How Navan helped travellers during the Heathrow fire disruption

Let’s face it: travel is, by its very nature, unpredictable. Even the best-planned itineraries can quickly unravel through no fault of the traveller, due to flight cancellations, strikes, bad weather, or tech outages. And disruptions happen … a lot.

In 2024, 30% of all passengers in Europe — 287 million — were affected by flight problems, according to AirHelp.

The key to overcoming unexpected travel disruption lies in the support structure travellers have to rely on. And that’s where a travel management company (TMC) can really add value. At Navan, we’ve developed a robust support offering that travellers can depend on. 

Here’s how Navan supported more than 700 travellers during the massively disruptive Heathrow fire in March 2025, and how our platform helps travellers stay in control overall — even when chaos hits.

The Heathrow fire: a brief recap

Occasionally, a travel event comes with global repercussions. That was the case on 20 March 2025, when a fire at an electrical substation in west London led to a power outage at Heathrow Airport, stopping all flights for more than a day.

The sudden closure of Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, disrupted more than 1,300 flights and inconvenienced some 300,000 passengers. 

In response, Navan’s proprietary Automated Handling of Disruptions (AHOD) technology swiftly kicked into action.

Five ways Navan helped travellers during the disruption

1. Proactive notifications

Navan monitors travel around the clock and immediately alerts travellers and company admins when disruption occurs — often before they even know. For travellers on the road, knowing Navan has their back allows them to focus on their work rather than monitoring flight status alerts and scrambling to make alternative arrangements. 

During the Heathrow disruption, impacted travellers were notified through Navan’s travel advisory dashboard within 60 minutes of the fire first being reported. 

2. Live traveller map

When employees are on the road, companies have a legal and ethical obligation to look after their safety and well-being. This duty of care is a vital part of any business travel programme and helps companies keep their travellers safe when unexpected events occur. 

Navan’s live traveller map gives company admins real-time visibility into employee locations worldwide, enabling swift and informed responses in a crisis.

Admins can send quick mass notifications or targeted messages directly from the map interface to keep travellers informed when it matters most. Additionally, the system integrates seamlessly with Navan's risk intelligence data to highlight emerging situations before they escalate into full emergencies. 

During the incident at Heathrow, company admins were able to immediately see which travellers were flying in or out of the airport and where they were at any given time, providing context around which travellers were most affected and potentially in need of assistance.

3. Self-serve booking changes

In the past (or present, depending on your travel provider), travellers needed to phone support and wait in a queue just to execute simple actions like changing a flight. During disruptions, of course, the wait times increase, which adds to traveller frustration.

With Navan, however, travellers can simply open the app and book a new flight in a few taps — without agent support — and do it in minutes. 

Navan’s AI-backed platform makes that happen by reading and modifying bookings, referencing airline and company policies, and handling disruptions entirely online — and with human-like sophistication. In fact, Navan’s AI support meets the same rigorous travel agent testing and quality metrics as human agents, including the customer satisfaction score (CSAT), handling times, and error rates.

Today, Navan’s virtual travel assistant handles 150,000 chats per month, and 50% of all support traffic is successfully resolved without human intervention, so travellers get faster resolutions and a smoother experience.

The Heathrow fire impacted 747 of Navan’s travellers, and interactions with support shot up 300% above normal levels. Navan’s virtual travel assistant successfully assisted 27% of these interactions without requiring travel agent support, meaning many travellers were able to self-serve changes quickly and easily within the Navan app.

4. 24/7 travel agent support

No matter how good an AI support agent is, there are times, like during the Heathrow disruption, when a human agent is required. Navan operates a follow-the-sun support model, meaning travellers can access experienced travel agents whenever needed.

During the Heathrow disruption, Navan’s travellers could contact support by chat or phone to make, change, or cancel their bookings.

The response? Intensely positive. The CSAT for Navan’s support during the three days of disruption was 94%, demonstrating Navan’s ability to resolve customer queries successfully, whether via virtual assistant or human travel agents.

Some TMCs charge for each and every interaction with support, and these fees can all add up, especially during a travel crisis. Sometimes, support agents at legacy providers are even incentivised to get customers to spend more.

Navan takes a different approach, with a transparent and predictable pricing model to help ensure that companies are never caught off guard by charges for support interactions.

5. Automated airline waivers

Airline waivers are special exceptions to standard airline policies that temporarily suspend change fees, cancellation penalties, or other restrictions that would normally apply when passengers modify their travel plans. Airlines typically offer them during disruptions, such as severe weather events.

These waivers allow passengers to change their plans without financial penalties and can help reduce uncertainty during disruptive events.

Here’s the catch: using waiver codes typically requires agent support, which can lead to problems and delays.

But Navan uses AI to automate this process and automatically applies waiver codes to changes, reducing support volume and lowering costs.

Navan’s leading support offering

During travel disruptions, Navan stands out by offering a comprehensive support ecosystem that combines cutting-edge technology with human expertise. 

Through proactive notifications, live tracking capabilities, self-service options, 24/7 agent support, and automated waiver processing, Navan empowers both travellers and companies to navigate unexpected challenges, like the disruption caused by the Heathrow fire, with minimal stress and maximum efficiency.