After our walking tour of Kuala Lumpur, we rushed back to our hotel in Bukit Bintang. Our itinerary indicated that we have to suspend our own Malaysia adventures temporarily for a trip to the headquarters of Chartis Insurance to learn about Travel Guard. Read more…
Whenever I book a flight with Airphil Express or Philippine Airlines, I always ignore that check box for travel insurance. Sad to say, I’ve always considered it as an unnecessary extra travel cost. I mean, why need it when it’s unlikely that a jet in this age would crash?
My notions about the entire travel insurance thing were really limited until we went to the Asia-Pacific regional headquarters of Chartis Insurance somewhere in Kuala Lumpur. The regional managers themselves welcomed us into their training room.
They oriented us about their operations with the core values of Chartis as a whole, and more importantly, they gave us the lowdown on how vital Chartis Travel Guard really is. Their points were reinforced when their in-house head physician showed us specific instances wherein their product provided for the needs of their consumers.
As it turns out, unfortunate incidents during travel do happen, and what makes them difficult is when travelers are in a foreign country. Chances are, an HMO does not cover medical expenses abroad, so that’s why many a time have I heard stories of travelers being hospitalized abroad, only to be haunted by exorbitant bills after.
It might have not yet happened to us, but there are people who have gotten sick and ultimately have died while traveling. Listening to their presentation, I heard real stories of someone getting a fracture in the middle of a jungle, a medical emergency aboard an aircraft, and the sudden death of a spouse, among others. Our friends from Chartis assured us that by getting Travel Guard, their consumers are well taken care of should these occur.
Chartis Travel Guard doesn’t only cover medical emergencies and accidents. From flight delays and cancellations to lost baggage and travel documents, it is more like an overall travel inconvenience guarantee at a small premium.
After learning so much about Chartis Travel Guard, we went around their operations room. There, we witnessed how calls are handled by agents and their resident medical team. Calls are segregated by country, and agents handle and follow up cases until they are resolved.
I was fascinated when I found out that 25% of their agents are hardworking Filipinos. Actually, three of them nicely shared their stories working with Chartis.
As we left the headquarters of Chartis Insurance, I promised that I will advocate travel insurance to fellow travelers. We should realize that unfortunate eventualities can happen on the road and up the air, so it’s better to have that peace of mind for a minimal price.
Know the complete benefits of Airphil Express Worry-Free Travel Insurance from this online brochure. Their Travel Guard is underwritten by Chartis Philippines Insurance.
Airphil Express now flies to Kuala Lumpur three times a week with free 10kg baggage allowance. Book the lowest fares from Manila through www.airphilexpress.com. For exciting promos and discounts to their destinations, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
