Vueling and Cover Genius Lean on Technology to Customize Travel Protection
View the press release in Spanish.
Companies scaling travel protection for +30 million passengers globally.
Barcelona, SP and London, UK – January 24, 2024 – Cover Genius, the leading insurtech for embedded protection, and Vueling, Spain’s leading low-cost airline, today announced an exclusive travel protection partnership that will help protect more than 30 million travelers. This partnership leverages the insurtech’s existing global technology capabilities to help the Spanish low-cost carrier scale across countries and cater to the ever-changing needs of today’s travelers from around the world.
In the Spanish Travel & Tourism market, 89% of total revenue is expected to be generated through online sales by 2027. As such, Vueling has set ambitious plans to expand its digital offerings through its website and mobile app as part of its Vueling Transform program. To help with these efforts, this new solution, powered by Cover Genius’ global distribution platform, XCover, embeds a seamless and comprehensive travel solution, from the initial sale through to administration to claim payment, directly within the online customer journey.
“Today’s modern traveler is digital-first and wants convenient, tailored protection delivered in the right place, at the right time and at the right price,” said Peter Smith, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships – Travel, EMEA. “Our AI and NLP technology helps customize the online experience for travelers in real-time, allowing our partners to adapt their offerings accordingly. By working directly with Vueling, we can create solutions that are specific to their customer needs and focus on scaling them at the same pace as their expansion journey.”
The comprehensive travel protection can cover travelers across various events such as medical emergencies, or cutting journeys short and stolen baggage. The medical protection covers policyholders for COVID-19 or other illnesses or injuries while traveling internationally. Flights and accommodations can also be covered in case of trip cancellations. Unlike traditional protection solutions, trip cancellation protection begins immediately from the date of purchase and includes pre-existing medical conditions and COVID-19 related cancellations.
Tanner Huysman, Director, E-commerce, Ancillaries & Loyalty, at Vueling said, “Vueling remains committed to serving our customers with options to customize their trip how they see fit in order to get the best value. We’ve partnered with Cover Genius, a travel insurance provider with a large focus on customer satisfaction to give our clients the option to protect from the unexpected.”
This announcement aligns with findings from a global travel insurance survey, conducted by Momentive.ai and commissioned by Cover Genius, which shows customers were most satisfied when they purchased travel protection directly from their travel provider or airline. The results show that 69% of EMEA travelers* prefer to purchase travel insurance directly from their airline or travel agent for their next trip, and more than 52% of respondents also claimed that they would want to receive travel coverage from this source due to ease and convenience.
Cover Genius works with the world’s largest airlines, OTAs, and other travel providers to embed protection options directly in the booking path. Their online processes are backed by a frictionless claims experience from end-to-end – from the initial sale through to administration and claims – with reduced resolution times and instant payouts for approved claims in more than 90 different currencies or languages, including Spanish, Catalan, Galician and Basque.
*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.
About Vueling
Vueling, born as a digital native company in 2004 and part of the International Airlines Group (IAG), is one of the main low-cost airlines in Europe and a key player in connections with Spain. Vueling is a leading brand at the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, and in other important markets such as the city of Bilbao and the market between mainland Spain and the Balearic and Canary Islands. In addition, Vueling strengthens its commitment with international consolidation in bases such as London Gatwick, Paris Orly, Amsterdam and Florence.
Vueling offers direct flights to 89 destinations in 27 countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and facilitates connections to more than 20 long-haul destinations through codeshare agreements with other airlines. Vueling is committed to ensure connectivity within Spain, Europe and the rest of the world.
In terms of sustainability, the company’s commitment to the environment is paramount. IAG, the airline’s parent company, has committed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through the implementation of the FlightPath Net Zero programme, and to operate 10% of its flights with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030.
About Cover Genius
Cover Genius is the global insurtech for embedded protection. Through XCover, its award-winning global distribution platform, it protects the customers of the world’s largest digital companies with seamless, end-to-end experiences. Licensed or authorized in over 60 countries and all 50 US States, the insurtech enables partners to embed and sell multiple lines of insurance and other types of protection, resulting in an industry-leading post-claims Net Promoter Score (NPS) and more than 30 million happy customers.
For more information, visit covergenius.com.