Which? Magazine: Airlines still ignoring EU insurance law
People who travel regularly will already be aware of the EU ruling which made in November last year ? stating that automatic ?extras? on plane bookings can?t be added automatically when you are buying flight tickets and must be confirmed by the consumer first. This law serves to protect holidaymakers from paying out on services they do not want without having a clue where the money is actually going.
However, a new report by consumer magazine Which? Holiday has found four of the eleven airlines checked by the magazine were still ignoring the new laws, flouting regulations.
Jet2, Monarch and well known budget airline Easyjet are all charging insurance automatically which can costs over 10gbp per seat. Although you can opt-out of the deals by unticking a box, this still breaks EU law which require extras to be opt-in.
Air Berlin is also adding ?10.63 worth of cancellation insurance to their bookings without asking.
Which? Holiday editor Lorna Cowan said: “With airlines still opting people into insurance, consumers could unwittingly buy a product which is of no use to them, and at up to ?10 per person this can add up. Buying insurance at the same time as your flights may seem like an easy and convenient option. But if you’ve already got an insurance policy, or it doesn’t provide the right amount of cover for you, it’s as useless as no cover at all.”
Indeed, the magazine also found that differences in restrictions and small print of insurance deals for single trips were difficult to understand at the point of sale and not visible enough for many consumers to take notice. These include many restrictions for people who have pre-existing medical conditions and those aged over 65.