Dubai based airline Emirates, has got everyone talking about. The airline which is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates and a subsidiary of the Emirates Group, has announced that it will cover medical expenses of up to 150,000 Euros (19,030,590 Kenyan Shillings) for any passenger who is diagnosed with COVID-19 while flying with the airline.
It will pay up to 100 Euros (12,687 Kenyan Shillings) per day for quarantine expenses like hotel rooms, for as long as 2 weeks and also up to 1,500 Euros (190,305 Kenyan Shillings) for funeral expenses should that ever be needed.
This coverage by Emirates is for all flights from now until the 31st of October 2020 and will be valid for 31 days from when you first took your flight. It will also cover you even if you travel to another city.
Costs for COVID-19 tests will however not be covered. Affected passengers will also have to contact Emirates to get said expenses approved before making any payments.
According to Emirates, its COVID-19 coverage will be provided via NEXtCARE which is an arm of travel by insurance provider; Allianz and stated that the coverage will be free and applied automatically, with no extra registration necessary or required.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Emirates Group; Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum in a press release said, “It is an investment on our part, but we are putting our customers first, and we believe they will welcome this initiative.”
These packages by the airline are alleged to the airline’s way or ways to increase its revenue and boost the demand. Emirates is among the numerous airlines who have been negatively hit by the lockdown as it only carries out international flights. While various economies have begun to bounce back via domestic travel, majority of international flights have been at a standstill.
Emirates particularly has seen its demand fall by as low as 90%. In an interview with Business Insider earlier this month, the airline’s president; Tim Clark made it known that Emirates has been able to maintain a bit of revenue flow, by making a temporary switch from passenger operations to cargo operations.
A new testing requirement has also been implemented by Dubai Airports which is in charge of Dubai’s two airports. From today the 1st of August 2020 any passenger who is flying into any of the two airports, needs to have been tested negative for COVID-19 within at least the past 96 hours. All passengers will be required to provide a copy of the results for the test.
Although Emirates is the first airline to offer coverage for quarantine and medical expenses for the COVID-19 virus, a number of travel companies and airlines have attempted to improve the confidence of customers during this period.
According to CNN, the Middle Eastern nation of Cyprus will be covering the costs of medications and accommodations for any visitors who get Coronavirus while in the country. The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan is offering to give 3,000 Dollars (323,100 Kenyan Shillings) to any visitors who get the Coronavirus while traveling.
International travel in recent times has been hindered by a combination of travel restrictions, quarantine requirements and costs which together made the prospect of traveling during this period undesirable, border closures, as well as the events and conferences which were cancelled all over the world.
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