Insurers Wait For Festive Getaway Claims

We all look forward to our holidays but we should be more prepared for problems according to new research.

According to a luggage delivery firm, the festive season has the highest number of reported incidents of lost luggage per passenger. And this can be exacerbated by other unforeseen problems.

For example, a faulty baggage belt at Heathrow Airport recently led to thousands of bags going missing at Terminal Four. The four-hour malfunction led to a huge backlog and passengers on European and transatlantic flights needing to be compensated.

While circumstances such as these are out of the traveller's control, holidaymakers can still do all they can to minimise the chances of any incidents. The firm stated that three-quarters of lost luggage was misplaced due to people checking in for flights at the last minute, while people often booked themselves in on overbooked flights at peak times.

It advised that if bags are lost, passengers could at least help themselves by making their bags easily identifiable. However, with an increasing number of people choosing to go on shopping holidays, this is not necessarily easy, as holidaymakers return with identical branded carrier bags.

With the higher probability of losing luggage that could be increasingly expensive, the need for travel insurance has been made apparent, in order to avoid potentially costly replacements, especially at Christmas.

The marketing manager at American Express Insurance Services commented: "Low cost air travel, the increased use of annual travel insurance and a strong pound has meant that Britons can literally shop last minute as easily in Paris or even New York as they can in London."

However, she stated that all of the savings that could be made can disappear with excess luggage charges or actual lost property. The firm stated that lost luggage complaints have risen by about 15 per cent, with the average claim costing around £580.

If you would like to know more about travel insurance why not ask AnswerBank Insurance.