It has been revealed that Gap year travellers have been urged by insurers and aviation companies to purchase cover.

The warning comes after thousands of holidaymakers have been refused flights due to the bad weather or have been delayed.

Therefore, if gap year students are stuck in the departure lounge for longer than they had planned, then they may need to buy extra food, drink and delay. Travel cover could help them meet the costs of those unplanned expenses.

Lee Griffin, business development director of a price comparison site, said that it is always the innocent passengers who are affected most when airline staff take industrial action.

“Although having travel insurance won't guarantee your flight takes off on time, many policies do offer useful cover for delays and some even give you the option to completely abandon your trip if the delay is more than 12 hours.” he said.

Earlier in the month, gap year students were told that they could claim compensation from Airline firms due to flight rearrangements and delays.