FLIGHT DELAYS REACH CRITICAL MASS DURING WINTER MONTHS AS TRAVELERS SCRAMBLE TO REBOOK CONNECTIONS, SAYS APRIL
MIAMI, FL (Jan. 20, 2015) – On the first Tuesday of January, more than 900 flights were cancelled nationwide due to inclement weather. During a typical winter season, more than one million flights are delayed or canceled and that number continues to grow as airports become increasingly congested. APRIL Travel Protection (www.AprilTravelProtection.com), the U.S. division of the 26-year old APRIL Group, is reminding travelers how easy and affordable it can be to mitigate these all-too-common nightmare travel scenarios with the purchase of travel insurance. Additionally, the company offers a number of proactive steps one can take to make travel as seamless as possible.
“It is important to understand that not all travel protection policies are created equal,” said Jason Schreier, CEO of APRIL-USA. “Oftentimes, understanding coverage limits and applicable triggers can be confusing. Policyholders may discover they are not covered for a specific issue or that their policy will not pay out immediately, leaving them vulnerable to out-of-pocket expenses with a potentially difficult reimbursement process ahead,” Schreier noted.
Since APRIL launched its U.S. division in 2013, the company’s mission has been to change consumers’ perception of travel protection, starting with simple agreements that are easy to understand. APRIL owes its success in Europe and Latin America to this customer-centric philosophy which is also a cornerstone of its U.S. operation.
At the core of this philosophy lies APRIL’s “instant adjudication” – a ground-breaking innovation at the center of its signature ‘Stress Less Benefits’ which pays to resolve covered issues on-the-spot while the vacationer is still traveling. This makes it possible for policyholders to enjoy their vacation without having to worry about out-of-pocket expenses in an emergency. Every policy sold by APRIL and its supplier partners offers this feature for a wide range of inconveniences that can’t be predicted in advance, including severe weather and natural disasters, injury, sickness, death, job loss or relocations, supplier default, terrorism, military duty, strikes and more.
APRIL is the only insurance company to offer this progressive benefit to U.S. policyholders.
Furthermore, APRIL’s proactive approach to support keeps up with travelers’ evolving needs with a multi-lingual team and 24/7 toll-free access from most destinations as well as other convenient support channels from Skype to texting, email and live chat.
Beyond travel protection, Schreier suggests several additional common sense tactics anyone can employ. For example, passengers can often check if a flight is going to depart on time before they leave for the airport. When delays are expected to be significant, travelers can adjust their timetable accordingly.
For travelers booking non-direct service, a two- or three-hour cushion for one’s connecting flight is ideal. This is especially important when flying with multiple carriers as ticketing agents may be less accommodating if travelers miss a connecting flight due to another airline’s delay.
“In many cases, a few sensible precautions can make a big difference, but there are also many instances where flights are canceled last-minute or delayed beyond what most would consider reasonable,” Schreier pointed out. “In those cases, there really is no substitute for a well researched travel insurance policy,” explained Schreier.
For more information, contact APRIL Travel Protection at 855-277-4587, email info@AprilTravelProtection.com or visit www.AprilTravelProtection.com.
About APRIL Travel Protection
APRIL Travel Protection is owned by APRIL, an international group with 45 operational companies in more than 40 different countries. APRIL is listed on Euronext Stock Exchange and has yearly sales of more than $1.1 billion.
With its guiding principles to build trust, push boundaries, innovate and keep it simple, APRIL Global Assistance Network benefits from an extensive organizational structure servicing more than six million policyholders worldwide.
The company’s U.S. division is supported by American Modern Insurance Group (an AM Best A+ rated carrier) as its preferred underwriter and is headquartered at 11900 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 600, Miami, FL, 33181.
###
Josh Kahn / J.Kahn@KTCpr.com
Chelsea Craig / C.Craig@KTCpr.com
Tags: