Airlines offering free covid insurance

[MEL_Traveller]

Japan Airlines has joined the list of airlines offering free travel insurance if you test positive with covid while travelling.

Thought it might be worth putting a list of these in one place, in case anyone finds them useful.

Booking dates vary - for example JAL covers departures to 30 June. Etihad is to 31 March.

Current airlines:

JAL https://www.jal.co.jp/sg/en/info/travelalerts/flysafe/jalcoronacover/
Virgin Atlantic https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/news/coronavirus/free-global-cover-for-covid-19.html
Etihad https://www.etihad.com/en-au/fly-etihad/travel-insurance/covid-19-insurance-cover
Emirates https://www.emirates.com/au/english/help/covid-19/free-covid-19-cover/
Cathay Pacific https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_HK/flying-with-us/cathaycare/free-covid-19-insurance.html

Air Canada is only for Canadian residents: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/book/travel-news-and-updates/2020/covid-19-insurance.html
Westjet https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/book-trip/vacation/covid-insurance
Finnair is only for tickets departing Finland: https://www.finnair.com/au-en/frequently-asked-questions/coronavirus

 

[PineappleSkip]

Got a promo from Ethiopian about their Coronavirus cover. Africa is a good place to have insurance, but the current blurb notes cover until 31 March 2021 only.
https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/aa/sheba-comfort

cheers skip

 

[prozac]

Thanks for starting this thread topic @Mel_Traveller.

Cathay offering from 7 December 2020 to 28 February 2021 only. Like anything up in the air atm I imagine this could be extended.
I wondered if this included tickets bought with points. Here's the answer from FAQ.

Am I covered if I use my miles, or cash plus miles, to purchase the ticket?

Yes, you are covered as long as you have a valid Cathay Pacific-issued ticket booked to travel on a flight operated by Cathay Pacific or one of our codeshare/interline partners. To be eligible for cover, at least one sector must be operated by Cathay Pacific.

Ahhh, but there is a catch.

What if my journey is longer than 30 days? Can I pay to extend my coverage?
No. Coverage ends after 30 days or upon your return to your home country*, whichever is earlier. Extension is not possible under this policy.

30 days is a bit on the short side. Pity, I have a longer trip booked.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Emirates COVID-19 policy was for tickets issued up to 30 November for travel starting before 31 December. They have now replaced this with an automatic multirisk policy which includes COVID. It runs for tickets issued up to 31 January, but they note that this date may be extended at their discretion.

The Emirates policy also applies to tickets issued by FlyDubai. They have not specified an end date. The cover appears to last up to 365 days for return trips.

There is an exclusion in the Emirates policy for travel to countries which have issued a travel ban, which would appear to exclude travel to Australia but not travel ex Australia.

Royal Air Maroc have also joined this still exclusive club. Can't find it on their website, but this article indicates it applies to bookings up to May 31.

In Canada, Flair and Air Transat have joined Air Canada and Westjet. Copa's website claims they have also started offering COVID-19 insurance, although coverage is limited in amount

With the exception of Emirates and FlyDubai, with their 365 days cover, the others generally only offer 31 days cover from departure date. With Maroc extending to 31 May and JAL to 30 June, I suspect the other airlines will progressively extend as well. Would be interesting to see if others will match Emirates' offer.

Incidentally, with claims that more than 40 countries require COVID insurance to enter, some countries are offering health insurance services, for example Turkey and Thailand, and some airlines are also offering policies to enter specified countries. For example I found references to Turkish, Pegasus and Sun Express offering insurance to visiters to Turkey.

Cheers skip

 

[Mattg]

Looks like the Emirates insurance will only apply to tickets purchased by 30 November 2021.

Multi-risk travel insurance | Before You Fly | Emirates Australia

Fly with the world’s first airline to provide multi-risk travel insurance with every flight.

www.emirates.com