Holidaymakers have been advised to check their insurance policy small print carefully following the threat of further Spanish air strikes this Easter and summer.
Stuart Bensusan, of travel add-ons website EssentialTravel.co.uk, said travellers who bought their cover after March 9 cannot expect to be covered for delay and travel abandonment.
He said: “We are advising those who have purchased travel insurance to check the terms and conditions of their policy in order to understand properly what they are and aren’t covered for.
“Only customers who booked their insurance prior to March 9, 2011 will be covered fully, as per their terms and conditions, for claims arising from disruption caused by the Spanish strike action. Cover will also be automatically extended should their return travel arrangements be affected.
“Anyone purchasing travel insurance from March 9 onwards should be fully covered for medical and baggage clains, however, they are unlikely to be covered for travel delay, travel abandonment and missed departure but should check their policy wording.”
The prospect of industrial action in Spain during the peak travel period has prompted Ryanair to demand the European Commission to intervene.
A total of 22 days of stoppages are planned from April 20 with flights to Portugal and Morocco also expected to be affected as they fly through Spanish airspace.
Despite many operators switching capacity to Spain from other troubled destinations in north Africa it is expected the prospect of Spanish will put people off booking holidays to the country.
Skyscanner chief executive Gareth Williams said: “Whilst Spain regularly features in our top ten most searched countries and is in fact currently number one for departures on April 20, recent events have made consumers more wary about planning trips where there is a risk of flight disruption so it’s possible Spain will lose its number one spot.
“We expect holidaymakers will opt for popular alternatives such as the South of France, Turkey and Italy.”
Meanwhile WhichBudget.com, reported an 18% fall in overall flight searches to Spain following Wednesday’s announcement of possible Spanish strikes. In the 24 hours since the announcement, searches to Spain were down by nearly a fifth.
Greece searches were up by 65%, Turkey was up by 55%, Italy searches increased by 28% and France searches grew by 18%.
Martino Matijevic, chief executive and founder at WhichBudget.com, said: “I am not surprised that people are diverting their attention to other European destinations instead of foregoing their Spring break or Summer holiday all-together.
“The impact of this instability is bad news for Spanish tourism, though I’m sure Spain will quickly return to favour if the strikes are called off. In the meantime, Spain’s loss appears to be Greece, Turkey and indeed the rest of Europe’s gain.”