Last year it seemed that there was a different strike every week with the potential to cause delays or cancellations to flights to or from the UK. 

Flights into and out of Spain, Greece, Italy, France and Portugal were all affected by various strikes by airline staff, airport workers or air traffic controllers, not to mention the public sector strike in the UK which had an impact on border control.

As the Eurozone crisis drags on and austerity measures continue to be enforced in many countries across the globe strike action looks set to be a continuing threat to our well-earned holidays.

This on-going threat of flight delays or cancellation due to strike action provides a very good reason to buy travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked your holiday.  Or, in the case of annual travel insurance, why you need to renew your policy and not let your travel insurance cover lapse.

Travel insurance cover for strikes and industrial action

Travel insurance cover for strike action will vary with different travel insurance policies, however in general your travel insurance policy provides cover for travel delay and abandonment due to strike action so long as you booked your holiday and bought your travel insurance before strike dates are announced. 

This is why it is important to buy travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked your holiday; you never know when strike action could be announced that could affect your flights and once a strike is public knowledge you won’t be able to buy travel insurance to cover it.

Most travel insurance policies provide cover for strike action under the travel delay section of the policy. This provides a fixed benefit for every 12 or 24 hours that you are delayed and is designed to help you cover the cost of additional expenses such as food and drink whilst you are waiting at the airport.

If your flight incurs a long delay, usually 12 or 24 hours, your travel insurance policy will generally give you the option to ‘abandon’ your holiday and make a claim for the cost, up to the amount specified in the cancellation section of the policy. 

Although abandoning your holiday would be disappointing, this cover does mean that you have the option to cancel the trip and make a claim for the cost if you feel that the delay has eaten into your holiday time too much, enabling you to be able to afford to re-book your holiday for another time.

You should check your travel insurance policy wording to see the full terms and conditions of travel delay and abandonment cover.  Common conditions include that you must have checked in for your flight, this shows that you fully intended to travel, and you will need to obtain a letter from your airline confirming the length and cause of the delay.

Flight delays and cancellations: EU Law and your rights 

As well as your travel insurance providing cover in the event of a strike, your airline also has a duty to look after you. Depending on the circumstances, European law requires airlines to provide assistance to passengers during flight delays, regardless of whether they are caused by strike action, mechanical breakdown or bad weather. This includes food and drink and overnight accommodation if necessary. 

For more information about your rights with regards to flight delays visit the CAA website.

Getting the latest information on flight delays and cancellations

If you are concerned that your flight may be affected by upcoming strike action your first port of call should be your airline or tour operator, they should keep you notified of any delays to your flight.

Another good way of keeping up to date with flight delays across Europe is the Euro Control Twitter page, which posts the latest information on flights into and out of airports across Europe.