There has been no confirmation of strike action affecting your specific flight – yet. But the news is rife with stories of flight cancellations, delays and airline workers taking strike action. It is worrying and can leave you feeling doubtful.
So, what can you do in this situation? Take a deep breath, make a cup of tea and take it step by step.
The best thing to do is to contact the airline you are flying with directly. Ask them about any upcoming industrial action and ask whether your flight could be impacted. They may not know for sure, but it’s worth asking.
Please note – if the strike is happening through the airline, for example air stewards and stewardesses are striking, then the airline is obligated to compensate you themselves. If the strikes are by workers not directly employed by the airline, the airline is not obligated to compensate you. This may be baggage loading staff, for example.
This is why it is important to ensure you have travel insurance which will cover you in the instance of flight disruption.
Booking websites
If you booked your holiday or trip through a third party, such as Lastminute.com or Booking.com, contact them. Ask them what would happen if you were to experience travel disruption as the result of industrial action. They will be able to guide you through the process and let you know the plan of action if something does happen.
External tour operators which are UK-based must sign up to a protection type called ATOL. This means the company are responsible for finding alternative travel arrangements or reschedule your holiday altogether where required.
It is good to know what will happen in this scenario, so you know exactly which steps to take. This way, you can get the compensation you are rightfully owed.
Changing your flight
If a strike is likely to happen, do not cancel your flight. There is not much point, as you may not get your money back. If your flight is cancelled due to a strike, you will be able to get a refund from the airline for this.
Similarly, if you have been told more than two weeks in advance of your flight that a strike is going to take place when you are planning to fly, airlines will often offer you an alternative flight or date. If there is less than two weeks’ notice of a strike happening, or you are stranded on holiday as the result of a strike, you may be compensated financially or in the form of accommodation or food, paid for by the airline.
Shop around and seek alternative options for flights, travel and even destinations if you are concerned about strike action. However, it is ideal to hold off before doing anything hasty. You might not know whether your flight is definitely going ahead or not. Plus, you may have to pay to change your flight.
Key tips
- Where possible, book through a travel tour operator. They are responsible for sorting out the rearranging of flights, hotels and other arrangements. This takes the stress away from you.
- Double check your insurance policy for mention of airline strikes. If you are unsure, contact your provider directly.
- Pay for your ticket with a credit card is possible. This is beneficial as you are covered for purchases between £100 and £30,000. The credit card company can reimburse you under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
- Get travel insurance, if you haven’t already!
- As an additional step to make sure you are covered in all scenarios. Check to see if your travel insurance covers Covid-19 related cancellations and other disruption. Many travel insurance policies do not cover for this.
