Travel cover essential as airlines struggle

Air travellers scooping up cheap fares are being urged to ensure they have adequate insurance.

Travel Insurance News - 30/03/2009

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Online travel insurance specialist, EssentialTravel.co.uk, has said that the airline industry is in financial trouble, suffering from the “vicious cycle of falling passenger numbers and falling air fares,” according to company director Stuart Bensusan.

Bensusan has said that he expects some carriers to fail, meaning that holidaymakers without travel cover run the risk of being stranded while on an overseas trip, having no recourse to compensation.

He has also advised holidaymakers to look closely at policies they purchase, noting: “most insurers offer cover for chartered airline collapse, but very few cover in the event of scheduled airline failure. This is despite the fact scheduled airlines make up the bulk of all flights in and out of British airports.”

Concurrently, the Department of Health (DoH) has reminded UK residents who are planning travel to other countries in the EEC countries that 3.3 million European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) will expire by the end of this month.

The EHIC provides access to essential medical treatment at no cost, although the DoH does advise Britons on holiday in Europe to carry additional travel insurance.

The EHIC can be renewed by phone or online up to six months prior to the card’s expiration date.

<< Mother abandons newborn in aircraft toilet | Travel News | Scottish man arrested after opening aircraft door >>