Travel insurance alert as airline industry struggles

EssentialTravel.co.uk is urging travellers taking advantage of bargain-basement air fares to make sure they have adequate travel insurance in place.

According to the travel insurance specialist, the airline industry is in trouble, suffering from what the firm’s director, Stuart Bensusan, describes as a “vicious cycle of falling passenger numbers and falling air fares”.

Mr Bensusan expects casualties, with airlines going bust and holidaymakers with no travel insurance therefore run the risk of being stranded overseas with no comeback or compensation.

He also advises travellers who do take out cover to check the policy small print, explaining “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”.

In related news, the Department of Health (DoH) is reminding UK travellers to other EEC countries that 3.3 million European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) will have expired by the end of March.

The card allows free access to essential medical care, although the DoH advises UK residents holidaying in Europe to take out additional travel insurance.

The EHIC can be renewed online or over the phone up to six months in advance of expiry.