Air Canada made a huge announcement this morning that will definitely give the travel industry a much-needed reboot in the wake of the global pandemic.
Canada’s leading airline will now offer complementary COVID-19 emergency medical and quarantine insurance for eligible customers booking round-trip international flights. The coverage is available for new bookings made in Canada from September 18, 2020 until October 31, 2020.
“I applaud Air Canada for offering complimentary COVID-19 insurance for Canadians traveling abroad,” explains Lorraine Simpson, who is the CityLine TV Travel Expert and a Highly Notable Travel Personality.
“Providing emergency medical and quarantine insurance will only give travel consumers that added confidence they need when booking flights and traveling internationally. This a great move by Air Canada and it will only help give the industry the boost it needs – the more people traveling means the industry will soon get back to normal.”
The Manulife COVID-19 Emergency Medical Certificate of Insurance (the “Plan”) is available for new international, round-trip bookings made in Canada between September 17 and October 31, 2020, inclusive, for travel completed by April 12, 2021. If, when abroad, customers test positive for COVID-19, the Plan will provide eligible customers coverage that includes:
- Up to CDN $200,000 per insured for COVID-19 treatment medical expenses.
- Up to CDN $150 per person per day for quarantine costs (meals + accommodation); Up to CDN $300 per family per day up to a maximum of 14 days.
- Up to CDN $500 for expenses related to return home if the advisory from the Canadian government goes from Level 3 to Level 4 while at destination.
Air Canada also recently announced that customers booking with Air Canada Vacations will be offered COVID-19 Coverage and Assistance Plan provided by Allianz at no additional cost designed to cover emergency medical and quarantine expenses if COVID-19 is contracted while travelling.
Air Canada has been at the forefront of the airline industry in responding to COVID-19, including being among the first carriers globally to require customer face coverings onboard and the first airline in the Americas to take customers’ temperatures prior to boarding. It has introduced a comprehensive program, Air Canada CleanCare+, to apply industry leading biosafety measures at each stage of the journey. As well, to give customers flexibility, it has extended its goodwill policy so that new bookings made up to December 31, 2020 can be changed without fees for original travel up to December 31, 2021.
“Canada has taken a leadership role in helping combat the global pandemic and I am so thrilled to see the travel industry working in concert together to find innovative solutions to get our economy back on track while helping keep travelers safe here at home and abroad,” says Simpson.
Simpson has also been playing her part in a big way in helping the travel industry get back on its feet.
She just announced that she has rebranded from travel agent to travel personality and will work to help businesses reinvent their brands. The lockdown caused by COVID-19 has hammered the travel industry and already Simpson is helping scores of companies on the PR and Marketing Fronts, and she even just launched her own TV show, What’s On Your Pandemic Bucket List?
If you need help understanding all the changes going on in the industry, or if your business needs her expertise, then contact Lorraine Simpson today – she is here to help.
