Lufthansa Group has introduced an optional COVID-19 insurance plan for passengers flying with Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines. Effective immediately, passengers opting for Lufthansa insurance packages will be covered in the event of COVID-related problems.
Lufthansa’s Travel Care and Travel Care Plus
Lufthansa offers passengers two options when booking travel insurance – ‘Travel Care’ and ‘Travel Care Plus’. With the Travel Care package, travelers will be compensated if they are forced to quarantine due to a COVID-19 infection.
The package also includes trip interruption insurance and travel cancellation. It isn’t clear what costs are covered by the compensation and how much passengers are likely to receive in the event of infection and quarantining. It is worth noting that Finnair’s recent COVID insurance policy covers quarantine costs of up to €100 per day. According to Lufthansa’s official website,
“the Travel Care option includes a compensation payment for the passenger in case he/she has to go into quarantine at his/her destination due to a Covid-19 infection.”
Travelers also have the option of upgrading to the Travel Care Plus insurance package. Along with all the benefits of the Travel Care deal, Travel Care Plus passengers are covered on all medical costs related to a COVID-19 infection, including emergency medical repatriation costs.
Not the first to provide COVID insurance
Several airlines across the globe have introduced COVID coverage into their insurance policies over the past few months. Etihad Airways, Virgin Atlantic and WestJet are just a few airlines to provide passengers with complimentary COVID insurance. Lufthansa Group’s initiative differs in that coverage is optional, making the carrier,
“one of the first airlines to offer its customers travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage as a supplement travel product.”
Lufthansa Group’s long-term partner for insurance is AIG, an American multinational corporation. Passengers booking optional insurance packages on flights with Lufthansa Group will be covered by AIG Travel, a branch of AIG responsible for providing travel insurance. Along with COVID coverage, passengers will receive the usual insurance coverage, including foreign medical insurance and emergency assistance, along with other standard benefits.
Rapid pre-flight testing
In addition to expanding its insurance coverage, Lufthansa Group is introducing rapid COVID testing on select flights in Munich and Hamburg. As part of the initiative, travelers will be administered an antigen COVID test free of charge before flights. Test results will be available within 30-60 minutes – only passengers receiving a negative result will have their boarding passes activated.
Lufthansa’s COVID coverage will hopefully restore public confidence in commercial aviation, while its rapid testing pilot aims to minimize the virus’s spread. Customer, IT & Corporate Responsibility Executive, Christina Foerster, explained the reasoning behind Lufthansa’s latest initiative:
“With our test strategy, we are pursuing the goal of using the data obtained to gain important insights into the use of rapid tests. Successful testing of entire flights can be the key to revitalizing international air traffic.”
Would COVID insurance coverage restore your confidence in air travel?
