Covid-19: Emirates offers funding burials of infected passengers
UAE’s state owned airline, Emirates has offered free Covid-19 insurance for its passengers as it prepares for resumption of flights.
Passengers will be covered for medical treatment, hotel quarantine, and even their funeral if they catch the virus and die while travelling.
Emirates Group Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in a statement, ‘‘We know people are yearning to fly as borders around the world gradually re-open, but they are seeking flexibility and assurances should something unforeseen happen during their travel.’’
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Al Maktoum said the offer is valid for 31 days from the start of a passenger’s journey and will run from now until the end of October.
It means that if a passenger is diagnosed with coronavirus during their trip, their medical expenses will be covered up to around £135,000. If a lockdown is imposed and a passenger has to self-isolate in a foreign town or city, the airline will pay up to €100 (£90) per day for quarantine costs — such as a hotel room — for up to two weeks.
The Middle East carrier has also said it will contribute €1,500 (about £1350) towards a funeral if passengers are diagnosed with the virus and then pass away after flying Emirates.
The company hopes the outlandish promotion will restore people’s confidence about getting back on a plane as the travel industry tries to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Daily Times gathered that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had said that 2020 will go down as the ‘worst’ on record financially. The collapse in demand has already forced carriers around the world to cut flights and layoff or furlough tens of thousands of workers.
