What is travel disruption insurance?
🚩NATS air traffic control disruption has caused more than 2,000 flight cancellations, as passengers are warned to expect further delays across UK airports. Read our guide below for what travel insurance could cover.
🚩If your travel plans have been affected by the conflict involving Iran in the Middle East, see our guide for updates and check if FCDO travel advice affects your travel insurance
Key takeaways
Travel disruption insurance is designed to cover unexpected events that could interrupt or cancel your travel plans.
It can pay out to cover losses in the event of severe weather, strikes, natural disasters, illnesses, and other unexpected disruptions.
If you need to claim, contact your travel provider first, then your insurer for eligible costs you cannot recover elsewhere.
What is travel disruption insurance?
Travel disruption insurance can cover certain unexpected events that interfere with your journey or holiday. Depending on your policy, this might include problems such as:
Severe weather
Strikes or industrial action
Airspace closures
Delayed public transport
Missed departures or connections
Being forced to stay at your destination longer than planned
Some travel insurance policies include certain types of disruption as standard, while wider protection may be limited to higher levels of cover or available as an optional extra; always check your policy wording to see exactly which events and costs are covered.
What travel insurance should I get for disruption?
There isn't one type of travel insurance that's right for every kind of disruption, so you should start with a policy that suits your trip - then check whether it covers the particular problems you're concerned about.
If you're worried about... | Look for... | What to check |
|---|---|---|
A delayed flight or other transport | Travel delay cover | How long the delay must last and what you can claim |
Missing your departure | Missed departure cover | Which causes of a missed departure are covered |
Missing a connecting flight | Whether separately booked connections are included | |
Having to cancel your trip or come back early | Cancellation and curtailment cover | Which reasons for cancelling or cutting the trip short qualify |
Strikes | Whether the strike was already known when you booked or bought insurance | |
Wildfires, earthquakes or floods | Which disasters and resulting costs are covered | |
Airspace closures or airport problems | Enhanced travel disruption cover | The exact causes included |
An airline or travel company going bust | Supplier failure is a separate type of protection |
What's the difference between cancellation, curtailment, delay and disruption?
These terms describe different things, although one unexpected event could potentially affect several parts of your policy.
Type of cover | What does it mean? |
|---|---|
Cancellation | Cover for certain prepaid, unrecoverable costs if you have to cancel your trip before it starts for an insured reason |
Curtailment | Cover if an insured reason means you have to cut your trip short and return home early |
Travel delay | Cover when booked transport is delayed for long enough to meet your policy's terms |
Missed departure | Cover for certain extra costs if an insured event causes you to miss your planned departure |
Travel disruption | Broader protection that may cover additional unexpected events or costs not included in standard delay, cancellation or missed-departure benefits |
For example, a wildfire could potentially cause you to cancel before travelling, come home early, move to different accommodation or experience a long transport delay. Whether any of these situations are covered will depend on the policy.
Insurers don't all use these terms in exactly the same way, so check what your policy actually covers to be certain.
Is travel disruption included in standard travel insurance?
Some types of disruption can be included in a standard travel insurance policy, but wider protection could be optional or restricted to particular levels of cover.
For example, a standard policy might include a benefit for a delayed departure after a specified number of hours but might not cover other disruption - such as airspace closures or the cost of alternative accommodation after a natural disaster.
Some insurers offer additional disruption cover for an extra premium, while others include wider protection with certain policy levels - when you compare quotes, make sure you check:
Which events are covered
How long a delay must last before you can claim
Whether missed connections are included
Cancellation and curtailment limits
Whether natural catastrophes are included
Additional travel and accommodation limits
The policy excess
Known-event exclusions
What does travel disruption insurance cover?
Travel disruption cover can pay certain costs when an insured event affects your plans, but the exact benefits depend on your policy. You might be covered for certain additional or unrecoverable expenses caused by an insured disruption, such as:
Alternative accommodation: The cost of staying somewhere else or extending your accommodation if you cannot use your original booking.
Additional transport: Replacement flights, trains, taxis or other transport needed to continue your journey or return home
Car hire costs: The cost of hiring a car if disruption means you need alternative transport, where this is covered by your policy
Pet boarding or pet sitter fees: Extra costs for extending your pet's boarding or arranging additional care if you're delayed or have to return later than planned
Meals and essential expenses: Reasonable costs incurred during a covered delay, such as meals or refreshments
Unused prepaid costs: Eligible accommodation, excursions, car hire, or other travel costs you cannot recover if you have to cancel or cut your trip short.
Other necessary expenses: Reasonable additional costs that arise from the disruption and are covered by your policy
Insurers usually set separate limits for different expenses and they might require you to claim refunds or compensation from your travel provider first. Be sure to keep receipts and contact your insurer before making expensive alternative arrangements where possible.
Your policy may set a different claim limit for each benefit, so check any individual limits as well as your overall level of cover.
Does travel disruption insurance cover wildfires and natural disasters?
It can, but natural-disaster cover isn't included in every travel insurance policy - insurers may call this natural catastrophe, catastrophe or travel disruption cover. It might be included as standard, restricted to certain levels of cover or available as an optional extra.
A 2026 Defaqto study reported byThe Times looked at 840 annual and 850 single-trip policies and found catastrophe cover in 52% of annual policies and 50% of single-trip policies, down from 65% in 2022. This is why it's always worth checking your latest policy documents rather than assuming the cover you've had in the past will still apply. Depending on your policy, natural-disaster cover may help with costs such as:
Cancelling a trip
Cutting your holiday short
Moving to alternative accommodation
Additional travel
Being delayed abroad
However, policies set their own definitions on which events qualify, how close the disaster must be to your accommodation and when the event needs to have occurred. You also normally won't be able to buy insurance after a wildfire or other event has become known and then claim for losses caused by that event.
Does travel insurance cover strikes?
Some policies can cover disruption caused by strikes and industrial action, but you should look at the specific wording of your policy. A common restriction is that the strike must not already have been announced when you booked your trip or bought your insurance.
If your flight is cancelled or delayed because of a strike, contact the airline first - you may have rights to a refund, alternative flight or assistance before you need to make an insurance claim.
What isn't covered by travel disruption insurance?
Travel disruption cover won't pay for every problem that affects your holiday - depending on your policy, exclusions can include:
Events that were already known when you booked your trip or bought your insurance
Missing transport because you didn't leave enough time
Delays caused by routine airport security or check-in queues
Costs your airline, tour operator or another provider is responsible for
Expenses you can't prove with receipts or other evidence
Events or causes that aren't included in the policy wording
Travelling against relevant Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice
Claims above the maximum policy limit
Your insurer might also expect you to minimise your losses, for example by accepting a suitable alternative flight from your airline rather than arranging a more expensive replacement yourself. Check your policy documents before paying for major alternative arrangements if you aren't sure whether they'll be covered.
Which insurers offer travel disruption cover?
Travel disruption cover is available from several insurers, although what's included and whether you need to pay extra can vary. For example, as checked on 28 August 2026:
Admiral: Offers an optional Enhanced Trip Disruption add-on. Its current cover includes certain airspace closures, air traffic control restrictions, technical issues and connecting transport disruption.
Post Office: Offers an optional Trip Disruption upgrade, with benefits for specified events including natural catastrophes, terrorism and airspace disruption.
These are examples rather than recommendations, and policy names, availability, limits and exclusions can change, so always check the latest policy documents before buying.
How do I make a travel disruption claim?
Contact the company responsible for the disrupted part of your trip first. You can then contact your insurer about eligible costs you haven't been able to recover elsewhere.
1. Contact your travel provider
Depending on what has happened, this could be your:
Airline
Train or ferry operator
Hotel
Travel agent
Package holiday organiser
They may be responsible for offering you a refund, alternative transport, accommodation or other assistance. Make sure you keep any emails or messages confirming the disruption and what the provider has offered you.
2. Contact your travel insurer
If you're still out of pocket, contact your insurer as soon as possible and explain what happened - if you bought your travel insurance through MoneySuperMarket, our travel insurance providers page can help you find your insurer. Individual provider pages include contact information and, for many insurers, instructions on how to make a claim.
You can also read our step-by-step guide to making a travel insurance claim. You should get in touch with your insurer promptly and keep your policy information and supporting evidence to hand.
3. Gather evidence for your claim
Your insurer is likely to ask for:
Your policy number
Booking confirmations and tickets
Written confirmation of the delay or cancellation
Emails or messages from the airline or travel provider
Evidence of refunds or compensation you've already received
Receipts for additional accommodation, meals or transport
Evidence explaining the cause of the disruption
Keep copies of everything you submit.
4. Check before making expensive alternative arrangements
If you're considering booking new flights, hotels or other expensive alternatives, contact your insurer first where possible as your policy may limit what it will reimburse. They may also require you to take particular steps before paying additional costs yourself.
And remember that you generally can't recover the same loss twice, so if your airline, hotel or another provider refunds a cost, you wouldn't normally also be able to claim that same amount from your travel insurer.
How can I compare travel insurance with disruption cover?
You can compare travel insurance quotes with MoneySuperMarket and look at the benefits offered by the policies available to you. Rather than looking only for the words travel disruption, think about what you actually want protection against.
Check each policy for cancellation, curtailment, delays, missed departures, natural catastrophes and any other disruption risks that matter to your trip. Cover varies between insurers, so always read the latest policy documents before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is travel disruption included in every travel insurance policy?
No - some policies include certain disruption benefits as standard, while others offer broader cover only with a higher level of insurance or an optional add-on. Make sure you check your policy's travel delay, missed departure, cancellation, curtailment and disruption sections to understand what's actually included.
Is travel disruption the same as cancellation cover?
No, cancellation cover applies when you have to cancel your trip before it starts for a reason covered by your policy. Travel disruption is broader and can apply to certain problems affecting your journey or holiday, while curtailment applies when you have to cut a trip short after it has started.
What is curtailment cover?
Curtailment cover can help with eligible costs if you have to cut your holiday short and return home early for a reason listed in your policy - for example, some policies may cover curtailment following a serious illness or another specified emergency.
Be sure to check what reasons qualify and how your insurer calculates the unused part of your holiday.
Can travel disruption cover a missed connecting flight?
It can, depending on why you missed the connection and how your flights were booked. Your airline may be responsible for arranging alternative travel if the missed connection was its fault and your flights were booked together, while if you still have unrecoverable costs, your insurance may help if the cause is covered.
Does travel disruption cover an airline or hotel going bust?
Not necessarily, as financial failure is often treated separately from general travel disruption. Look for Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI), end supplier failure or financial failure cover if you're concerned about an airline, hotel or other travel supplier becoming insolvent.
Can I buy travel disruption cover after an event has been announced?
You can still buy travel insurance, but you normally won't be able to claim for disruption caused by an event that was already known when you bought the policy. For example, buying cover after a strike or wildfire has already been announced is unlikely to protect you against losses caused by that existing event.
Look at your insurer's known-event wording before buying.
Who do I contact if I need to make a travel disruption claim?
Contact the travel provider affected first, such as your airline or tour operator, to find out what refund, rebooking or assistance you're entitled to - if you still have eligible unrecoverable costs, contact your insurer. If you can't remember your insurer or need its contact information, use our travel insurance provider directory or check your policy documents.
What if my travel disruption claim is rejected?
Ask your insurer why the claim was rejected and check its decision against your policy wording - if you think the decision is wrong, make a formal complaint to the insurer. If you're still unhappy after its final response, or it hasn't responded within the required timeframe, you may be able to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Author
Mehdi Punjwani
Insurance specialist
Mehdi is a financial writer and editor with over six years of experience in personal finance. He has written for organisations and publications including Equifax, The AA, and USAToday, covering a...
Reviewer
Beth Leslie
Senior Insurance Content Editor
Beth is an experienced writer and editor who specialises in financial and economic content. She is currently the Senior Insurance Content Editor for MoneySuperMarket. Beth is passionate about making...
