How Australians travelling to Europe will be affected by Ukraine war

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will change how Aussies fly and travel across Europe. This is what it means and how it will affect your travel insurance.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown the already decimated global travel industry into chaos.

In light of the conflict, the Australian government has updated its travel advice to parts of eastern Europe.

“Do not travel” warnings have been listed on Smartraveller for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, but the travel advice for the rest of Europe has remained unchanged.

As the crisis worsens, Russia has banned flights by airlines from 36 countries, including Britain and Germany.

So what does it mean for Australians who have booked long-awaited trips to Europe?

Travel experts Tom Manwaring, chair of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, and Natalie Ball, managing director of Compare Travel Insurance, offer tips and advice.

The Australian government has updated its travel advice to parts of eastern Europe. Picture: AFP

SHOULD AUSTRALIANS BE CANCELLING THEIR EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS?

According to Tom Manwaring, the short answer is “no”.

“Your travel agent is more important than ever in making sure you’re completely up to date with what the next steps should be,” he said.

“At the moment, the majority of Europe is still safe. Smarttraveller.gov.au is another important resource.”

WILL TRAVEL INSURANCE COVER A TRIP THAT IS CANCELLED DUE TO CONFLICT?

Natalie Ball said this depended on the destination and when you purchased your policy.

“Change of mind or disinclination to travel to your destination is not a covered event,” she said.

“However, there may be provision to claim if the government has changed the travel warning for your planned destination since you bought your policy.

“For example, Smartraveller recommends travellers exercise a “high degree of caution” for most European holiday destinations such as Croatia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

“Australians are being advised to reconsider their need to travel to Russia.

“Whereas, Belarus, which is closer to the conflict, has a “do not travel” warning.

“A few insurers (but not many) will cover cancellation if it meets their criteria. This may include an event happening within a specified distance of your accommodation or airport, or a travel advisory being issued by the Australian Government against travelling there. For some insurers this is an upgrade to a Level 5 ‘Do not travel” warning and for others, this may include an upgrade to a Level 4 “Reconsider your need to travel”.

Aussie travellers are being told to exercise caution. Picture: Getty Images

I’M TRAVELLING TO LONDON - WILL MY TRAVEL PLANS BE AFFECTED?

“Some of the air routes are being diverted but that happens quite frequently including, for example, due to volcanoes exploding,” Mr Manwaring said.

“You may see that the route is going further north or further south but so far there aren’t too many issues.”

HAS QANTAS CHANGED ITS ROUTES?

Qantas altered its flights between Darwin and London on the weekend to avoid parts of northern Russia which were previously travelled over.

The path through the Middle East and southern Europe has increased the total flying time by about an hour.

“Given the current circumstances and complexities, we’re opting to use one of our alternative flight paths that doesn’t overfly Russia, while we continue to monitor this evolving situation,” a Qantas spokesman said.

“We regularly review our flight paths and make any ­adjustments we consider prudent.”

HAVE OTHER AIRLINES CHANGED TRAVEL ROUTES?

Emirates has also made minor re-routing changes to its Stockholm, Moscow and St Petersburg flights, as well as to some if its US services because they ordinarily travel over the airspace of a portion of Russia and the whole of Ukraine.

As a result, flight times on those particular routes could be slightly longer.

“We are closely monitoring developments of the situation, and should it be required, we will take the necessary action,” an Emirates spokeswoman said.

“The safety of our passengers, employees and operations will always be our top priority.”

“While Singapore Airlines doesn’t fly over Ukraine, Ukrainian airspace or near the Russian-Ukrainian border region, it suspended all return services between Singapore and Moscow as of February 28.

“But there are currently no other changes to its European operations.

“SIA apologises to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused,” airline spokesman Karl Schubert said.

“All affected customers will be offered a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket.”

A car destroyed by recent shelling on the outskirts of Kyiv. Picture: AFP

IF I CANCEL A TRIP TO LONDON DUE TO THE WAR, WILL I LOSE ALL MY MONEY?

“Change of mind or fear of flying are not usually covered reasons for pre-trip cancellation,” Ms Ball said.

“Fortunately, considering the uncertainty around travel due to Covid-19 in recent years, many travel service providers offer flexible options if you need to rearrange your travel plans, so you may not lose all your money. Most travel insurance policies are flexible in allowing you to change your travel dates to be in future if you wish to postpone your trip, or even change your destination.

“All policyholders are within their right to submit a travel insurance claim for formal assessment with their insurer though.”

WHAT ABOUT CRUISE SHIPS, HAVE THEY ALSO BEEN AFFECTED?

A Royal Caribbean International spokeswoman said the recent events made it “increasingly uncertain” if the company could visit St. Petersburg in Russia and had planned for alternate ports to be stopped at.

“The safety of our guests and crew is always our top priority. We are continuously monitoring events taking place around the world, including the situation in Ukraine.

“We have planned for alternative ports and will continue to monitor the situation over the coming weeks.

“Our guests and travel advisers will be the first to learn of any updates we need to make to keep everyone safe.”

WHAT ABOUT GROUP TRIP BOOKINGS? ARE THEY AFFECTED?

Guided tour provider Intrepid has cancelled all departures to Ukraine and Russia until June 2022 and its General Manager Global Product Erica Kritikideas said the company was actively monitoring and following government travel advisories.

“This is a response to safety concerns connected with the current conflict situation, and following advice from government travel alerts for these destinations.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and are hopeful of a safe and peaceful path out of this crisis soon.

“Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine during these devastating times.”

WILL THE SPIKE IN OIL PRICES FEED THROUGH TO HIGHER AIR FARES?

“Yes if this is prolonged,” Mr Manwaring said. “Energy prices generally were going up before this conflict as we’ve seen from the petrol bowsers.

“While aviation gas is quite different, it’s also part of that cycle so there will be pressure points.

“At the moment we’ve only got about 25 per cent of the seats normally available out of Australia compared to 2019.

“As airlines build capacity that may alleviate any fare increases, but I wouldn’t expect any increase to be too dramatic. We may see 5 to 10 per cent increases over the more peak periods of summer.”

IN TIMES OF CRISIS SHOULD PEOPLE BE BOOKING THROUGH TRAVEL AGENTS FOR MORE CONSUMER PROTECTION?

Mr Manwaring said: “Absolutely. In the last few weeks alone there have been over 200 different changes to Covid travel rules in the countries Australians are allowed to travel to.

“It is a moving feast and having a one-stop shop has never been better in terms of getting access to the expertise and information you need from a travel professional and having the confidence once you are travelling.

“Plus, once you’re in Europe you have rely on your travel agent for updates and solutions rather than relying on the news and trying to sort out yourself.”

WHAT DO AUSSIES NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF WHEN TAKING OUT TRAVEL INSURANCE?

“Like every type of insurance, there are conditions you need to pay attention to,” Ms Ball said.

“Anyone travelling to Europe should pay particular attention to the terms around Government warnings, changes in travel advice and travelling against government travel advice.

“For nations with a ‘do not travel advice’ you’re unlikely to be covered.”

WHAT KIND OF POLICY DO THEY NEED TO TAKE OUT TO BE COVERED FOR EVENTS LIKE AN OUTBREAK OF WAR?

“We are not aware of any policy in Australia that provides cover for the threat or act of war or terrorism if you travelled against government advice,” Ms Ball said.

“In the event that you weren’t travelling against government advice, although most insurers exclude cover for acts of war or terrorist attacks, if you were injured in one of these scenarios, it’s likely that your insurer would look after you.

“As a minimum, they would offer you non-financial support via their 24/7 emergency assistance team. This may include getting you to the nearest hospital, communicating with family members and arranging repatriation back to Australia if required. Many may also provide cover for your medical expenses if you sustained an injury.”

Originally published as How Australians travelling to Europe will be affected by Ukraine war