Holidaymakers have been warned to make sure they have the correct travel insurance to cover any security or airport delays. It comes after passengers experienced long waits over the bank holiday weekend after passport control e-gates failed at Manchester Airport and other airports across the UK.
Passport control e-gates went down at all UK airports overnight on Friday May 26, causing chaos for holidaymakers arriving back in the UK. It meant that all passengers had to pass through manned passport control desks at immigration.
The incident has added to concerns over delays and uncertainty surrounding travel. Last week British Airways had to cancel more than 175 flights at Heathrow due to an IT failure, while more strike action is planned at European airports this month.
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Now a travel insurance expert has waned passengers to make sure they have adequate cover in place, as airlines won’t compensate you if you miss your flight due to passport or security delays. David Parker, Divisional Director at A-Plan Insurance said: “It’s never been more important to consider all eventualities when taking out travel insurance, as airport strikes are becoming a common occurrence, and unpredictable IT outages - like we’ve seen this weekend - mean travellers end up missing their flights.
“Sadly, your airline isn’t liable to offer a refund or alternative flight if you end up missing your plane due to airport security or border control delays, so it’s up to you to protect yourself.”
Although all airlines are obligated to refund travellers’ air passenger duty for missed flights, many people end up ignoring the offer, as most providers charge a processing fee that’s higher than the actual refund amount - leaving holidaymakers even more out of pocket. Even those that do offer refunds due to delays only provide a set payment amount over a certain time, such as £50 for every hour over 12 hours, so won’t prove useful to many.
David continues: “You never know when delays will impact your travel plans, and so it’s crucial that you take out a policy that accounts for strike action, IT failures and similar unexpected events. One in 20 policies don’t offer cover if you miss your departure due to queues or strikes, so don’t presume it’s covered by every insurance provider.
“This is also why it’s important to purchase your travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked your flights - rather than leaving it to the last minute - as this means you’re covered against strike action and uncontrollable delays well before you even get to the airport.”
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