Insurers Must Respond to Storm Delays, With Automated Payouts & Assistance

As airlines and ferry companies are far more likely to cancel services now during spells of bad weather, it pays for insurers and brokers to offer exact definitions of what is, or isn’t covered, when it comes to journey delays. Automated payouts when things do go wrong are also a strong selling point for insurers, as customers don’t want the hassle of being on hold to a call centre for three hours to get a refund, or overnight accommodation paid for.

Here’s some comment from Eyal Gluska, CEO and Co-Founder, Setoo;

“Storm Ciara has caused chaos for travellers, with many left stranded as flights were cancelled, ruining plans for holidays, business trips and many other journeys. With extreme weather events becoming increasingly common, it’s clear travel providers – such as major airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which made the news with cancelled flights – must do more to not only protect their customers but also their own reputations.

While the weather is out of businesses’ hands, customer experience is not. And in a digital age where customers expect fantastic, personalised experiences regardless of the circumstances, those that don’t address the issues for travellers when the weather turns bad will be the ones that suffer in the long-term.

To survive the uncertainty of the modern age, travel businesses must consider how they can improve experiences for travellers that are dealing with delays and cancellations, and offer solutions, such as insurance, that work with their individual needs – whether they’re a business person that must get to Berlin for an important conference, or a couple on a Valentine’s getaway that need the best experience possible to ensure delays don’t ruin the memories of their romantic weekend away.

Widely available travel insurance products are unclear in refunds for extreme weather protection, meaning passengers are facing uncertainty and disrupted travel with the additional stress of financial loss looming over them. Instead of opting for standard, one-size-fits-all, insurance, travel businesses should provide specialised, parametric protection that will automatically compensate consumers in the case of a flight delay or cancellation. These products remove the hassle of the claims process entirely, becoming a reliable tool to protect the travel experience and not just a necessary evil.”