What can you do about airport strikes affecting your holiday?

British Airways staff have suspended the most recent set of planned airport strikes. Good news for travellers who have flights booked and were rightfully anxious about the disruption this would have caused.

But we thought now was a good time to talk about the cover for strikes on your Travel Insurance.

AllClear policies cover for strikes under Travel delay and abandonment, and Missed departure, providing there was no reasonable expectation the trip would be affected, and it was not a known event at the time of booking the trip/taking out the policy.

Travel delay and abandonment

You can claim a set amount for the first full 10-hour period you are delayed. You can also claim an extra amount for each total 12-hour delay after this. This is up to a set amount.

The amounts you can claim depend on the level of cover you have bought.

Missed departure

You can claim for additional accommodation and travel expenses incurred due to airport strikes.

Please note, the above information is subject to your own policy terms and conditions.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has specific guidelines concerning entitlement to compensation.

What to do if an airport strike is announced

If you’re still in the UK and you haven’t travelled, the following rules apply:

Where you can, you should try to get a full refund from your tour operator or travel agent. We’ll only consider non-refundable expenses on your travel insurance policy.

If you want to rearrange your trip dates, and provided you’re not making a claim, AllClear can transfer your policy to cover the new trip as long as it’s:

• within three months of your original departure date;
• is for the same or no longer duration;
•  is to the same geographical area

If you’re stuck overseas and unable to return to the UK, your existing policy will automatically extend in line with the terms and conditions for up to 30 days to cover you until you’re reasonably able to return home.