Emirates airlines will offer free coronavirus medical and quarantine coverage for its travelers in the United Arab Emirates and around the world.
If one of its passengers is diagnosed with COVID-19 during their journey, the Dubai-based airline will cover their medical expenses, up to €150,000 (INR 1,30,20,543). It will pay €100 (INR 8,700 ) per day for quarantine costs — such as a hotel room — for up to two weeks.
And if the worst happens, Emirates will offer €1,500 (about $1,765) for a passenger’s funeral.
The coverage is available for travel between now and October 31, 2020. It’s valid for 31 days from “the moment you take your first flight, and it covers you even if you travel onwards to another city,” Emirates said. Testing costs are not covered, and passengers must contact the airline to get expenses approved before paying them.
The offering comes as Emirates seeks ways to rally demand and passenger revenue. The airline has been impacted more than most due to the fact that it only flies internationally: Despite a modest recovery in domestic and some regional travel demand, long-haul travel has just about flatlined.
Emirates has seen demand fall 90%, airline president Tim Clark told Business Insider in an interview earlier this month, though the airline has managed to keep some revenue flowing by pivoting from passenger to cargo operations.
The airline’s COVID-19 coverage is provided through NEXtCARE, the airline said, an arm of travel insurance provider Allianz. Emirates said the coverage is free and is applied automatically, no extra registration necessary.
“It is an investment on our part, but we are putting our customers first, and we believe they will welcome this initiative,” Emirates Group CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in a press release.
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