Totally Insured launches Security Delay Insurance

Totally Insured Travel launches the first travel insurance enhancement specifically to cover terrorism and security.

Thousands of people travelling over the summer period will not be expecting security delays – or will they and if so will they be covered? The recent security breaches at Heathrow Airport ahead of the Queen’s opening of the new £4.3bn Terminal 5 building was the second serious security breach at Heathrow within 18 days causing flight delays and some cancellations.

On the 19th March 2008, the Prime Minister, unveiled his Security Strategy. In his Parliamentary statement Gordon Brown said: “the nature of the threats and the risks we face have - in recent decades - changed beyond recognition and confound all the old assumptions about national defence and international security.”

“Today, the potential threats we face come from far less predictable sources: both state and non-state.”

So what does this mean for the great British travelling public and what cover exists? Until now many of them will have had travel insurance but almost certainly none of these policies will offer cover for delays incurred as a result of security or terrorist related incidents. The reason for this is that no such insurance policy previously existed. Now, thanks to Hampshire based Totally Insured Group (TIG) and their subsidiary Totally Insured Travel, holiday makers can get an innovative travel insurance product which covers them for such delays. This is being underwritten by Professional Travel Insurance Company Limited.

Cover includes additional travel, overnight accommodation, subsistence, alternative re-ticketing, and excess car parking charges as long as the delay is for more than 6 hours. The cost for this additional cover starts from as little as £5.00.

Ron Moonesinghe, Managing Director of TIG who were a finalist in this year’s Money Marketing Financial Services Awards, said “The product was developed after a friend of mine Lawrence Sale was going on holiday with his family to Spain and got caught up in the massive security delays at Heathrow in August 2006. Hundreds of flights were cancelled over a number of days.

When he telephoned his insurance company from the airport, he was told that security/terrorist incidents were excluded. Had he and his family been covered, along with the thousands who spent days sleeping in the departure lounges, they could have been reimbursed for the additional expenses incurred such as hotel, meals, even a new ticket!”

Lawrence Sale’s pivotal words to Ron Moonesinghe were: “I wish I could have purchased a top up to my existing policy that covered me for this sort of terrorist delay.”

The government is aware that the travelling public are not sufficiently aware of the exclusions on policy. The House of Commons Treasury Committee published a report on travel and tourism last year stating there is “…insufficient awareness of exclusions in the areas such as terrorist acts…all too often, exclusions are buried in the small print of policies.”

Brian Brown from Independent Financial Research Company Defaqto says: “The Security Delay Insurance (SDI) policy offers a unique range of features in the current marketplace, providing significant benefits should a policyholder be stranded or delayed due to terrorist or security events.”

He went on to say in his report: “The public is therefore well aware of the potential terrorist threat, and the disruption it can cause to their travel plans. Clearly there is a market for a product which will assist them in the event of such disruption.”

This travel product therefore goes a considerable way towards easing a traveller’s misery. Getting cover is also quick and simple taking a matter of minutes when visiting securitydelayinsurance.com.