Caution for travellers as Ryanair warns about strikes, says consumer awareness initiative Travelinsuranceexplained.co.uk
Fiona Macrae from consumer awareness initiative Travelinsuranceexplained.co.uk said: “Ryanair’s statement that it expects more disruption this year for holidaymakers as the French Air Traffic Control (ATC) plans to strike this weekend means that UK travellers heading abroad are likely to face delays and potential problems getting away for their summer breaks.
“So, what can holidaymakers do to protect themselves if this happens and how can travel insurance help? The European Union (EU) states that EU airlines must provide alternative flights or a refund if a flight is delayed or cancelled, however this may not be the case with an Air Traffic Control Strike. This is due to it being classed as a ‘extraordinary circumstance’ and not something the airline can avoid.
“Those who bought a travel insurance policy before the strikes were announced may be able to claim for trip disruption – this will entitle them to compensation for every set block of time they are delayed up to a certain amount. These blocks of time differ from policy to policy, a few will compensate after a 6 hour delay and then blocks of 6 hours, but the majority will only compensate after a 12 hours and then in blocks of 12 hours. If the flight is delayed by either 12 or 24 hours – depending on your policy – you may be able to claim for cancellation of the holiday.
“Any policies purchased after the strike, and date, has been announced will not be covered as it is classed as a known event. So although you can’t buy a policy now to cover you for this weekends planned strikes, as they have already been announced. Now is the time to make sure you have the right travel insurance for your summer break, ensure that the policy you have has adequate trip disruption cover and that you have cancelation cover for ‘any cause beyond your reasonable control’”.
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