Ensure you have a travel insurance

School notebooks, textbooks and weeks of holiday homework were some of the stuff that got burnt when the plane caught fire. A gentleman who was travelling back to Dubai with his wife and three kids and eight pieces of luggage says: "My daughter, is in grade 10 and she was upset in the morning as she lost all her textbooks."
But taking the philosophical view he said, "Nothing is irreplaceable. I have my wife my children, my family by my side, so I'm not worried about luggage. It's not the important thing." Even so, what did they have in their luggage? Paintings from Kerala, handicrafts, souvenirs from pilgrimages made to Goa, an iPad - besides the school notebooks.
Other families travelling back to Dubai from Tiruvanthapuram on Emirates flight EK521 told Khaleej Times, they had in their lost luggage laptops, kanjeevaram sarees, the odd gold chain, a pair of bangles and brand new kids' clothes gifted by grandmothers. The only insurance these families had was with the airline. No separate travel insurance.
Travel insurance is a big deal
Mohammed Kamil Hussain, manager of outbound holidays at International Travel Services (ITS) said: "We always advise people to take travel insurance wherever they go, even if it's to their home country". Most people he said - more so desis - Indians and Pakistanis are "eternal optimists", think nothing bad can happen to them, and won't spend on travel insurance, thinking airline insurance is enough. "They only get insured when travelling to Schengen countries, and that too because it's mandatory".
When booking air tickets online some airlines tuck the airline insurance clause somewhere on the second page, and it can easily be missed. Usually one pays Dh15-20 more on the total flight cost for airline insurance. Travel insurance costs more, Dh100 upwards. So a good plan, that covers a lot of contingencies, for say a 7-day trip will cost Dh165 per person (platinum plan of AIG). A less comprehensive cover can cost Dh100. The more you pay, the better you're covered.
For cases like the Emirates flight EK521, Hussain said: "Emirates might take care to cover what they have lost." But for lay people, here's the crucial difference: airline insurance will only cover you for when you're midair, in the flight, for any issues/inconvenience to do with the airline. Travel insurance will cover you for the entire trip.
He gives the example of a family that was holidaying in Paris with their four-year-old. When they were leaving, the hotel billed them for 30,000 euros because the child kept the bathroom tap open. The water leaked out. And it ruined the flooring and carpet of the suite. They were spared a big hole in the pocket thanks to the travel insurance. -
nivriti@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai