One should not forget about an insurance policy when going on a shorter or longer trip during the spring school holidays. Even if a part of holidaymakers believes travel insurance to be an unnecessary formality, in practice it turns out to be badly needed and it protects from huge expenses. Last year, BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS (hereinafter – BTA) received insurance claims from around 3000 customers and the total amount of claims exceeded one million euros.

Beyond national borders, travellers most often needed medical assistance. 1 349 people received treatment for injuries or illnesses of varying degrees, which cost the insurer nearly half a million euros. The more serious cases included getting into road traffic accidents, followed by a month‑long treatment abroad, experiencing a heart attack while travelling, aggravation of a chronic disease in an unusual climate, and various illnesses. Likewise, medical services were compensated in cases of leg and arm fractures as a result of skiing, cycling, or hiking.

One fifth of all insured events was related to cancellation of delayed flights or compulsory trip termination. Both customer illness and cancellation of flights ruined recreational activities, resulting in impossibility to make it to the next flight and arrive at the planned destination. Moreover, a large proportion of them occurred outside the European Union where a traveller is protected by strict laws. BTA compensated termination of trips to countries like Egypt, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Thailand, and Mexico.

«Last year, postponement, termination, and delay of trips severely undermined the plans of Latvia’s residents. Furthermore, COVID-19‑related cases constituted only a small part of them. Oftentimes, cancellation of flights was to blame, which promises to be a serious problem this year as well due to airline financial difficulties and airport labour shortages. In fact, travellers may want to expect that their luggage may arrive a couple of days later; therefore, it is preferable to provide yourself with insurance that will compensate expenses that will not be covered by the responsible carrier,» encourages to act with foresight BTA Insurance Claims Handling Department Director Kārlis Liepiņš.

Data aggregated by BTA indicates that luggage may be not only delayed but also lost or robbed from the airport territory. Last year, there were three times more such cases compared to luggage delays.

About BTA
BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1,000 employees in the Baltics. The sole shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG (VIG), the leading insurance group both in Austria and in the entire Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. Around 50 insurance companies in 30 countries form a Group with a long-standing tradition, strong brands and close customer relations. The more than 25,000 employees in the VIG take care of the day-to-day needs of more than 22 million customers. VIG shares have been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1994. The VIG Group has an A+ rating with stable outlook by the internationally recognised rating agency Standard & Poor's. VIG cooperates closely with the Erste Group, the largest retail bank in Central and Eastern Europe.

Additional information:
Elīna Zvejniece
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS