Air Travel Health

Travel insurance is a form of limited or special situation insurance that covers loss arising from a specific event. This could be flying in an airplane or riding in a train. The policies are based on the behavior of a group of individuals engaged in an activity and the likelihood that a loss will occur.
Travel insurance is rated based on the occurrence of a loss as it affects a group of common interest, such as airline passengers. This differs from individual coverage, which rates the risk of loss occurring based on the personal preferences and habits of the insured. It would be difficult to use individual underwriting standards such as age and health status to travel insurance since not everybody flies in an airplane.
Group insurance factors in the community experience of the group as a whole in order to access the probability that loss will occur. Community experience factors can include the number of air disasters in a given region, or in a given year, or by a given carrier. When assessing loss exposure on a group basis it is easy to discern certain trends and patterns regarding the chance of loss. Since air travel is deemed safe with air disasters occur very infrequently (roughly 1 in 2.5 million), the rates for travel insurance is very low.
If you accept that activities such as air travel are safe with a low probability of occurring, why the need to buy travel insurance? Insurance is about something not happening, as oppose to a loss occurring. Insurance provides a way to restore value in the event of a loss and for some, having the piece of mind that some benefit may be available may be important.
Travel insurance policies are typically issued in kiosks at an airport. It may also appear as a rider associated with a credit card or to a person’s property and casualty indemnity coverage. However it is purchase, the benefit provided is a low amount of coverage, maybe no more than $25,000 (although a few higher death benefit policies exist). This is done based on the community experience-rating factor that looks at the incident of death or dismemberment occurring based on the chance of an airline disaster.
How old you are, how physically fit you may be, whether you smoke or not, are all rating factors or variables that are not important to issuing travel insurance. None of those factors has an impact on a plane taking off and landing and the likelihood that a crash will occur. That the instances of plane crashes are so low suggests that very limited factors need to be considered when pricing travel insurance.
Insurance is based on a concept of risk transfer. This means that the individual pays a premium amount that insures that if something were to happen, the insurance will provide a benefit to compensate the policy’s beneficiary. The amount paid in premium is low relative to the potential benefit that is paid. The insurance company rates the potential for loss and prices its policy accordingly so that it is able to pay if that loss occurs. The higher probability that a loss can occur means a higher premium. Applying group underwriting principles to travel insurance helps provide a product that is low cost and pays a uniform benefit.
Insurance Agency is an independent Travel, Health Insurance Canada Broker offering personal and corporate solutions. When looking for Visitors to Canada and information on Canadian Travel Insurance please give us a call.
precautions and preperations for infant travle to US from India?
Hi,
My baby is 2 months old and she is in India. I will be traveling to US soon. I really dont know what precautions and preperations I would require. Please share your experiences and knwoledge in this; I mean in related to baby’s health, Air line rules (I am travelign thru Delta) and any legal formalities (I have her valid Visa and passport).
Please suggest.
thanks in advance!
take all the baby’s medical papers. also take a letter from your paedeatrician on vaccinations due in the next few months / whilst you are there. if possible call and get a doctors name whoich is close to where you are staying (for emergencies). also you can talk to that doctor if u want him to give vaccinations.
do the same stuff that you do for ur baby here – if on bottle, carry milk/powder, water etc. the airlines can help u warm in the flights etc but always be prepared. also always keep medicines handy. if ur baby prefers a particular brand of diapers, just take those – dont depend on what u will get there unelss u know for a fact that the same / similar brand would be available.
also, ur baby neads a car seat if he /she is traveling by car (other than taxis)
airlines and airports should generally be ok but make necessary declarations of liquids etc beign carried for the baby (keep the prescriptions for medicines handy). give ur baby a pacifiier or something to suck on the plane (esp during take off and landing) as air pressure could cause a pain in the ears.
if u have a stroller give it in at the gate and ask them to give it to you at the other gate. even if u have a connection / stop over, ask them to give u the stroller at that place.
it will be tough, but enjoy it.
Fly the Healthy Skies: Making Airline Travel Safer


