Airline labor strikes can really mess up your travel plans, but travel insurance can bring some peace of mind! In this article, you can learn what a strike is, how it can affect travelers, and how travel insurance coverage could help. So, let’s dive into “Does travel insurance cover strikes?”.
Key Takeaways
- Coverage for Unannounced Strikes: Most travel insurance policies provide coverage for unannounced labor strikes that disrupt travel plans. This allows travelers to cancel or interrupt their trips and receive reimbursement for nonrefundable expenses.
- Known Events Exclusion: If a strike is announced prior to purchasing travel insurance, it may not be covered, as it becomes a known event. It’s crucial to secure travel insurance early to protect against unforeseen disruptions.
- Additional Benefits: Travel insurance can also cover costs associated with trip delays caused by strikes, including extra hotel, meal, and transportation expenses, ensuring peace of mind during unexpected travel interruptions.
What Is an Airline Strike?
Although they aren’t as frequent as delayed flights, labor strikes can happen when airline union members experience workplace issues that could be related to, not limited to staffing and pay. This may involve carrier employees walking out or completely stopping work with the hopes of gaining the employer’s attention to fix these problems.
When it comes to travel insurance, a strike is defined as “any unannounced labor disagreement that interferes with the normal departure and arrival of a Common Carrier”, according to AXA Assistance.
“We’ve seen an influx of labor strikes pop up that create a partial or complete disruption of air travel, especially in popular European tourist destinations”, says Terry Boynton, co-founder and president of Yonder.
What About Strikes Causing Flight Disruptions?
Sometimes there are events that happen in a country that cause civil disorder. Although not directly related to a travel supplier strike, they can often cause flight disruptions. Travel insurance could still help reimburse extra hotel, meal, and local transportation costs if a civil disorder or flight delay occurs during your trip under trip delay coverage. Additionally, if the travel supplier strike causes a full cancellation of your flight, keep reading to see how travel insurance coverage could apply.
How Do Airline Strikes Affect Travelers?
Sometimes strikes resolve themselves when an airline agrees to their employees’ terms, leaving travelers unaffected. At times, these strikes can lead to flight delays and cancellations due to insufficient staffing by the travel supplier.
Sstrikes are usually announced with plenty of time for travelers to prepare and possibly make alternate flight plans. In rare instances, strikes can happen without warning and leave a trail of unwanted series of travel mayhem. Keep reading to find out how travel insurance could help you if your travel supplier experiences a labor strike.
Do Airlines Provide Refunds for a Strike?
This depends on the travel supplier, of course, and it’s always a good idea to check their specific policies. Airlines are generally not liable to provide reimbursement or assistance for flights affected by labor strikes, as these events are often considered “extraordinary circumstances” beyond the carrier’s control. Hence why we recommend getting travel insurance!
Are Airline Strikes a Covered Event?
The good news is most travel insurance policies include benefits if an unannounced strike causes havoc to your travel plans. “The key here is that the strike can’t be a known or foreseen event for coverage to apply under travel insurance”, says Terry Boynton, co-founder and president of Yonder Travel Insurance.
If your airline announces a strike affecting your travel, travel insurance may not provide coverage since it becomes a known event.
Check out the examples below to learn how travel insurance can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
Trip Cancellation
If an unannounced strike delays your trip departure by 12-24 hours, you may cancel and receive reimbursement for your insured expenses. Typically, this reimbursement is 100% of your nonrefundable trip expenses you protected under the policy.
Trip Interruption
If your return home gets delayed or cancelled due to an unforeseen strike, trip interruption coverage could cover the cost of rebooking your airfare. Refer to your policy documents to confirm this, as some policies have specific limits.
Travel delay
Sometimes strikes shut down airports for an extended period of time. This might cause you to be stuck halfway between home and your destination or extend your trip unexpectedly, causing a travel delay. Travel insurance could reimburse extra hotel, meal, and local transportation expenses until you can catch the next flight out.
Note that each policy has a maximum amount they will reimburse per day per person listed on the policy. You’ll likely need to obtain documentation from the carrier outlining the reason and duration of the delay. You’ll also need to let the insurance company know if the carrier provided any reimbursements to you.
How to Get Coverage for Strikes
The best way to ensure coverage for a strike is to purchase travel insurance early.
“Don’t wait too long to buy travel insurance for your trip”, warns Boynton. “If you purchase travel insurance after a strike happens, you won’t be covered for any costs you might lose if you cancel”.
Our recommendation is to get travel insurance soon after making your first deposit or payment. This way, your current payments are protected. You can always increase the amount insured under your policy if you make future payments.
With rising travel expenses, it’s essential to protect your trip investment against unforeseen events like carrier strikes or civil disturbances.
Where to Get Coverage for Strikes
We recommend using a travel insurance comparison site like Yonder Travel Insurance. You can easily quote and compare insurance plans from top providers all in one place. Since strikes of a travel supplier are usually covered under most policies, you shouldn’t have trouble getting the right coverage.
Plus, each travel insurance policy comes with access to a 24/7 emergency provider. They can assist you with the next steps or if your bags get lost in the process.
As a seasoned professional with over five years of experience in the travel insurance industry, Meagan has honed her expertise in marketing and operations working for Yonder Travel Insurance.
Throughout her career, she's shown dedication assisting customers at every stage of their travel insurance journey, from the initial quote process to navigating the claims process. Her expert understanding of travel insurance equips her to provide unbiased and valuable insights, which help travelers find the best coverage and maximize its benefits.
