EasyJet and EasyJet Holidays have updated their “Protection Promise” to enhance passengers’ confidence as the industry prepares for an expected return to international travel by UK holidaymakers later this month.
The low-cost airline company – one of the main operators at Corvera Airport Murcia –has also launched a new travel insurance policy that includes COVID-19 cover as standard. EasyJet’s partnership with insurance provider Collinson Insurance provides coverage to customers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 ahead of a trip, “providing the necessary rearrangements or refunds”, as well as those who require medical care if diagnosed with COVID-19 during their trip.
Customers unable to return home due to being diagnosed with the virus are covered for additional accommodation, medical assistance and “the cost of returning home safely”. Passengers can also tailor their policy with a range of optional extras and add-ons, including gadget insurance and sports activity cover.
In addition to COVID-19 travel insurance cover, EasyJet has partnered with Randox to supply “convenient, reliable and affordable pre-departure PCR testing at preferential rates”.
Announcing details of the insurance cover, EasyJet’s UK chief commercial officer, Sophie Dekkers, said, “The need for travel insurance is greater than ever before, so we know it will help bolster consumer confidence to book and travel, giving holidaymakers a much-needed reassurance for future bookings and possible COVID-19 related disruptions.
“We have also launched our enhanced ‘Protection Promise’, meaning our customers can book with greater confidence knowing that if they are unable to travel, or their plans change, so can their flights.”
Features of the “Protection Promise” include:
- EasyJet customers can change their flights this summer without a fee, “any day before departure, to any flights on sale and to any destinations”.
- Any customers whose trip is impacted by a mandatory hotel quarantine, or a lockdown travel ban, “will be able to receive a refund for their flights, even if they are still operating”.
- EasyJet holidays has updated its COVID-19 commitments in line with the green, amber and red lists reportedly planned for introduction by the UK government.
- If a destination is on the amber list, EasyJet holidays customers ”can make fee-free changes or cancel their holidays for credit up to 24 hours before travel”.
- If a destination is added to a red list, EasyJet holidays “will, in addition to offering fee-free changes and the option for credit, cancel any holidays no later than seven days before travel and customers will receive a full refund”.
“We know that people want to travel to see friends and family or to go on a long-awaited holiday,” said EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren, “but that flexibility continues to be crucial for our customers, so we’ve made our ‘Protection Promise’ across flights and holidays even more flexible to help customers navigate travel restrictions this summer.
“Offering more flexibility than ever before means that more Brits can make plans to travel without having to worry about incurring change fees or the expenses of mandatory restrictions, should their trip be impacted.
“We also know that our customers need clarity to be able to make plans and so urge the UK government to provide final details of the testing regime and let the public know the categories countries will be placed into as soon as possible. We believe that safe travel should be possible between the UK and most European countries and so see no reason why most wouldn’t be placed in the green list.
“Customer health and safety remains our absolute priority and we strongly believe that, with vaccination, travel to low-risk government approved destinations should not be placed prohibitively out of reach by costly PCR testing, so we hope the government will make good on its promise to bring the cost of testing down so travelling to safe green-light destinations is affordable and possible for all.”