What is Industrial Action?

You’re all set to head to the airport, but your airline has just announced a strike is due to take place so your flight may be delayed or cancelled – not the start to your holiday you wanted.

Industrial action, or a strike, can take place with little or no warning. Cabin crew, airport staff or air traffic control are all know for striking and causing havoc to travel, but if your journey is affected, what compensation are you entitled to?

In most cases, travel insurance does not cover the cost of alternative transport if your journey is disrupted by a strike or industrial action that was announced before either your departure date or the date you purchased your policy.

However, some policies may provide limited compensation for delays. For example, once you have checked in, certain insurers offer a small allowance for refreshments if your flight is delayed beyond a specified period. This is typically calculated in increments (e.g. £10 for every 12 hours of delay, up to a maximum of £150).

It’s worth noting that some insurers offer more generous terms, with compensation becoming available after shorter delays (such as six hours) or offer the use of airport lounges, so it’s important to review the specific details of your policy. More information on general flight delays can be found here.

It is worth noting, if a strike has been announced and will affect your journey you should contact your airline before heading to the airport.

If you are unable to make alternative travel arrangements to reach your destination, you may wish to cancel your holiday, and go to another destination or at another time. Most travel insurance policies will not offer cancellation due to strike action, however some policies will offer ‘cancellation for any cause beyond your reasonable control’ and may refund the cost of any pre-paid non-refundable expenses such as; excursions, car hire or accommodation if the policy was purchased before the strike was announced.

Airlines have a duty of care to customers to provide assistance if the delay is expected to last for a certain period of time. This assistance may include: telephone calls, accommodation, food and refreshments.

When a delay is caused by strike action, compensation is not always guaranteed. Strikes may be considered “extraordinary circumstances” — events beyond an airline’s control, such as severe weather or certain types of industrial action. This typically applies when the strike involves third parties, like air traffic control or airport staff. In these cases, airlines are not required to provide compensation.

However, if the strike is not classified as an extraordinary circumstance — for example, if it involves the airline’s own staff — then under EU law, airlines may be required to compensate passengers. Compensation is only available if you are travelling with an EU airline, and the amount will depend on the length of your flight. For more information, visit the CAA website (Civil Aviation Authority) for more information.

So, we now know the compensation available if you are travelling by air but what about rail? Rail strikes can also cause major delays and disruption for travellers so it is important to know what compensation you are entitled to.

Most rail companies will offer a full or partial refund for your journey if you experience a delay of either 15 minutes or more or 30 minutes or more depending on the company.

Having said that, if a strike has been announced or the rail company does not supply a replacement service and you have already purchased your travel ticket you are entitled to a refund but not compensation.

In addition, if an emergency timetable is in place you can only claim compensation based on the emergency timetable and not the regular timetable but the amount of compensation will differ between companies so it is worth checking.

For convenience, many travellers choose to get to the airport by rail rather than driving. While this can save time and reduce stress, disruptions can still occur. If a rail strike takes place, you may find yourself unable to reach the airport in time, potentially causing you to miss your flight — but is this covered by travel insurance?

If the rail strike or other public transport strike is announced before you leave home, missed departure missed departure is typically not covered under your travel insurance policy. This is a standard exclusion, so it’s important to check for any planned disruptions in advance and allow enough time to make alternative travel arrangements.