This exclusive partnership was jointly developed by the two companies to provide tailored protection for any global destination, with product offerings that travellers can dynamically bundle and unbundle, providing them with additional confidence and new revenue streams for SAS.
STOCKHOLM, SW and LONDON, UK – Cover Genius, leading insurtech for embedded protection, and SAS, Scandinavia’s leading airline, have announced a new, exclusive, and customized protection program today. The program applies to more than 25 countries in Europe and the United States with the ability to scale globally. The comprehensive travel protection offerings are embedded directly within the customer booking flow, benefitting passengers with AI-backed price optimization and dynamic product recommendations, plus a seamless claims experience.
“While tourism is on track for a full recovery this year, airlines are looking for new ways to entice travellers back to the skies with a sense of protection,” said Peter Smith, VP of Partnerships, Travel at Cover Genius. “We’re excited to co-create this exclusive partnership with SAS to provide peace of mind and an improved customer service experience should travel plans not go as expected. Convenience and client loyalty are at the core of offering embedded protection for travellers, which also offer SAS additional revenue growth as the industry continues to recover.”
SAS passengers from Europe and the US can choose comprehensive protection and cancellation cover options for any destination in real time with XCover, Cover Genius’ award-winning global distribution platform, based on their needs while they book online. Should they need to make a claim, travellers can log into their XCover account in 40 different languages, respond to a few questions and receive instant pay-outs for approved claims in more than 90 currencies once approved. Traveller coverage and claim payments can extend to global destinations, currencies and markets as the partnership grows.
“This partnership with Cover Genius allows us to cater to our travellers’ preference for a dynamic and tech-forward solution that is easy to use, convenient and scalable,” said Caroline Bergström, Head of Ancillary Products, Connectivity and Retail of SAS. “We are proud to be able to offer relevant and clear protection options that will help welcome more passengers on board and ensure that every aspect of the customer journey is as good as it possibly can be.”
This new partnership aligns with a major shift in the way travellers prefer to purchase protection. A global travel insurance survey*, conducted by Momentive.ai and commissioned by Cover Genius, showed that customers were most satisfied when they purchased travel protection directly from their travel provider or airline. The results show that 69% of EMEA travellers prefer to purchase travel insurance directly from their airline or travel agent for their next trip. Nearly half of EMEA travellers (47%) prefer embedded protection over the “second step” of having to buy protection after the initial purchase due to convenience.
*The EMEA region in the global travel insurance survey conducted by Momentive.ai includes the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates (EMEA).
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
