Please Note - If you are cruising around Australia you need to select Pacific.
With Regions, variances can apply for Bali, Indonesia, Japan and Middle East.
You are not required to enter stop-over countries if your stop-over is less than 48 hours.
Travel Insurance Strikes
Isn’t it a pain in the bum when your trying to get from Hobart to Hong Kong and you find out there is an industrial strike affecting your travel plans!?
With travel disruptions more common than ever, it’s important to know where you stand in terms of your cover. Keep reading to learns the ins and outs of travel insurance when it comes to delays and cancellations due to airline strikes…
Does travel insurance cover strikes?
The short answer is yes, most travel insurance companies cover unforeseen strikes if they cause disruptions to your journey. You would need to have already purchased cover when news of the strike hit the mass media however.
Keep in mind you are unlikely to be covered for cancellations due to change of mind if you decide you no longer want to go, and airlines were still flying.
Which insurers covers strikes?
Every insurer will offer varying degrees of cover. As always, benefits will differ across ranging cover levels. The following summarises the strike benefits across a range of travel insurers:
**Click on the plus icon to see more detail**
| Insurer | Underwriter | Conditions | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
 1Cover
|
Certain underwriters at Lloyd's |  Cover for your reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted due to a strike. |
|
 AllClear |
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company Limited | Cover for for travel delay expenses $20 for the first full 12 hours you are delayed and $10 for each full 12 hours you are delayed after that. Cover for your travel and accommodation which has not been used (on the outward journey only) after the first full 12 hours. If your outward or return transport have been delayed for more than 12 hours beyond the intended departure time as a result of a strike or industrial strike or industrial action (provided that when this policy was taken out, there was no reasonable expectation that the trip would be affected by such cause). |
|
 AMEX |
Chubb Insurance Australia Limited | Cover for additional hotel accommodation and transport expenses you incur due disruption of your scheduled transport caused by an unforeseen strike. |
|
 Budget Direct
|
Auto & General Services Pty Ltd | Cover for travel delay and additional expenses due to the cancellation, delay or diversion of your scheduled transport caused by a strike. But only those expenses that you cannot claim from someone else. |
|
 Boomers |
Allianz Australia Insurance Limited | Cover for additional expenses if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport being cancelled, delayed, rescheduled or diverted because of a strike. |
|
 Columbus Direct
|
Certain underwriters at Lloyd's | Cover for for necessary and reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your Trip arises as a result of a strike. |
|
 Cover-More |
Zurich Australian Insurance Limited | Cover for your reasonable Additional accommodation and Additional transport expenses incurred on the Journey due to an unforeseeable circumstance outside your control and resulting in disruption of your scheduled transport because of strike. |
|
 Downunder
|
Certain underwriters at Lloyd's | Cover for your reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted due to a strike. |
|
 Fast Cover
|
Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd | Cover for your reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted due to an unforeseen strike. |
|
 InsureandGo
|
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company Limited |  No cover under the policy. |
|
 Itrek |
Certain underwriters at Lloyd's | Cover for your reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted due to a strike. |
|
 Simply Travel Insurance
|
Certain underwriters at Lloyd's | Cover for your reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted due to a strike. |
|
 Tick
|
Mitsui Somoto Insurance Company Limited | Cover for your reasonable and necessary additional accommodation, meal and travelling expenses, incurred after departure, that are over and above what you had originally budgeted to pay, if your trip is disrupted, or you are required to return to your home in Australia, because of a strike. |
|
 Virgin Money
|
Allianz Australia Limited | Cover for cancellations and additional expenses if your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, rescheduled or diverted because of a strike. |
|
 World Nomads |
XL Insurance Company SE | Cover for cancellation, delay or restriction of your plans by your travel service provider due to an unforeseen strike. Cover for cancellation or rearrangement due to an unavoidable strike affecting the specific region you've booked to travel to or are already staying in. |
|
 Zoom
|
Certain underwriters at Lloyd's | Cover for your reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted due to a strike. |
General Advice Warning: The contents of this article were accurate at the time of writing. Insurers change their policies from time to time, so some information may have changed. You should always read the Product Disclosure Statement of your chosen insurer to understand what is covered and what isn't. The information provided is of a general nature only and does not take into account any personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your personal circumstances.
What's typically covered regarding strikes?
Medical costs: Should you incur any injuries as a result of an strike or civil protest and needed medical attention, your travel insurance would pay for your treatment.Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation: In the event that you require emergency evacuation or medical treatment cannot be administered locally you would be evacuated to the nearest medical facility. Repatriation costs would also be covered In the event of your death.
Cancellation (before you’ve left): If you’ve not left for your holiday yet and a strike forces you to cncel your trip. Comprehensive travel insurance can help you to claim back your out of pocket expenses.
Cancellation (when already on holiday): If you are within a strike zone you will be covered for travel and accommodation costs involved in moving to new accommodation (if your booked accommodation is deemed uninhabitable).
What isn't covered?
Travel against warnings: Travel insurance doesn't cover stupidity. If you intentionally put yourself in harm’s way and travel to a country or region against governmental travel advice, you do so at your own peril. You will unlikely be covered for anything that relates to the travel warning.Known events: Once an event is known in the mass media (i.e. an airline is striking and flights are cancelled) you wouldn’t be eligible to buy cover for any losses incurred, or claim to cancel your trip if you didn’t already have a policy in place. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, particularly if you bought travel insurance prior to a major event. Those who were late to the party would most likely be unable to claim.
Accommodation cover: Your place of residence would have to be uninhabitable for you to make a claim (i.e. the hotel not meeting expectations or a broken window would not suffice).
Changing your mind: Travel insurance doesn’t cover change of mind. There might be a few providers out there that would cover you for cancelling your trip due to fear of a strike, but this is not the norm. Generally speaking, if your airline was still flying, travel insurance wouldn’t cover you for changing your mind.
Stay safe
Whether you're trip has been affected by an airline striking or you're caught up in a commotion, it's very important to keep yourself safe.Always practice common sense, avoid large gatherings and don’t undermine the ability for things to get out of hand when tensions are high.
If you find yourself stuff because of a strike, contact your travel insurer’s help line. They can advise you the best course of action of action. See more information on what to do should in civil protests or riots.
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Hayley Kennedy
Originally from the UK, Hayley took a gap ‘year’ in 2011… and it’s still going! She’s travelled all over the world, volunteering in a Ugandan orphanage, skydiving in Australia, shark diving in South Africa, and skiing in the Alps (and snapping in a ligament in the process!). Certified in Tier 2 General Insurance General Advice and working in travel insurance for over two years, Hayley is a thrillseeker and a storyteller who loves hearing about customers’ holiday plans and sharing her own tips and must-see spots to help get them inspired.
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