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Travel news · 4 min read · March 11th, 2026

Travel disruption this week – advice for Holiday Extras customers

Belgian nationwide strike on Thursday March 12 · Lufthansa pilot strike March 12–13 · Belgian rail strike ends tonight

March 11th 2026 – Two overlapping strikes are set to cause significant disruption across Europe from tomorrow. A nationwide strike in Belgium on Thursday 12 March will effectively shut both Brussels airports to departing flights and severely disrupt public transport in the city. Simultaneously, a Lufthansa pilot strike running from Thursday 12 to Friday 13 March threatens widespread cancellations on flights departing from German airports. A Belgian rail strike that began on Sunday 8 March is due to end tonight (Wednesday 11 March) at 10pm.

If you are due to travel via Belgium or on a Lufthansa-operated flight departing Germany on Thursday or Friday, we strongly recommend checking your flight or train status directly with your operator before travelling.

Our advice if your journey may be affected

  • Check your operator first: look up your flight or train status before you travel.
  • Allow extra time to get to airports and stations, especially if you are relying on local transport connections in Belgium.
  • Have a backup route: consider alternative departure times, or travelling the day before if your plans are flexible.
  • For rail travel in Belgium: the rail strike is expected to end tonight at 10pm. Use the SNCB journey planner and app close to departure, as updated timetables may be published at short notice.
  • For Eurostar: check Eurostar travel updates and your booking manager, as some services linked to the Belgian network may still be impacted.
  • For Lufthansa flights: check your flight status at lufthansa.com. Lufthansa will proactively contact affected passengers by email on Wednesday 11 March around midday. If you do not receive a message, check the status of your booking directly.
  • For other flights via Belgium: airlines handle rebooking or refunds when flights are cancelled. Check your airline's travel alerts and manage-booking area.
  • Check the flexibility of your Holiday Extras bookings:
    • Customers with Flextras: Free cancellations can cancel any time up to midnight before the booked day of travel. You'll receive a flexible voucher to rebook once your new travel details are confirmed.
    • Flextras: Saver customers can cancel for a voucher to use against the same product once new plans are confirmed.
  • Use our online amends system to change dates, times, terminals or cancel your booking if required.

What disruption to expect

Belgian rail strike (ends Wednesday 11 March, 10pm)

  • Reduced services have been running on the Belgian rail network since Sunday 8 March, with an alternative timetable based on available staff.
  • The strike is expected to end tonight at 10pm. Check the SNCB app before travelling as services normalise.
  • Airport rail links and some international journeys relying on the Belgian network may still be disrupted into Thursday morning.

Belgian nationwide strike – Thursday 12 March

  • Brussels Airport: no departing passenger flights are expected to operate.
  • Brussels South Charleroi Airport: departures and arrivals are expected to be cancelled.
  • Brussels public transport: the STIB-MIVB network warns of severe disruption to metro, tram and bus services.

Lufthansa pilot strike – Thursday 12 & Friday 13 March

  • The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots' union has called strike action covering all Lufthansa Passenger Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo flights departing from German airports from 00:01 on Thursday 12 March to 23:59 on Friday 13 March.
  • Lufthansa CityLine is also affected, but on Thursday 12 March only.
  • Extensive cancellations are expected across Lufthansa's entire route network. The airline is working to rebook passengers onto other Lufthansa Group and partner airlines where possible.
  • The rebooking waiver covers passengers holding tickets issued by Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels Airlines or Air Dolomiti on Lufthansa-operated flights, provided the ticket was issued on or before 10 March 2026.
  • Flights to Egypt, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are exempt from the strike action.
  • Normal operations are expected to resume from Saturday 14 March.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance cover for strike-related disruption varies by policy and insurer. In general, you should:

  • Contact your airline, rail operator or tour operator first to request rebooking or refunds if your service is cancelled.
  • Check your policy wording for cover relating to strikes, cancellation, travel delay and missed departure.
  • Be aware that both the Belgian and Lufthansa strikes were publicly announced by 10–11 March 2026. If strike action was announced before you bought your policy or booked your trip, it may be treated as a known event by some providers.

If you hold a Holiday Extras travel insurance policy and have questions about your cover, please let us know with this Contact Form and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

UK government travel advice

For the latest official travel information, including safety, disruption and local guidance, check the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) page for Belgium.

Customers already abroad

If your plans in Belgium are changing and you have a booking with us that you cannot amend using our online amends system, please use this Contact Form and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

If you have an urgent question about a booking today, please contact us via Live Chat:

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Links

Lufthansa

Rail and public transport – Belgium

Airports and flight status – Belgium

Government advice