LUFTHANSA has announced that passengers will be able to purchase insurance to protect their electronic devices against damage and theft during an entire trip. The ability to purchase the coverage will be included during the booking process and can be added to an itinerary up until the day of departure.
The insurance covers most electronic devices such as tablets, phones, notebooks, etc. The protection provides coverage against damage due to spills, drops, glass breakage, and damage due to the ‘elements’. It also covers damage caused by overheating or fire. The coverage is pro-rated based on the age of the item. Passengers do not have to register their devices in order to receive coverage.
The cost of the insurance is €39.99 for individual travelers and €49.99 for a family ‘plan’. The coverage protects the traveler for the first 42 days of a trip. However the coverage resets for every trip for one year (from the date of original purchase of insurance). For example, if I take a 30-day trip starting today and buy the coverage, I’ll obviously be covered. When I take another trip in 3 months, the policy will still be in force, and it will start another 42 day period. There is no limit on the amount of trips that are covered within the policy year.
The coverage is pro-rated based on the age of the insured device. A device that is less than one year old is insured for full replacement (maximum of €3000). For devices between 1 and 2 years old, coverage will be capped at 80% of value, and for devices between 3 and 5 years old, coverage is capped at 60%. There is no coverage for devices that are older than 5 years.
I wish this coverage had been available 3 years ago when turbulence on a flight between Munich and Hong Kong decided to knock over a bottle of water and fried my MacBook Pro!
