Travelling without travel insurance is dicing with destiny and as any of us know in the travel industry. Having a policy is a must. Given the current challenges greeting travellers such as disruption at airport security, cancelled flights, lost luggage, covid requirements and so forth, ITTN has gone to the experts to find out the recommendations for travellers this summer!
Find out more about some nifty luggage tracing, access to the lounge if you are delayed, how booking travel insurance when booking your holiday is key and more as Jason Whelan and Jeannette Taylor from Blue Insurance as well as Craig Donnelly from Accident & General speak with ITTN’s Shane Cullen.
Blue Insurance – Jason Whelan and Jeanette Taylor
All customers travelling abroad this summer should have a valid travel insurance policy in place. Blue Insurance has enhanced their policies over the last 18 month to include a number of benefits as standard including covering if you have to cancel due to testing positive for Covid-19. Blue Insurance also offer enhanced covers like Flight Cancellation and Travel Disruption that will offer customers extra protection if their flight is cancelled or they experience delays.
The key tips all agents should be aware of when selling the insurance are below.
- Customers should always buy an insurance policy at the time of booking their trip. The Travel Insurance policies have a moratorium period on covers like Travel Disruption and Covid 19 cancellation cover. This means that anybody purchasing the Travel Insurance more than 48 hours after they booked their trip would have additional exclusions on cover around Travel Disruption and Covid 19 Cover.
- Blue Insurance policies offer additional covers like Travel Disruption cover and Flight Cancellation that include extra protection for customers who have their flights cancelled. All Premier Plus policies through the trade include Travel Disruption.
- Look out for what the Excess is on policies as this is usually applicable per person so families could lose several hundred euro on a claim if they had to cancel. All Premier Plus policies through the trade include Zero Excess.
- Agents should put the customers email on every policy so they ensure the documentation and important contact information is sent straight to the customer and they can access it through their phone.
- Agents and customers should be aware of their entitlements through EU 261 if their flight is cancelled, delayed or re-directed after take-off. In a lot of cases, the Airline will have to pay for any additional expenses incurred by the customer and the customer may also be entitled to compensation. See https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm
Jason Whelan shared “We encourage all agents to contact us if they have any queries or questions around cover. We have a Travel Trade dedicated team of staff supporting agents so either Jeanette, Paul, Eoghan, Claire or I will always be there to support if needed”.
Jeanette Taylor added, “Make sure you get your insurance when you book your holiday to get the best cover. Think of travel insurance as important as having your passport!”.
Accident & General – Craig Donnelly
There’s been plenty of coverage recently of the problems airports and airlines are having with delayed and missing luggage. One of the best ways to prevent your bag from getting lost forever, or unnecessarily delayed, is to make sure you have back up identification on each of your checked-in bags.
Trace Me Smart ID is one such product and is included with every one of our travel policies. Each personalised luggage tag is compatible with SITA World Tracer, the heart of the global airport baggage system. If you lose your bag, Trace Me can help get it back faster. It’s proven around 100 times more effective at preventing bag loss than travelling without it. Every tag also includes support from the Trace Me Customer Service team, who will monitor the status of your bag and give you regular updates if something does go wrong. Essential peace of mind for every traveller. There are also opportunities for Travel Agents to issue VIP tags to their clients which provides superb monetary benefits should something go wrong.
Lounge Access Cover for Outbound Flight Delay of 2+ Hours
When you are travelling on your holiday, there are few things worse than the outbound flight being delayed. A very annoying start to the holiday. Booking into an airport lounge can help soften the blow that such delays deliver. That’s why, built into every one of our travel policies, we have lounge access cover if your outbound flight has a delay of 2 hours or more announced. We book you in for free (Subject to availability and lounge T’s and C’s).
Covid Cover for Medical Expenses, Transport & Accommodation
Covid cover is of course essential for all travellers in the current climate – this not only protects you from cancellation should You, a travelling companion or someone you are travelling to visit catch covid before the trip but also an immediate relative being hospitalised due to it. Covid cover is built into every policy and also provides cover for medical expenses relating to covid and additional transport and accommodation expenses should you have to extend your stay (e.g. due to isolation). A good travel policy will also allow for the curtailment (early return home) should a family member be hospitalised back home due to Covid.
Strike Action, Adverse Weather or Technical Failure
Most travel insurance policies provide elements of cover for travel delay, missed departure and missed connections. In certain circumstances such as strike action, adverse weather or technical failure of an airline, clients can abandon their trip after 24 hours delay and receive compensation of a set some for irrecoverable costs. This cover varies from insurer to insurer. Some online policies have the likes of non-operation of flight or travel disruption as an optional extra. If you are buying travel insurance, make sure that the policy has the cover that you need.
Of course, it’s not all about travel insurance, under the EU Passenger Rights Regulation, passengers are entitled to compensation from airlines in the event of a delay, cancellation, overbooking, or missed connection flight in certain circumstances. Travel insurance tends to cover those elements that are not recoverable elsewhere.
