Industrial action affecting airport security and ground services across Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth this week has prompted comparison site Comparetravelinsurance.com.au to clarify what travel insurance policies do and don’t cover during airline disruption.
Around 400 workers took part in Sydney strike
At Sydney Airport, around 400 security workers took part in a two-hour strike on Thursday morning, with further action planned, while hundreds of Qantas ground service employees walked off the job for 24 hours. Sydney Airport has warned passengers to allow extra time and monitor airline messaging, while Qantas said it has contingency plans in place and does not expect disruption to passenger services.
Comparetravelinsurance.com.au spokesperson Natalie Smith said travellers should not assume industrial action is automatically covered under their policy.
“Industrial action is one of those situations where travel insurance can potentially provide an important safety net, but travellers shouldn’t assume that every policy will cover strikes or the costs that arise from them,” Smith said.
Timing determines eligibility for cover
Smith said comprehensive policies can cover additional travel, accommodation and meal expenses, missed connections and certain prepaid bookings arising from strikes, but coverage depends on specific policy terms. She said timing was critical to eligibility.
“It’s essential to purchase travel insurance as soon as you start making payments towards your trip. If you wait until after a strike or major travel event has been announced, you would likely not be covered for cancellations, delays or other losses linked to that known event,” Smith said.
For travellers facing disruption, Smith recommended contacting the airline first to explore rebooking or assistance options before arranging alternative transport or accommodation independently, and contacting insurers before incurring significant costs where possible. She said travel delay benefits, which provide an allowance for meals and accommodation after a specified waiting period, vary between policies, as do missed connection and prepaid booking cancellation benefits.
Smith said travellers comparing policies should look beyond price to the specific benefits relevant to their trip. “Look carefully at cancellation, travel delay, missed connection and additional expense benefits, and check how the policy treats strikes and industrial action,” she said.
