Budget airline SpiceJet offers insurance cover to passengers
The India-based low-cost carrier is partnering with insurtech company Go Digit to offer the policy
The cover is specifically for passengers who may require treatment for Covid-19 after travelling. All travellers booking a flight with SpiceJet can opt into insurance cover, valid for a year, which covers all pre-hospitalisation expenses for 30 days and all post-hospitalisation expenses for 60 days. Tests, medication, consultations and other expenses for those who test positive for the virus are also covered, and there is no limit on rental costs for rooms or ICU charges. Spouses and children can be covered optionally.
When claiming, passengers with a positive diagnosis can either opt for cashless payment, or reimbursement; under the former, bills are settled directly with hospitals or other medical providers, while under the latter, any expenses are refunded directly to the bank account of the customer’s choosing.
Coverage is valid for all state, private and even military hospitals in India. SpiceJet hopes that the coverage will inspire more travellers who may currently be reluctant to fly; no doubt the many travel operators, budget airlines and cruise lines that have gone out of business recently are on executives’ minds.
A multi-line digital insurer, Go Digit has based its business model on simplicity and efficiency for customers, with as much of its business as possible conducted via smartphones. It was awarded Asia’s General Insurance Company of the Year award in 2019 and named the Top Indian Startup for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.
Before the pandemic, domestic and international airline SpiceJet was the second-largest airline in India based on the number of domestic passengers carried annually. And while such trips have been severely curtailed during the pandemic, the airline has been busy nonetheless, transporting stranded Indians back from foreign countries and making over 3,000 cargo flights throughout the lockdown period.