The holiday cover provider Avanti Travel Insurance has offered a number of tips that can help tourists avoid stress during the half-term holidays.
Whilst half-term holidays mean that families can see the world without children being absent from school, it is typically a much busier time to travel.
As a result, Kelly Johnstone, a tourism expert from Avanti Travel Insurance, noted that the half-term holidays could lead to flight delays, highlighting the importance of letting holiday providers know as soon as possible.
She advised: “When faced with a travel disruption, your first port of call should be to contact your holiday providers.
“Travel providers, such as airlines and cruise lines, should offer you a refund or the chance to change the dates you travel if they cancel your booking.”
Avanti Travel Insurance suggested that tourists who are travelling on different days due to the disruption should also remember to change their travel insurance policy.
The company warned that, if they get injured abroad on a day in which they are not covered, tourists who fall ill abroad will need to pay for medical treatment.
In addition, insurance can help travellers get compensation for any future delays, with companies typically paying out a fixed amount for every hour the flight is postponed.
Kelly also advised holidaymakers that they can receive further compensation from the airline if a flight is delayed by a significant amount of time.
She explained: “If your flight is ‘significantly delayed’ your airline is required to provide you with care and assistance. The kind of support and compensation you’ll receive depends on how long your wait is and how far you’re travelling.
“You can easily find out if you qualify for support or compensation by checking the CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] website.”
In most cases, airlines will begin to offer compensation from three hours after the flight was scheduled to take place.
According to Avanti Travel Insurance, tourists facing a significant delay for their flight should receive vouchers to spend on food and drinks and the ability to reimburse the cost of calls so they can contact holiday providers and loved ones.
However, in some cases, airlines will also offer overnight accommodation near to the airport in addition to transportation there and back.