IT Issues Caused By The CrowdStrike Outages

You may have been following news about the IT issues caused by the CrowdStrike outages. As you will know, many providers in the travel industry have encountered system problems, with knock-on effects for their customers and significant disruptions to travel plans.

Initially, customers should contact their tour operator or airline. The airline should refund the cost of abandoned flights, while tour operators should resolve issues with cancelled package holidays.

We have collated the following information to help clarify various scenarios that may arise from the IT outages.

Legal Protections

Under the Denied Boarding Regulation (Regulation 261/2004 EC), customers are protected if their flight:

• Departs from a UK airport on any airline.
• Arrives at a UK airport on an EU or UK airline.
• Arrives at an EU airport on a UK airline.

For more information, visit the Civil Aviation Authority’s website.

P J Hayman Policies

Our policies exclude claims for known circumstances before purchasing the policy that could reasonably lead to a claim. No cover is provided for this issue for policies purchased on or after 19/7/2023.

Please check policy wordings and schedules for cover under the following areas:

Delayed Departure Benefit

Airlines and tour operators should offer refunds and/or compensation. Advice is available for affected holidaymakers on the ABTA website

Regardless of this, coverage may still apply. If included, the policy holder is entitled to this benefit regardless of airline or tour operator compensation.

Missed Departure

Policy holders prevented from reaching their departure point due to other public transport failures (e.g., train to the airport or connecting flight) will be covered for reasonable additional travel and accommodation costs to continue their trip.

Cancellation and Delayed Departure Abandonment

In the first instance, refunds should be sought from travel and transport providers.
For package holidays, customers are legally protected and entitled to a postponement or full refund under ‘the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018’.

For non-package trips customers will likely need to have purchased a ‘Journey Disruption’ upgrade to be eligible for cover under these circumstances.

Stranded Abroad

If Journey Disruption cover is held, policy holders may be covered for reasonable additional accommodation and public transport expenses to continue their trip or return to the UK. Any cover is conditional on the insured returning on the earliest available flight.

In circumstances where this takes the trip beyond the active dates of the policy, the end date will automatically extend, as long as the policy holder has a valid covered claim and they return on the next earliest available flight.

Baggage

Policy holders should refer to policy wordings and schedules for details of cover for possessions lost or delayed in transit.

To discuss any of the above in more detail, please contact one of the team on 02392 419 070.