Flight delays encouraging Canadians to seek coverage
Flight delays are encouraging more Canadian travellers to consider purchasing travel insurance, according to a survey of 1,500 Canadians conducted between 15 and 17 July
The survey, carried out by comparison site RATESDOTCA and BNN Bloomberg, found that 35 per cent of respondents were forced to change their travel plans due to airport delays. Of those who changed their plans, 78 per cent said that they intended to purchase travel insurance coverage when travelling next this year.
A quarter (24 per cent) of respondents who admitted to not usually buying travel coverage, said that recent incidents of airport disruption had led them to reconsider.
Canadians who were planning to travel by plane were on average more enthusiastic about purchasing additional coverage than those intending to travel by car, with 57 per cent planning to do so for the former, versus 35 per cent for the latter.
“Canadians have waited a long time to be able to travel again, but as airline networks around the world struggle to keep up with demand many are finding their trips are being delayed or cancelled,” said John Shmuel, Managing Editor of RATESDOTCA. “Taking out travel insurance is one way to protect consumers from losing money on that flight they’ve waited so long to take.”
A recent survey by comparison site Squaremouth found that around half of its customers were buying travel insurance specifically in relation to current airline issues.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor for Voyageur Group, joining in 2021. He writes for both ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision and air medical transportation. He also serves as Title Editor of the Assistance & Repatriation Reviews. Oliver holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University, as well as a BA in English with Creative Writing from Falmouth University.