Wesleyan launches Private Clients service
by Gill Montia
Story link: Wesleyan launches Private Clients service
Wesleyan is launching a new service aimed at affluent professionals with busy lifestyles.
The mutual has developed a dedicated home, motor and travel insurance offering, promising a more personal approach and flexible cover.
Private Clients Insurance provides immediate cover on newly purchased items, a 24-hour customer call centre based in the UK and an advice service for [...]
Equalities Bill allows exception for insurers
by Gill Montia
Story link: Equalities Bill allows exception for insurers
Insurers suffering from anxiety over the Equality Bill currently before the House of Lords will be relieved to hear that Michael Foster, a junior minister in the Equalities Office, has announced a specific exception to allow financial services providers to treat people of different ages differently.
The Bill aims to put an end to age discrimination [...]
Age Concern expects pensioner travel boom
by Gill Montia
Story link: Age Concern expects pensioner travel boom
Older Britons are increasingly opting for overseas travel, according to Age Concern.
The advocacy group recorded a 41% rise in sales of its Enterprises annual worldwide travel insurance in 2009, while sales of winter sports cover increased by 20%.
The charity therefore concludes that the UK’s pensioners are keeping more active and are keener to take off [...]
British skiers drunk on alpine slopes
by David Masters
Story link: British skiers drunk on alpine slopes
British holidaymakers on alpine getaways are skiing and snowboarding with nearly double the drink-drive limit of alcohol in their bloodstream.
Research by More Than Insurance found over half a million Brits have gone skiing the morning after a drinking session with seven units of alcohol still pumping through their body.
Nearly three quarters (74%) of British skiers [...]
AXA launches broker travel extranet
by Gill Montia
Story link: AXA launches broker travel extranet
AXA Insurance has launched AXA Travel extranet, an online portal for brokers.
According to the insurer, the new facility is easy to use and allows registered brokers with an imarket login to AXA’s broker website to provide “quality travel insurance from a recognised provider”.
Users can then actively manage their clients’ travel portfolios through the extranet, [...]
Direct Travel Insurance provides ski accident stats
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Direct Travel Insurance provides ski accident stats
Interest in skiing holidays may rise due to the prolonged wintery conditions, particularly as some French ski operators are cutting prices.
Direct Travel Insurance has reported that the Association of Mountain Doctors in France (Médecins de Montagne Résultats Nationaux 2008/2009) dealt with 140,000 injuries last year incurred on such holidays.
Amongst these were 16,439 collisions on slopes, [...]
Travellers urged to ensure they have airline failure cover
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Travellers urged to ensure they have airline failure cover
Global leader in travel financial failure International Passenger Protection Limited has stated that the recent Globespan collapse has reaffirmedhow important it is that travellers have appropriate travel insurance.
Last month travel protection site ProtectMyHoliday.com warned that there would be airline failures during the Christmas period, a warning which has unfortunately proven accurate.
Three out of four Globespan [...]
Direct Line covers airline failure
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Direct Line covers airline failure
Recent days have seen much turmoil in the world of airlines, with Flyglobespan becoming the latest airline to fail, leaving thousands of holidaymakers stranded overseas.
Scotland’s Daily Record has reported that some 5,000 have been stranded abroad due to the failure.
Over the course of the last two years around 60 airlines have failed, creating a minefield [...]
ABI offers advice to BA travellers
by Gill Montia
Story link: ABI offers advice to BA travellers
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has issued advice to travellers likely to be affected by the proposed industrial action at British Airways (BA).
If the strike proceeds, the first step is to contact BA to discuss the options available.
Where alternative travel plans are made, travel insurance can usually be altered to cover the new arrangements.
In [...]
Scottish airline collapse leaves 5,000 stranded abroad
by Gill Montia
Story link: Scottish airline collapse leaves 5,000 stranded abroad
Edinburgh-based airline, Flyglobespan, has been placed in administration.
According to Scotland’s Daily Record, around 5,000 holidaymakers have been left stranded abroad and a similar number have had their Christmas and New Year holiday plans disrupted.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is preparing to repatriate around 1,100 of the airline’s passengers, although over [...]
BA strike action could cost insurers millions
by Richard Kilner
Story link: BA strike action could cost insurers millions
Leading online travel insurer Insureandgo has warned that thousands of holidays and millions of pounds could be lost due to the recent decision of British Airways’ (BA) cabin crew to go on strike.
The strike action is due to begin on 22 December and run over Christmas itself.
Insureandgo estimates that cancelled flights cost £9.7m in 2008, [...]
Heath Lambert provides new offering for people with autism
by Gill Montia
Story link: Heath Lambert provides new offering for people with autism
Heath Lambert has teamed up with The National Autistic Society (NAS) to provide travel and life insurance for those living with autism.
The broker is extending its “Unique” offering, which specialises in cover for people with pre-existing medical conditions, their families, carers and supporters.
In what the firm claims to be an industry first, Unique has arranged [...]
Minister to review ATOL scheme
by Gill Montia
Story link: Minister to review ATOL scheme
Travellers who book flights on the Internet could soon be better protected financially, as the Government announces a review of the Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) scheme, which was set up in the 1970s.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis also wants to clarify the situation for holidaymakers who opt to “mix-and-match” carriers and accommodation, rather than buy [...]
EU to review Package Travel Directive
by Gill Montia
Story link: EU to review Package Travel Directive
The Consumer Commission of the European Union is launching a review of the financial protection available to travellers who book flights direct with an airline.
Currently, only those who have booked through a travel agent or taken out independent financial failure insurance are covered for the cost of a new flight if their carrier goes bust.
However, [...]
Insureandgo offer Hamster coverage
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Insureandgo offer Hamster coverage
Top Gear host Richard ‘The Hamster’ Hammond’s strugglings to get insurance for his skiing holiday have come to an end, as Insureandgo agree to offer him cover during his holiday.
Hammond, who has suffered multiple injuries (most notably an enormous and almost fatal crash in a jet-powered dragster), told Absolute Radio that when insurers ask him [...]
Delayed flight passengers now eligible for compensation
by Gill Montia
Story link: Delayed flight passengers now eligible for compensation
Air travellers whose flights arrive at their destinations three hours late or more are now eligible for compensation.
Yesterday, the European Court of Justice ruled that the damage sustained by air passengers in cases of long delay is comparable with that of cancellation.
The Court said: “There is no justification for treating passengers whose flight is delayed [...]
ProtectMyHoliday warns of Christmas airline risk
by Gill Montia
Story link: ProtectMyHoliday warns of Christmas airline risk
ProtectMyHoliday.com is warning travellers to be cautious about Christmas holiday arrangement as the travel industry continues to face large losses.
According to the travel failure specialist, the International Air Transport Association recently predicted that the global airline industry will make a cumulative loss of €11 billion this year, a steep increase on the €9 billion estimated [...]
Voyager revenue surges despite recession
by Richard Kilner
Story link: Voyager revenue surges despite recession
Travel insurance specialist Voyager has said that holidaymakers are increasingly turning to financial protection insurance, after a number of high profile budget airline collapses and other failures in the industry.
Over the last year 32 airlines have failed, according to Voyager, with more facing bankruptcy.
As a result of this, Voyager’s WEBroker travel insurance product has seen [...]
Moneysupermarket reports 5% rise in insurance revenues
by Gill Montia
Story link: Moneysupermarket reports 5% rise in insurance revenues
Moneysupermarket.com has reported that insurance revenues increased 5% in the third quarter of 2009, compared to a year earlier.
The result was also more than 15% ahead of the quarterly rate in the first six months of the year.
Motor insurance revenues returned to growth, having declined over the first half of 2009, and home and travel [...]
60% of travellers withhold medical information
by Richard Kilner
Story link: 60% of travellers withhold medical information
AllClear, the medical travel insurance specialist, has warned that 60% of travellers are invalidating their insurance by refusing to reveal pre-existing medical conditions.
Sometimes information is simply not volunteered as the traveller does not recognise its importance, but it is also the case that some travellers deliberately withhold relevant information from their insurer.
It is thought that [...]
