ESSENTIAL READING FOR TRAVEL INSURANCE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

International Travel Insurance Journal

Page 21 Page 28Page 22 Page 24

ISSUE 69 • OCTOBER 2006

ITIJITIJ

Age discrimination: the end is in sightAs age laws to combat discrimination come intoeffect on 1 October across the UK, the naturalquestion on everybody’s lips is ‘how will this affectthe insurance industry?’ Sarah Lee investigates

One leading financial products portal is urging travelinsurers to ‘dump the discrimination’ and install amore fair price structure for older travellers. “Ageismmay soon be illegal in the workplace but it seems rifewhen it comes to travel insurance,” said RichardMason, director of insurance at

Moneysupermarket.com. He says that with premiumsoften doubling for those aged 66 and over, aretirement that involves seeing the world could bemore expensive than many expect. Recent researchby the company showed that premiums often hikedagain once a person turned 70, and that competitivelypriced cover often came with diminished benefits.There should be a more rational pricing scale for suchinsurance, it said, rather that implying there is amassive divide in risk between the ages of 65 and 66.It is well known that the older traveller constitutes a

growing market. Newresearch from AA TravelInsurance found that peopleover 60 are increasingly takingextended trips abroad, evenraising funds through equityrelease schemes. Over a thirdof retirees interviewed saidthey had gone on an extendedholiday over the last 12

continued on p.21

Consumer surveyreveals travel savvyAccording to the latest consumer study from theUS Travel Insurance Association (UStiA), peoplewho buy travel insurance tend to be bettereducated, travel more frequently and have higherhousehold incomes than those who don’t. SarahLee reports

The 2006 Travel Insurance Consumer Studyconfirmed how factors, such as destination and typeof trip, affect the purchase of different types of travelcover. But it also revealed interesting demographicsregarding travel insurance purchasers. “People arenow more knowledgeable about the unpredictablenature of their everyday lives, which can be affectedby natural disasters, terrorism or even an illness intheir family, so they are drawn to solutions that willmitigate these problems,” explained Jon Ansell, UStiApresident and CEO. “Savvy, experienced travellersknow the value of travel insurance and assistance,and use it to improve their overall travel experience.”The survey reveals that people are more likely tobuy insurance when they feel that factors are out oftheir control. Hence, those North Americansventuring overseas are three times more likely tobuy insurance than those travelling within their owncountry. Respondents in the survey cited theexpense of their trip, having to pre-pay for a tripand ‘peace of mind’ among the factors thatmotivated them to purchase insurance. Those purchasing travel cover often travel with agroup of other holidaymakers, take longer trips, go

continued on p.5

ABTA reduces protectionIn a move that has dismayed the Office of Fair Trading(OFT) in London, the Association of British TravelAgents (ABTA) has cut back the protection it offersconsumers who book holidays with its members.Amanda Aitchison reports

Until now, the ABTA bonding scheme has covered allholidays and flights booked with a member travel agent,so if the agent or operator goes bust, ABTA steps in andreturns any lost deposits, or flies home those left strandedabroad. While ABTA says it will continue to coverbusiness failures, however, it will no longer cover losses ifa travel agent physically fails to carry out a booking. ABTAalso announced it would be removing cover for thoseusing agents to book accommodation only online.Following the announced changes to ABTA’s cover, theOFT said the new code offered by ABTA will not receiveapproval by its Consumer Codes Approval Scheme(CCAS). The CCAS was set up in 2001 to help consumersidentify businesses that promote consumer interests‘beyond the basic requirements of the law’. Currently,fewer than a dozen industry codes are approved.ABTA insists the changes to its bonding scheme will havelittle impact on holidaymakers: “As long as peoplereceive the relevant documentation from their travelagent, clients’ holidays will go ahead as normal if theagent fails. Even though we have withdrawn from theOFT Code Approval scheme, we will continue to workwith it to ensure that our code remains the goldstandard for the travel industry.”

WHAT’S INTHIS ISSUE?

REGULARSNews 1Grapevine 4Insurance matters 6Editorial comment 8Company brief 10Health matters 11Travel matters 12Air ambulance news 15Hot spots: TAK in Turkey 21World markets: Italy 22News Analysis: In-flight medical 24Service directory 30Diary dates 35On the move 35Contributors 35

FEATURES

Dangerous times: sport for all 28

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Editor-in-chief: Ian Cameron

Editor: Sarah Lee

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ITIJITIJInternational Travel Insurance Journal

Zimbabwe travelcover launchNicozDiamond expects to launch a travel insurancepackage shortly, officials at Zimbabwe’s largestshort-term insurer have said. Zimbabweanstravelling to the greater part of the European Unionare required to carry insurance cover, which can berelatively high in local currency. Most Europeancountries also demand substantial medical aid coverbefore a visa can be issued. This has often curtailedtravel for Zimbabweans hoping to enter Europe forbusiness.According to NicozDiamond chief executive officerGrace Muradzikwa: “We have developed a travelinsurance product and we expect to sign an

agreement with our South African partners in thecoming days. We will continue to focus onconsumer sensitive product development in thecoming year.” Struggling to write new business from individualswith weaker disposable incomes and from industriesunder increased financial stress, insurancecompanies are seeking to introduce products thatwill increase income from the customers theyalready have on their books. At the release of NicozDiamond’s six months toJune earnings recently, Muradzikwa reporteddepressed revenue growth, with both individualsand corporate clients struggling to insure adequately.Apart from seeking new products that will add toincome streams, NicozDiamond also said expenseswould be ‘kept in the spotlight’ going forward.

NEWS2

Careless Britons lose out on the beach

In days gone by, the only things to be found in abeach-bag were sunglasses, towels and sunscreen,and maybe a Walkman. Now, however, that has allchanged, with the arrival of iPods, MP3 players,expensive mobile phones and Blackberries worthhundreds of pounds. Despite this, new research byNorwich Union has revealed that one in fourBritons quite happily go for a swim in the seawithout a second thought for their electrical goodiesor credit cards left ashore, providing thieves withthe perfect opportunity to do away with the itemsthey rely upon daily. According to the survey, atypical beach-bag now has an estimated value of£555, including: mobile phone (average value£100), watch (£80), digital camera (£150),cash/credit cards (£150) and designer sunglasses(£75).The research also shows a huge gap in knowledge,as only seven per cent of those surveyed estimatedthe value of their bag to the correct amount, whilenearly two-thirds undervalued their bag by 60 percent.The worst culprits when it comes to taking high-value items on holiday are 18-24 year-olds, with anincredible 93 per cent being so reliant on theirmobile phones they feel they have to take them

away on holiday with them. Unfortunately, withfigures showing that 22 per cent of this age groupdo not take out travel insurance at all, many couldbe upset on returning from holiday without a phoneto find themselves with no way of getting a newone without paying out all over again.Last year, nearly a quarter of all Norwich Uniontravel insurance claims were for lost, stolen ordamaged items, and with many beaches bothabroad and at home filled to capacity this summer,Norwich Union is keen to urge people to be moreaware of what they really need at the beach, andonly take those items that are strictly necessary.

Since the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) wasenacted in the US, the market for terror cover hassteadily grown, according to a study by Marsh andMcLennan Companies Inc.’s risk and insuranceservices subsidiary, Marsh Inc. Nearly 60 per cent ofMarsh’s risk management and middle-market clientsbought terrorism insurance last year, up from 27 percent in 2003, and 50 per cent in 2004. Coveragealso cost an average of 25 per cent less in 2005than it did the previous year, the report found. The firms most likely to buy the insurance werefinancial, real estate and healthcare firms, with atleast 75 per cent participation in these industries.The biggest ‘take-up’ increases were recorded inthe West and Northeast. Robert Blumber, head ofMarsh’s terrorism insurance practice, is concernedthat if Congress does let TRIA expire, which it isdue to do at the end of 2007, there will be seriousconsequences for the insurance industry: “You willsee a mad rush into the standalone terrorism

insurance market. There is a limitedcapacity in that market. I’m not sure we’regoing to have the capacity to meet clientdemand out there.”In Britain, where the most recent allegedterror attack was foiled, the vast majority ofpeople affected by the plot have not andwill not receive any compensation fromtheir travel insurance policies due toterrorism exclusions. Graeme Trudgill,technical services manager at the BritishInsurers’ Brokers Association (BIBA),explains, “The majority [of insurers] don’thave adequate reinsurance to coverterrorism attacks,” although BIBA has beenlobbing insurers to amend restrictivepolicies.Some insurers will pay out if passengerswere left waiting at an airport for morethan 12 hours, but according to BIBA, thepolicies of other insurers will not beoffering any payments at all. Given thatBritain continues to be under a ‘severe’terror alert, purchasing a travel insurancepolicy with terrorism coverage is going tobecome more and more vital for thosetravelling abroad.Meanwhile, research from TNS

OnLineBus, a global market information provider,has shown that almost half of Britons are unawarethat many insurance policies do not provide coverfor disruption to travel plans caused by terrorism.For 16 to 24 year-olds, this figure rose to 63 percent.In related news, Whitehall officials confirmed to TheObserver newspaper that the government has ruledout compensation for UK terror victims abroad – adecision that completely contradicts assurances fromchancellor Gordon Brown. Lawyers representing theBritish victims of last summer’s attacks in Sharm el-Sheikh said the move will discriminate against thosecaught up in incidents abroad compared to thosewounded in attacks in this country, such as thevictims of 7/7 London bombings. Many critics believethat the UK government’s foreign policy has made atarget of its nationals abroad, and that as such thegovernment should shoulder responsibility for itsvictims of terror, whether at home or overseas.

The future of terrorism insurance

Asian nations willact togetherAt the recent Association of Southeast AsianNations’ (ASEAN) meeting with its Asian RegionalForum (ARF) counterpart, a proposal was adoptedto develop guidelines for civilian and militarycooperation to ensure a swift response to naturaldisasters in the region. The guidelines, which will beconsistent with existing United Nations and ASEANmechanisms on disaster management andemergency response, will form the StandardOperating Procedure (SOP) on cooperationbetween civilians and military for humanitarianpurposes. The proposal includes taking an inventory of thetransportation capabilities of the region’s armedforces to determine the number, location and typeof vehicles that could be used in an emergency.ASEAN secretary-general Ong Keng Yongwelcomed the latest development in disastermanagement, which has been top of his agendasince the December tsunami of 2004, which killedaround 250,000 people.The ARF group includes representatives from theUS, China, Russia, Canada, Japan, South Korea,India and the European Union countries, togetherwith its ASEAN colleagues.

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

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International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

NEWS4

Drunk cedar waxwing birds havereportedly been causing chaos atbusy Atlanta Airport, according tothe Clayton News Daily. “Theywere flying all over the entranceroad and disturbing people asthey drove into the airport,” saidKen Martin, environmentalcompliance manager at theairport. Apparently, bushes

bearing berries the birds loveare to blame for attracting thefeathered creatures andsubsequently intoxicatingthem with their potentingredient. Since the busheshave been cut back from theentrance, no furtherproblems have beenreported.

While it is often revealed in ITIJ that alarmingnumbers of people continue to venture on holidayuninsured, there is good news with the revelationthat some travel agents and insurance companiesare reporting a gradual increase in the number oftravellers that are becoming smarter and moreaware of the benefits travel insurance carries.Classic Travel, an agency in the US, has reported ahuge increase in the number of people asking abouthurricane cover for the Caribbean and Mexico, after

Hurricane Wilma ruined thousands of holidays lastyear. Joy Thrun from the company said: “Almosteveryone asks about hurricanes … ‘What do we doin the event of a hurricane?’”Concurrently, a new report from Australia revealsthat an estimated 30 per cent of Australians stilltravel overseas without insurance. But, Australia’slargest travel insurance specialist, Cover-More,announced that it received 36,000 travel insuranceclaims in 2005, up from 19,000 in 2000, which, itsays, indicates that the number of people covered isstill increasing year on year.

Travel consumerssee sense

WTC insurers sueairlines post 9/11

United Airlines has been named in a lawsuit filed byLondon insurers over the September 11 attacks onthe World Trade Centre (WTC), according toReuters. QBE International Insurance and particularunderwriters at Lloyd’s of London - insurers forsome of the WTC buildings - are seeking over $300million from Untied and American Airlines, with thelawsuit claiming that the airlines’ negligence allowedfor the hijacking of the planes. The insurers are alsoseeking various amounts from Boeing Co.,Pinkerton’s Inc., ICTS International NV and USAirways Group.The lawsuit brings mounting trouble for UALCorp.’s bankrupt United Airlines division, which isthe second largest airline in the US, and Los AngelesInternational Airport’s largest carrier. Currently,United is embroiled in a bitter pension fund dispute.The International Association of Machinists andAerospace Workers sued company executives inJuly for declaring the company would no longercontribute to employee pension funds while UnitedAirlines remains in a state of bankruptcy. Since then,Untied has agreed to instate a pension monitor torepresent the interests of the participants andbeneficiaries in pension plans.

British motorists made claims last year citing avariety of bizarre reasons – from a frozen squirrelcrashing through a car windscreen to a cowjumping onto a quad bike – according to NorwichUnion. Freak accidents involving animals toppedthe list of odd excuses for motor insurance claims,with food-related mishaps in second place. In oneunfortunate incident, a driver couldn’t brakebecause a potato was under the pedal; and inanother, a parked car was hit by a bull, which hadescaped from a nearby agricultural show. SallyLeeman of Norwich Union said: “We can hardlytell drivers to be aware of flying kebabs and frozen

squirrels when they’re on the road, but this showshow important it is to be aware of what’s goingon around you at all times.”

The recent movie Snakes on a Plane has raisedquestions about what exactly travel insurancewould cover in such circumstances. Depending onthe policy, travel insurance and assistance couldprovide: emergency medical assistance and

evacuation (presuming you are not already on theafflicted aircraft!); trip interruption coverage, tripinconvenience benefit and travel accidentinsurance, which pays out in the event of loss oflimb or life.

Animal madness

Snake coverage for serpent-affected trips

Don’t drink and fly: birds learn fast

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

NEWS 5

Travel insurers teeoff for charity

The Citybond team: Mansukh Ganatra, Iain Chalmers, Anil Kumar

and Greg Lawson (who got a hole in one!)

The UK’s first Travel Insurance Industry Charity GolfDay was held at the Surrey National Golf Club on ahot and humid day in early September in aid of theChristian Lewis Trust Children's Cancer Charity.Forty-two golfers from all sectors of the industryplayed 27 holes over a quality, though very hilly,course – raising £1,500 for a worthy cause. Theday was a great success and enjoyed by all. AnilKumar of Citybond won the individual competitionand Europ Assistance won best overall team. Andy Juggins, head of travel underwriting at RBSInsurance – whose brainchild the event was –would like to thank the main sponsors: Mondial,Churchill, Select and Citybond, the latter doing agreat job of designing the event’s website andmaking arrangements for the day. Thanks are alsodue to Europ Assistance, AXA, AIG, Voyager, IPPand Crispin Speers and Partners for donating prizes.The event hopes to be back next year, with plans tomake it bigger and even better.

Watersports operators to blame for holiday accidentsThe UK’s Holiday Which? magazine is warning thepublic that in certain holiday hotspots, roguewatersports operators are putting tourists in dangeron an almost daily basis. Eleven out of 18 operatorssurveyed in Corfu and the Costa Blanca in Spainwere rated either as unsafe or potentially unsafe, andseven centres were rated as unsafe by the RoyalSociety for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).There is no European-wide legislation that regulates

watersports operators, so standards do vary hugely.While the Which? survey found operators who hadexcellent standards of care and safety, the worryingtruth is that, unfortunately, they are not in the majority.Among the problems uncovered in the recent surveyare shoddy, dirty, and improperly maintainedequipment, including life jackets, protective helmetsand diving gear. And in some places, the operatingareas for watersports centres were not correctly

buoyed off from swimming areas, meaning potentiallyfatal accidents are simply waiting to happen. In our News analysis feature on page 28, IanYoungman details some of the challenges insurersface when covering adventurous or dangerousactivities. With the new information released byHoliday Which? underlining just some of the dangersposed, it seems problems for insurers are likely tobe around for some time to come.

Consumer surveyreveals travel savvy

continued from p.1

on more expensive holidays, or fork outconsiderable non-refundable expenses before theirdeparture. Likewise, most travellers – an impressive70 per cent – who take a cruise buy travelinsurance. The UStiA research also found thattravellers are more likely to buy insurance for theirtrip if they are visiting a specific holiday destinationor have an activity planned, than if they are simplyvisiting friends or relatives. Those purchasing coverwere also found to use more sources ofinformation to plan their trip, where non-purchasers relied on family and friends to provideholiday details. As such, 77 per cent of those usinga travel agent to book a trip took out travelprotection – more than double the amount ofpeople with insurance that booked their own trip. With regards to travel claims, it was found that onein six people had made a claim on their insurance atsome point in the past. This figure is twice as highas the number of people claiming on theirhomeowners insurance (in 2004), according to theInsurance Information Institute.One problem seems to be an ongoing lack ofconsumer knowledge regarding medical evacuationcover. Even out of those purchasing travelinsurance, only 50 per cent realized their policywould fly them home in case of a medicalemergency. But with a tripling in the number ofleisure travellers purchasing cover for their tripsince 9/11, things have been healthy in the UStravel insurance market over the last few years, andthis improvement looks set to continue.

NEWSWIRE

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

INSURANCEMATTERS6

Allianz mostsustainableIn the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Indexrating, Allianz Group has been rated as leader inthe financial sector. Analysts from Dow Jonesreported: “Allianz’s sustainability strategy hasbeen successfully integrated into corporatethinking, and the board’s strong commitment tomanage challenges within the group remainsunchanged.”Meanwhile, Allianz’s ownsustainability report hasjust been launched,presenting its strategy forsustainable developmentand giving several ‘bestpractice examples’. LutzCleeman, head of thesustainable developmentstrategy team, explained:“Sustainability is a centralfactor in the optimisationof risk portfolios … thefocus is on risks that resultfrom long-termtechnologicaldevelopments as well aschanges in society’sattitudes.” Allianz is one of the first financial companies topublish an entire balance sheet in 2006,according to the Global Reporting Initiative(GRI). Oekom-Research, another ratings agency,has welcomed the switch to GRI reporting,saying: “Concisely structured sustainabilityreporting on the Internet has taken Allianz asignificant step towards transparency as regardssocial and ecological issues.”

AXA cuts staffInsurer AXA has announced it is to cut 220 jobsat call centres in the UK as part of an ongoingprocess to scale back its AXA Direct generalinsurance business. The company also revealed itwas planning on cutting a further 250 generalinsurance jobs, as well as harbouring plans tomove 230 jobs to Bangalore, India. The firmalready has an 800-strong workforce inBangalore, the majority of which serves thegroup’s UK business, while around 200 staffserve the company’s US, Australian and Japaneseinterests.Amicus, the UK’s financial services union,revealed that it had been in consultation withAXA throughout the decision-making process inorder to ensure that redundancies were kept to aminimum. Previously, Amicus has been vocal in itscriticism of companies such as Abbey andNorwich Union following their decisions torelocate jobs abroad as part of cost-cuttingprocesses. With the off-shoring of UK jobsbecoming more and more commonplace – latestfigures show that 2,000 financial services jobshave been lost to overseas departments sinceDecember 2005 – Amicus has called on thegovernment to develop strategies to maintain thefinancial services sector as a crucial source ofemployment in the UK.On a more positive note, AXA has taken aleading role in the formation of a new frameworkthat will help to protect insurance providers fromthe costly problem of fraudulent activity. TheInsurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has been createdthrough a collaboration between insurers thatbegan two years ago.Fraud costs the industry around £1.5 billion ayear, and the new IFB will work with thegovernment and police to prevent organisedcrime syndicates from stealing money, whichresults in increased premiums for policyholders.Richard Davies, fraud risk manager at AXA anddeputy chairman of the IFB, said: “What the IFBwill do is use very sophisticated analytics overdatabases shared between insurers and it willpinpoint those issues which affect more than oneinsurer and those issues which are indicative ofbeing organised crimes.” It is hoped the IFB willsolve fraud problems more efficiently, and with agreater chance of success, than previous effortsby single insurance companies.

Aon regainscommissionsAon Corp. in the US can now accept extraprofit-based commissions from insurers when itacts as a managing general agent orunderwriting manager, under an agreement ithas reached with authorities in Connecticut,Illinois and New York. The agreement amends aMarch 2005 settlement with the stateauthorities in which the company agreed to

cease collecting contingent commissions frominsurers, which authorities regarded as a conflictof interest with insurance buyers thatcompensate Aon for its services.New York-based Marsh Inc. announced a similaragreement in New York last month in aSecurities and Exchange Commission filing, andLondon-based Willis Group also announced itscommissions agreement with the New Yorkauthorities recently.

Insurance group Hiscox is to find a new home inBermuda to take advantage of the Island’s lightertax and regulatory regimes. Robert Hiscox, thecompany’s chairman, said: “We are an internationalbusiness and want to be in the international arena.”Bronek Masojada, chief executive, said he hopedthe move would eventually reduce Hiscox’s taxrate to something like the 11 per cent charge atCatlin, a rival already domiciled in Bermuda.Mr Hiscox was keen to note thatthe UK’s Financial ServicesAuthority (FSA) would still regulatethe company, but it would also beable to take advantage of theBermudan authorities’ quickerapproval processes for corporatedevelopments. He insisted that themove, intended for this year, is nota prelude to Hiscox leavingLloyd’s. The comments camehowever, as Hiscox reported a fallin first-half pre-tax profit from£88.1 million to £61.3 million.

Hiscox hoping forsunnier climes

Aviva Life Insurance has announced its tie-up withDoha bank in Qatar as part of the company’s

bancassurance initiatives. The move follows Aviva’sforay into the bancassurance market in India.

Pearl Group, the UK general insurance provider,has been acquired by Lloyds TSB Insurance.

Lloyds TSB will market a range of general insuranceproducts with Pearl branding.

Munch Reinsurance America Inc. has officiallychanged its name from American Re-Insurance

Company, and the name of the holding company,American Re Corporation, has changed to Munich ReAmerica Corporation.

French mutual insurer Groupama Assurances maybe looking to buy a Swiss insurer to help diversify

its business after a bid for Credit Suisse’s insuranceunit Winterthur fell through earlier this year.

Assicurazioni Generali SpA reported a 23-per-centincrease in its first-half net profit despite stagnant

premium income, as it managed to keep a lid oncosts and moved toward selling more profitablepolicies.

AXA Insurance Gulf BSC in Bahrain, a unit of AXASA, is looking to expand its Middle Eastern

operation with a new facility in Qatar. AXA hasapplied for a licence with the Qatar Financial Centreto establish new offices in Doha.

Insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson has agreedto sell its US-based property and casualty insurance

and employee benefits businesses to Alliant InsuranceServices for $100 million.

Norwich Union has launched a new-style lifeinsurance product that makes it easier for

customers to take out life policies. Simplified LifeCover can offer life assurance without the need formanual underwriting.

Hannover Reinsurance Co. reported a two-per-cent rise in profits for the second-quarter, but

has held back on raising 2006 targets while it waitsfor the hurricane season to get underway.

American International Group (AIG) has decided tosell its stake in IPC Holdings Ltd through a share

offer. AIG is launching a public offering to sell 13.4million common shares in the Bermuda-basedreinsurer.

Paper is critical to the insurance business, but newresearch has shown that 38 per cent of insurance

employees spend over 15 minutes per day simplyprocessing paper, totalling about 260 hours peremployee per year, limiting productivity.

Fortis announced that its international insurancearm, Fortis Insurance International, has signed a

preliminary agreement with the aim of acquiring EtalonLife, Ukraine’s seventh-largest life insurance company.

A new report published by Research and Marketshas included a detailed analysis of the state of theChinese insurance industry – past, present andfuture. There has been a great deal of hypesurrounding the growth of China as a world powerin terms of its economy, and the fledging insuranceindustry is playing its part in the rapid development.China’s insurance market is still in its early stages,accounting for only a small proportion of thenational economy. Since this industry was resumedin 1980, insurance agencies, independentregulatory mechanisms and organisations haveemerged, and the scope of service has been greatlyextended. By the end of 2005, there were 93insurance corporations in China altogether,comprising of six insurance groups and 82insurance companies. The speedy growth ofpremium income stimulated insurance assets, withtotal insurance assets in China in 2005 amountingto 1,522 billion yuan ($1 = 7.94 yuan) – up by 27per cent on 2004. Currently, 1.8 million Chinese people areemployed in the insurance industry, which accountsfor over 40 per cent of the total number of staff infinancial enterprises in the country. Trying to keeppace with the stellar growth of its country’seconomy, the Chinese insurance industry has doneits best to develop new products and services, suchas agricultural insurance, and to get such productsto the market as quickly as possible. It has also

obtained permission to handle corporate bonds,securities investment funds and to invest directly inthe stock market.Since insurance firms have gained approval forfurther investments, they have begun toaggressively expand the scope of their portfolios,and now, local insurers are fighting with foreigninvestors for Chinese assets. Leading the troops areChina Life Insurance Co. and Ping An InsuranceGroup, which are the country’s largest and second-largest insurers by premiums respectively. Bothcompanies are looking to banks for higher returnsand cross-selling opportunities, although Ping Anhas made the biggest stir so far by buying an 89 percent controlling stake in Shenzhen CommercialBank for 4.9 billion yuan ($616.1 million).Chinese insurers do have the upper hand overforeign players in the world of bancassurance,however, as domestic investors don’t facerestrictions on bank investments, whereasforeign investors can only take a maximum 20per cent stake in a domestic bank, with totalforeign investment not permitted to surpass 25per cent. But, Chinese insurers lack experiencein the banking field, so where expertise isconcerned, foreign players certainly have acorner on the market. Elsewhere in the Chinese insurance market, as thereport from Research and Marketing suggests, aproblem of concern currently is that the reforms ofsome state-owned insurance companies are notsufficient: the products they offer are reportedlyunstructured and lack innovation, especially in theareas of life and medical insurance. Also, despite asteep rate of growth, in real terms, theconcentration of insurance companies in China isdeficient compared with some other developedcountries. The scale of insurance companies in

China is small, and despite growth, their total assetis less than that of some large internationalinsurance companies – America InternationalGroup (AIG) owns a much larger asset than that ofthe entire Chinese insurance industry put together.The key to further development, according tosome experts, is the implementation of mergersand acquisitions, which enable the enlargement ofscales of business, reduce costs, increase profits andstrengthen the capabilities of resisting risks andcompetitiveness. Such actions also reducecompetition and increase market share.Furthermore, according to China Daily, the influx ofglobal reinsurance giants into the flourishingChinese sector is expected to boost the insurancemarketplace. The presence of such new arrivals ispredicted to challenge the reign of sole Chinesecompetitor China Reinsurance Co. (China Re), butshould provide immediate benefits to the localmarket through increased expertise and resources.General manager of China Re, Dai Fengji, hasconceded that the company’s privileged dominanceof the market is coming to an end, as his firm lagsbehind foreign counterparts in key areas such ascapital strength, services and repayment capacity.The most recent news from China suggests thatBeijing is expected to inject up to 10 billion yuaninto China Re in order to help it compete withforeign rivals. The exact size of the proposedinjection is unclear, with reports varying widely,but the significance remains the same: it would bethe first time that China used its fast-growingforeign exchange reserves to inject capital into aninsurance company.The insurance and reinsurance industries in Chinaare poised for potentially massive growth as furtherfinancial restrictions are lifted and new products aremade available to China’s 1,300 million people.

OneBeacon Insurance Group Ltd, a propertyand casualty insurance writer, has said it is

planning an initial public offering of as much as$500 million in Class A common stock. Shares willbe sold by its parent company, White MountainsInsurance Group Ltd.

Allianz Holding AG reported a jump in new lifeinsurance business in its home market of Germany,

boosted by pension sales, and said it would offer salesjobs to employees threatened by restructuring.

Zurich Financial Services Group posted a nine-per-cent rise in first-half net profits, exceeding

expectations, due to solid insurance premiums andcost cuts.

Aon Aminim announced it has acquired thebusiness of Fredy & Ilan Beck Insurance Brokers

in Haifa, Israel, subject to approval from the relevantauthorities. The businesses will be merged to formAon Israel Insurance Brokerage.

Hannover Re, the world’s fourth largest insurer,has reportedly made an initial bid for the ailing

Bermuda life reinsurer Scottish Re. Scottish Re said ithad received proposals from a number of potentialbidders at the beginning of September and wouldinvite a number of them to take part in a secondround of bidding.

Orpington College in London has launched afinancial services academy to train future

financial wizards. The Banking, Insurance andFinancial Services Academy opened on 4 October.

Premiums for individual life insurance – both termlife and ‘permanent’ insurance – will drop by four

per cent on average next year, according to NewYork’s Insurance Information Institute (III). Theprojected drop is in line with the average five per centper year drop that began in 2000.

Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Group plc hasannounced the acquisitions by Codan, its Danish

subsidiary, of White Label Holding AS Group andDuborgh Skadeforsikring AS in Norway for NOK 340million (US $1 = NOK 6.55). Both of thesecompanies have a growing presence in the Swedishmarket and are expanding into Denmark.

Reinsurnce buyers can expect continuity whenAXA Re, the reinsurance arm of Paris-based AXA

SA, becomes Paris Re Holdings Ltd at the end of thisyear. Clients will still deal with the same teams ofpeople when the transfer takes place, says thecompany’s CEO Hans-Peter Gergardt.

Insurance Australia Group (IAG) says expansion intoAsia would help drive growth in the current financial

year after delivering a 6.4 per cent fall in annual netprofit. IAG said net profit for the 12 months to Junewas AU$759 million (US$570 million), down fromAU$781 million in the previous corresponding period.

HSBC Holdings plc is in preparation for a lifeinsurance joint venture in mainland China in an

effort to improve its global insurance business’scontribution to the group’s earnings. It is looking formainland partners and expects to unveil a jointventure by the end of the year.

The National Association of InsuranceCommissioners (NAIC) in the US has signed a

memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the USDepartment of Defense (DoD). The partnershipallows the DoD to use the NAIC’s Life Insurance forMilitary Personnel Brochure as part of the DoD’scampaign to improve the financial literacy of servicemembers and their families.

NEWSWIRE

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

INSURANCEMATTERS 7

Global reinsurance to boost China market

Converium aims forrating hikeSwiss reinsurer Converium Holding Ltd. hasreported a rise in second-quarter profits to $62.5million, a figure boosted by one-off gains and onethat beats forecasts, as it pursues a higher creditrating that could help restore client confidence.The company also said it was looking to sell off itsNorth American operations, following the unit’sclosure for new business after it became thesource of most of the group’s financial troublestwo years ago.Converium’s credit ratings were downgraded tobelow the single-A status essential in the industryto win customers, after it discovered a gaping$500 million hole in claims reserves, mostly for USliability business. The company repeated itsforecasts of gross written premiums of between$1.8 and $1.9 billion this year – figures roughlyhalf the size of its business before the crisisemerged. Now, however, a credit rating upgradeshould help to restore sales to their old level,which should also help to lower its cost base. Theimproved performance and possible upgrade bodewell for keeping Converium’s core underwritingbusiness profitable.

Allianz Australia has been awarded Best GeneralInsurer 2006 at the Australian Banking &

Finance Insurance Awards held in Sydney. Thecompany’s CFO Niran Peiris said the customerservice offorts of Allianz’s 3,000 employees hadcontributed to the company receiving the award.

RBC Insurance, of Canada, has announced theopening of a representative office in China for the

company’s life insurance arm. The new office willallow RBS to liaise with local governmental andregulatory bodies, conduct market research andestablish a presence in the country.

The Securities and Exchange Commission ofPakistan has granted registration to Alfalah

Insurance Company Ltd, having an authorized capitalof Rs300 million and paid-up capital of Rs230 million,to start underwriting insurance business in Pakistan.The company will transact non-life insurance business.

Lockton Inc., of London, has reached a definitiveagreement to purchase Alexander Forbes

International Risk Services. The $170-milliontransaction will make Lockton the largestindependent, privately owned global insurance brokerin the world.

QBS Insurance Group, Australia’s largest propertyand casualty insurer, said that first-half profit

climbed 20 per cent to a record after acquisitions inthe US and the UK boosted sales. Net income roseto AU$591 million (US$452 million) from AU$491 ayear earlier.

NEWSWIRE

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

INSURANCEMATTERS8

Editorialcomment

Sarah LeeEditor

As theInternationalTravelInsuranceConference(ITIC) drawsnear, here atVoyageur weare putting thefinishingtouches towhat promisesto be the bestITIC ever. Thefascinatinglocation of Prague is the perfect backdrop toan event that will feature presentations anddebate on some of the hottest topics in theglobal travel insurance market today. Anaction-packed social agenda will also takedelegates from the rooftop restaurant of theInterContinental Praha for a WelcomeFunction, up along the Vlatva River for anevening’s boat cruise, to the hotel bar for anentertaining quiz night, and ultimately to thestunning Municipal House for the Gala Dinnerand hotly-contested ITIJ Awards ceremony.New for this year, ITIC will feature anetworking programme for new delegatesprior to the Welcome Function, and we havealso incorporated into the conference agendasessions that make up the InternationalPrivate Healthcare Conference and theInternational Air Ambulance Forum.Delegates can, therefore, select whichsessions are most relevant to their line ofbusiness or attend as many as they wish.As usual, ITIC will feature guest speakers andmoderators, panel sessions, focus groups, andprovide plenty of networking opportunities. Itwill invoke energetic debate, provide analysisand allow the international travel insurancecommunity to meet and discuss mattersaffecting the future of the industry. The grandfinale to ITIC – the ITIJ Awards dinner – willbe a glamorous event, as always, so may Itake this opportunity to say ‘best of luck onthe night’.I very much look forward to meeting you inPrague.

Gulf insurance sees benfits

In terms of total premiums relative to gross domesticproduct, Gulf countries have long appearedunderinsured, holding very low rates of penetrationrelative to global averages. Now, however, Standard &Poor’s Ratings Service (S&P) has noted a rapidexpansion in this insurance market, as demand andbusiness benefits have increased.Three main drivers have prompted the speedy growthin insurance for both individuals and companies in theregion: the first is growing wealth, which is leading to asignificant increase in insurable assets and activities in theregion; the second is the local authorities’ commitmentto stronger insurance regulation, leading to thewidespread introduction of compulsory insurancecovers; and lastly the practical development of anIslamic insurance alternative (Takaful). Standard & Poor’shas published insurer financial strength ratings on 12Gulf region insurers, which is an improvementconsidering only four companies were rated by theservice in 2004 and none were rated in 2003.Although the overall picture for Gulf insurance companiesis positive, there remains certain pressures on theinsurance industry that need to be recognised. Riskmanagement and corporate governance across theregion are generally fairly unsophisticated, and the moredemanding regulatory environment now being imposedrequires companies to be more proactive in both areas.The size of the insurance market will remain small inglobal terms, and to some extent, less of an interest tomore sophisticated international insurers, but theinherent profitability of these new markets do makethem attractive to new players, says S&P. However, asthe market opens up in response to trade agreements,competitive pressures from new providers mayundermine the benefits to insurers of the strong growthin risk awareness, it warned.

Hurricane future

As the US Congress approves $122 billion in spendingfor Gulf Coast regeneration, a report from the Ceresinvestor coalition has highlighted dozens of newinsurance products aimed at the region’s residents.Gradually, more and more new polices are emergingthat tackle climate change and the fast-rising weatherlosses centred on New Orleans; and according toCeres, insurance companies are on the right track tominimising losses and making the most of opportunitiesrelated to climate change.The report from Ceres outlines the win-win situation ofinsurers developing services to help both consumersand businesses to reduce their losses from extremeweather, while also helping to reduce the pollutioncausing global warming. Within the report, there aremore than 180 identified products, either alreadyavailable or in the pipeline, from dozens of differentinsurance companies. However, it also concludes thatthe vast market potential related to climate changeand/or other increasing weather damage is still largelyuntapped by the industry, and it outlines the growingcrisis of insurance availability and affordability inhurricane-prone regions of the US.Written by two industry experts, the report will beconsidered by the National Association of Insurance

Commissioners (NAIC), which formed a special taskforce to deal with the climate change issue lastDecember. NAIC, comprising of state insuranceregulators, is the primary regulatory body for the USinsurance industry.As if to underline the importance of policies forhurricane-ravaged regions, scientists warned recentlythat typical hurricane breeding grounds in the Atlanticand Pacific oceans are being warmed by greenhousegases, raising the possibility of more intense anddevastating storms being unleashed on nearbycoastlines. Climate researchers found that emissionsfrom burning fossil fuels and other industrial activitieswere to blame for driving temperatures upwards intropical waters where hurricanes form. If seatemperatures continue to rise at the current rate,scientists are fearful that category four and five hurricanessuch as Katrina will become more commonplace.

Lack of reinsurancecosts $2 billionAllstate Insurance Co. bought reinsurance to cover thecost of some policies along the East Coast of the USlast year, but not for policies in Louisiana – a gamblethat has cost it $2 billion in claims. The company’smodels did not predict a hurricane hitting Louisiana,although it did purchase reinsurance for Texas andFlorida, attorney Edward Collins told a joint legislativeinsurance committee recently. In response, SenatorDon Cravins asked: “You didn’t take care of yourbusiness, so the citizens of Louisiana have to pay foryour mistake?” Officials from Allstate argued that even if they hadbought reinsurance for Louisiana, the company wouldstill be revoking its wind and hail policies in 18 coastalparishes. A spokeswoman for the company said that noamount of reinsurance would have prevented ahurricane from striking.As a result of the high costs incurred by Katrina, Allstateplans to drop wind and hail coverage on 30,000homeowners’ policies, but buyers who have bothhomeowners and auto policies will be unaffected.Edward Collins also suggested at the hearing thatLouisiana might create a fund like Florida’s to help covercatastrophic losses. That fund is tapped if companiessuffer total losses of at least $5.5 billion.

Russia welcomes foreign investorsYury Koleshnikov, an executive member of theRussian Insurers Union and CEO of AdmiralInsurance Company, said in a recent interview thathe welcomed any new foreign insurance companythat would be interested in starting up in orexpanding into Russia. He added that the presenceof more foreign insurance companies in the Russianmarket would lead to a growth in capitalisation andin the financial strength of domestic companies. MrKoleshnikov conceded that it could take up to sevenyears for more foreign companies to arrive in thecountry, but he believes that eventually the lure ofRussia’s blossoming economy and growing middleclass will be too much for savvy insurers to resist.Foreign insurers first started to enter the Russian

market three to four years ago by buying up stakesin Russian companies, or setting up subsidiaries.However, this flow has been more of a gentletrickle than a flood, the pace of newcomers beingdictated by a shortage of staff in regional areas, aswell as problems with fraud in the country, which isa greater problem in Russia than most Europeancountries or indeed the rest of the world. So far, Russian insurance companies have not beenable to lobby their interests through legislativeagencies to protect the Russian market fromopening itself up to foreign insurers. Once thecountry becomes a member of the World TradeOrganisation, however, it will be required to allowbranches of foreign insurance companies to open.

RSA wants out

Royal & SunAlliance (RSA) is in talks with USregulators to bring ‘certainty and finality’ to its USliabilities, according to chief executive Andy Haste.Mr Haste said the aim of the talks was to‘extinguish the group’s exposure to the US’, whereit no longer writes new policies. RSA’s fourremaining US entities are now all regulated by onestate, Delaware. When compared to 2003, whenRSA began its restructuring plan and had 25 entitiesoverseen by 11 different regulators, it is clear thatthe company’s plans for finalising business in the UShas so far gone well.There are a number of ways in which RSA couldachieve its ultimate objective, including a formalrun-off, where the US business would pay claimsfrom its resources with no recourse to the parentfor additional capital, a reinsurance agreement or adisposal of the liabilities. Although the currentdiscussions do not necessarily pave the way to adisposal, it has not been ruled out as a possibility.RSA managed to lift its operating profit from £329million to £409 million in the six months to 30June; a figure much aided by the absence of bigweather claims in the first half.The move to being overseen by just one USregulator is an important step in RSA’s extractionfrom the US. However, the possibility of largeclaims from the US is still the biggest risk the groupfaces, and it continues to overshadow progress onother fronts.

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

COMPANYBRIEF10

Ten years and a newbrand revealedTravel insurance services provider Travel InsuranceFacilities Group (TIF) has launched a new brandidentity to coincide with its tenth anniversary and amove to new offices. The specialist UK company –which offers a range of services includingunderwriting, claims handling, administration, medicalscreening, medical assistance and repatriation –unveiled its fresh new look at a party for clients andstaff. “Since we launched the company in 1996 we havefocused solely on the travel sector and this has beeninstrumental in our success,” said Darryl Halliwell,managing director.The move to new offices will enable expansion, andthe new contemporary brand image endeavours toreflect TIF’s forward-thinking and innovativeapproach to delivering travel insurance solutions tobrokers for their clients. The company works with anumber of leading travel sector brokers andintermediaries to deliver value added solutions for alldistribution channels of travel insurance products.

MultiPlan acquiresPHCS: PPO dealMuull tt iiPPllaann IInncc.. aanndd PPrr iivvaattee HHeeaall tthhccaarreeSSyysstteemmss IInncc.. ((PPHHCCSS)),, ttwwoo ooff tthhee llaarrggeessttPPPPOO pprroovviiddeerr sseerrvviiccee ccoommppaanniieess iinn tthheeUUnnii tteedd SSttaatteess,, hhaavvee jjooiinntt llyy aannnnoouunncceedd tthhaattMMuull tt iiPPllaann wwii ll ll aaccqquuiirree PPHHCCSS iinn aa ddeeaalleexxppeecctteedd ttoo cc lloossee bbyy tthhee eenndd ooff tthhiiss yyeeaarr,,ssuubbjjeecctt ttoo ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt aanntt ii ttrruusstt aapppprroovvaallss..BByy MMii llaann KKoorrccookk

According to a jointannouncement byboth companies, theacquisition will create‘the industry’s mostcomprehensivemedical costmanagementprovider’ in thecountry. Financialterms were notdisclosed. Theannouncement

describes PHCS as the nation’s largest proprietaryprimary PPO network, and the nation’s secondlargest independent care management provider,contracting with nearly 450,000 providers andserving over 16 million health plan members.MultiPlan is a provider of PPO networks and costcontainment services that embraces over 4,000hospitals, 90,000 ancillary care facilities and 700,000practitioner locations ‘typically used to complementa health plan’s primary PPO network’. MultiPlanclaims 27 million Americans have access to itsnetwork.Mark Tabak, MultiPlan’s CEO, states: -“The additionof [PHCS’] national primary PPO network to ourcomprehensive product line creates and end-to-endsolution for controlling rising healthcare costs whilemaintaining employee choice.” Joseph Driscoll,PHCS president and CEO adds: “MultiPlan givesour clients access to additional services andtechnology, and we strengthen MultiPlans positionwith medium and small payers that lease – ratherthan own – their primary PPO networks.The joint announcement notes that together, thecompanies receive an estimated $60 billion incharges annually for network discounting ornegotiation. MultiPlan clients include large and mid-sized insurers, third party administrators, self-fundedplans, HMOs and other entities that pay claims onbehalf of health plans. MultiPlan is owned by a group of investors led bythe Carlyle Group. PHCS is owned by TrustmarkInsurance Company, Assurant Health, and GuardianLife Insurance Co. of America.

Protect your traveldocumentsAmerican Express Insurance has launched a newservice, which promises to increase securitylevels for important travel documentation.Research by the company has revealed that 31per cent of reported incidents of passports beinglost or stolen occur between June and August. Adefence system has been introduced in anattempt to reassure holidaymakers by providing asecure online security service for vitaldocuments, which are scanned and stored,allowing important information to be accessedfrom anywhere in the world. Additionally, credit,debit and loyalty cards can be cancelled bymaking a single phone call to American Express,in the event of loss or theft. According to JoanneField, marketing manager for the company:“Online document storage can help save valuabletime and simplify the whole process of organisinga replacement passport.”

eBay and NorwichUnion team upNorwich Union Insurance has teamed up with eBayto create an online insurance centre. eBay hasaround 15 million customers in the UK who willnow have easy access to information on NorwichUnion’s range of motor, home and travel insurance.The two companies teamed up recently to giveeBay motor customers seven days free insurancecover, but the latest move is reportedly the first everco-branded online insurance hub. According to MarkGodfrey from Norwich Union, the company isoffering eBay users quick and easy access toinsurance information and quotes via the new onlineinsurance centre and he is confident that thepartnership will prove to be very successful witheBay’s loyal customer base.

Uganda travel news

In order to ease family travel and to make it moreaffordable, AIG in Uganda has reduced its travelinsurance packages by 15 per cent. Commenting onthe 15 per cent reduction, managing director AlexWanjohi said that the idea is to help the emergingmiddle class and the public to have a fall backposition when travelling. Travel insurance, he urged,must be seen as a necessity.

Sainsbury’s Bank joins the fightIn the competitive financial market, many banks areoffering special benefits to entice customers, not leastbenefits related to insurance. Travel insurance, avaluable asset for jetsetters around the world, is thelatest bonus for those in the UK who bank withSainsbury’s Bank or Alliance & Leicester. Bothcompanies are offering deals on overseas insurance ifpeople use their accounts for everyday banking needs. Sainsbury’s is offering a ten-per-cent discount on

travel to Europe, with cover starting from as low as£9. At Alliance & Leicester, switching to its Premieror Premier Direct account offers competitiveinterest rates and free or discounted travelinsurance. Helen Palmer, head of current accountsat Alliance & Leicester, said: “The restructure of theaccounts ensures we offer a choice of marketleading accounts with different benefits on differingcustomer preferences.”

Insurance coverextendedIn the wake of recent security alerts, Go TravelInsurance is extending its cover to insure valuablesthat passengers will have to check in at airports ratherthan carry on as hand luggage. It is also going toextend its cover for those stranded due to delayedreturn flights.As a result of the ‘critical’ level security alert issuedfollowing the exposure of a terror plot at Heathrow,which forced many airlines to cancel flights and threwthousands of travellers’ holiday plans into disarray,passengers are at present not allowed to take handluggage or valuables with them into the cabin,meaning all usual carry-on items have to be put inbags that are placed in the aircraft’s hold. Travelinsurance policies generally restrict cover for valuableitems not carried in person, meaning that valuablesplaced in the hold are not insured. However, GoTravel Insurance has extended its cover to includethese items, subject to the usual terms and conditions.

MedSave offersadditional serviceMedSave USA has united with Subrogation Partners tooffer a new subrogation service to internationalinsurance companies, their assistance companies, andThird Party Administrators (TPAs). This new serviceoffers international clients the ability to collect money onclosed claims that may have been forgotten about, aswell as being proactive in getting the ball rolling on newclaims. By partnering with Subrogation Partners,MedSave is able to identify new claims that are theresponsibility of a third party and to further reduceclaims paid by insurance companies. By identifyingpotential claims, the companies leverage theircombined expertise and knowledge of subrogation lawsto aggressively pursue subrogation at no risk to theclient. According to Jeffrey Baker, CEO of MedSave: “Itis important that the international community has localexpertise of two leaders in their respective markets.This partnership allows our clients to pursue accidentalrelated losses outside of their responsibility.”

New underwriterfor travel insurerThe M.H. Ross Company, a provider of travelinsurance services, has recently announced acollaboration with Old Republic Insurance Company,a subsidiary of Old Republic InternationalCorporation. As of 1 March 2007, the firm’s travelinsurance policies will be underwritten by OldRepublic, a leading provider of travel insuranceservices. The current underwriter relationship withGlobal Alert will continue to protect travellers withpolicies written through 28 February 2007. According to M.H. Ross company president, Lloyd T.Ross, the underwriter was selected for its protectionand value for customers: “Old Republic, rated A+by AM Best, combines its financial strength withoutstanding company claims service and state-of-the-art technology, providing us a stronger partner forthe future.”One of the US’s biggest publicly owned insuranceorganisations, Old Republic has assets ofapproximately $11.6 billion and its current stockmarket valuation is approximately $5 billion. M.H.Ross Travel Insurance Services has been protectingtravellers for 45 years with a variety of flexibleinsurance options. Its travel insurance packagesinclude assistance services, as well as insurancebenefits for cancelled or interrupted trips, medicaland dental emergencies, lost or damaged baggage,rental cars, travel supplier bankruptcies and more.

AIG reappointed byOpodo siteAmerica International Group (AIG) Europe (UK)Limited has been reappointed as travel insuranceprovider for Opodo. AIG has provided travelinsurance integrated with Opodo’s flight purchaseprocess to customers in the UK, Germany, Franceand Italy since the company was founded in 2001.Chris Roe, head of tours at Opodo, commented:“Travel insurance is a key part of our online offering.After five years of partnership, we remain impressedby AIG Europe’s market leading technology andservice across Europe.” Meanwhile, the praise isreciprocated by Jonathon Cooper, vice president oftravel at AIG Europe: “Opodo was one of the firsttravel providers to understand the importance ofintegrating insurance quotes with the flight purchaseprocess in order to maximise sales.”

Oz deal secures online marketAAuussttrraall iiaa’’ss llaarrggeesstt ee--ccoommmmeerrccee ttrraavveelliinnssuurraannccee pprroovviiddeerr,, MMoonnddiiaall AAssssiissttaannccee,, aannddbbuuddggeett aaiirr ll iinnee VViirrggiinn BBlluuee hhaavvee llaauunncchheedd aattrraavveell iinnssuurraannccee ooff ffeerriinngg tthhaatt aall lloowwssttrraavveell lleerrss ttoo ppuurrcchhaassee bbootthh ff ll iigghhttss aanndd ttrraavveelliinnssuurraannccee oonnll iinnee iinn aa ssiinnggllee ttrraannssaacctt iioonn..MMii lleess CCllaarrkkee rreeppoorrttss ffrroomm SSyyddnneeyy

Virgin Blue is the first airline in the Asia Pacific regionto implement the technology that offers gueststravel insurance as part of the standard online ticketbooking process. The company’s e-commercepartnership manager, Charles Johnson, said: “This isan exciting initiative for Virgin Blue which simplifiesand streamlines the purchase of travel insurance forour guests.” The airline has seen the uptake of travel insuranceon its website increase significantly since theimplementation of the new system. “We actuallysold more of this policy type in its first day of

integration into the booking path than we did in theentire last year,” said Johnson. The e-Magin technology, which was developed in-house by Mondial Assistance Group, is the first ofseveral products to be integrated into Virgin Blue’sonline booking process, with other ancillary partnersto follow. Carole Tokody, regional e-commercemanager at the assistance company, told ITIJ: “Weoffer a unique opportunity to help our clientsintegrate a travel insurance offering into their sitewhile totally relieving them of managing theprocess.“ Mondial handles the entire process, fromthe initial underwriting and collection of premiumsto claims management. Basic travel insurance, which covers ticketcancellation and baggage protection is available atcompetitive rates for both domestic andinternational flights anywhere on the Virgin Bluenetwork. Passengers are also able to upgrade to amore comprehensive cover.

West Nile updateAn elderly woman has died in New Haven,Connecticut, US, due to complications from thevirulent West Nile virus, according to the statedepartment of health. The name of the 75-year-old has not been released, although officialsmade a statement saying she had been spendinga lot of time outdoors in the days prior to fallingill. Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus havebeen detected in New Haven on a weekly basissince early July, and have also been found in 12other municipalities.Meanwhile, in Chicago, city workers are takingto the streets in the evenings to spraymosquitoes that carry the disease. Crews arespraying several parts of the city with a low-volume insecticide, starting at dusk every night.

Eau de human deterrent for mozziesConsidering the rising numbers of mosquitoesand the increasing number of diseases they areknown to carry, scientists in London think theymay have developed new bug repellent that usesa natural chemical found in human body odourthat the insects actually dislike. The scientists haveisolated chemicals in the odour of people who donot get bitten, and are hoping to use them toimprove controls to prevent the spread of insect-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever andyellow fever. Researchers from Aberdeen University in Scotlandused a technique known as chromatography-electroantennography to identify which components

of body odour mosquitoes can detect. ProfessorJohn Pickett of Rothamsted Research commented:“By plugging into something that is such afundamental part of the insects’ ecology, it gives youthe opportunity to get something that will be muchmore potent.” The scientists are hoping to developa formula so effective that it may not be necessaryto apply it the skin – applying it instead to clothing.They are currently comparing their results withthose of repellents recommended by the WorldHealth Organization, and apparently so far, resultshave been impressive. In addition to looking atmosquitoes, they are researching the possibilities ofrepelling other criters such as tics.

RussianHemorrhagic Fever Vladimir Ryzhkov, head of the Department ofEpidemiological Surveillance in Rostov-on-Don,Russia, has made a statement concerning theworrying rise in the number of cases ofCrimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) inthe region. Last year, there were only 16reported cases, but this year, the number ofrecorded cases has so far reached 47, includingfive fatalities.It has been stated that in the Southern FederalDistrict, cases of CCHF have already beenreported in the Dagestan, Kalmykia, Stravropol,Volgograd, Astrakhan and Rostov regions. MrRyzhkov said that the increasing number ofcases is associated with an increase in thedensity of ticks in the environment. This year sofar, 2,492 people have sought medical attentionin hospitals and outpatient departments becauseof tick bites – a number that outreaches thefigures for last year by 1,000. A sum of2,750,000 roubles ($102,000) has beenallocated from the city budget of Rostov-on-Don for tick eradication measures.

Global TB alert

Wasps fly to the rescue on Cayman IslandsHaving just about recovered from Hurricane Ivan,the Cayman Islands are now being hit by a differentphenomenon – the Pink Hibiscus Mealybug. Theinsect feeds on the staple produce of the islands,such as cucumber, lettuce, avocado and mango, andis seriously threatening the agriculture of the tinyBritish protectorate. Confirmation that the bug ispresent on the Islands has prompted thegovernment spring into action, and now, courtesy ofthe US Department of Agriculture, 5,000 wasps willarrive every week in an attempt to quell the rising

insect problem. The wasps will be introduced intoaffected areas with the hope that in a years time thebug will be 90 per cent eradicated. However, thepresent strain of the bug is extremely difficult to getrid of, as it protects itself from fire and pesticides byhaving a sticky, protective coating on its body. KurtTibbets, the Cayman Minister of Agriculture, told ameeting of farmers that they must not panic, despitethat fact that it doesn’t know exactly where the bugsare located on the Islands, how long it has beenthere, or where it came from.

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

HEALTHMATTERS 11

On 5 September, world health officials gave out anunprecedented warning that deadly new strains oftuberculosis, virtually untreatable using drugs thatare currently available, appear to be spreadingquickly across the globe. The new strains areknown as extreme drug resistant TB, or XDR-TB.They have been identified and have claimed lives allover the globe, including in developed countriessuch as the US, and rapidly developing EasternEurope. Worryingly, the deadly new strains havealso been found in several places in Africa, wherethey could quickly put an end to all hope ofcontaining the AIDS pandemic through treatment. InKwaZulu Natal, South Africa, scientists ran tests onpeople with TB in one rural region, and found that221 out of 544 had strains of TB against which twocommonly used drugs had no effect; and 53 of thepatients had XDR-TB, of which 52 died within 25days. All the XDR-TB patients had HIV, due to thevirus attacking the immune system and making themmore susceptible to infection. Doctors are nowconcerned about the impact the news will have onantiretroviral (ARV) drug treatment programmesand are worried that investment in the schemes willdry up, as some say there is little point in investinghugely in ARV programmes if patients are going todie a few weeks later from drug-resistant TB.Paul Nunn, who heads the World HealthOrganisation’s (WHO) TB resistance team, said thesituation was very serious: there are nine millioncases of TB worldwide, and the WHO hasestimated that two per cent of them (180,000)could be XDR-TB. “This is raising the spectre ofsomething that we have been worried mighthappen for a decade – the possibility of virtuallyuntreatable TB,” said Dr Nunn. Even in the US,which has the most advanced drugs in the world, athird of those diagnosed with XDR-TB have died.As far back as March this year, the Centres forDisease Control registered that there had been 64cases of XDR-TB, and 21 of those ended in death.In Latvia and Russia, too, there have been significantnumbers of cases, but what is really concerning theWHO is that there are likely to be many more,undiagnosed cases. TB spreads easily in confinedplaces such as aeroplanes, and multi-drug resistantstrains have already spread everywhere, includingthe UK, and are extremely difficult and expensive totreat: patients must be given four out of six existingsecond-line drugs. But, with the XDR-TB strainsbeing worse than originally thought, at least threeout of the six drugs have no curative effect, andthere are no third-line drugs existent to fall back on.World health officials and TB experts are meeting todiscuss what needs to be done.

Undiagnosed deathsin NepalAn unprecedented epidemic of an unidentifieddisease has killed at least 14 people, including sevenchildren, in central Nepal in the past few weeks.According to The Kathmandu Post, the disease,which was first detected in dogs and chickens duringthe last week of June, has started to spread tohumans in Netini, a far eastern village of theNuwakot district, 50 kilometres northwest ofKathmandu. Local authorities are monitoring thesituation closely.

China fights Encephalitis outbreakThe death toll from an outbreak of encephalitis B(Japanese encephalitis or JE) has risen to 19, with afurther 38 people infected in Yuncheng City ofShanghai Province, local health authorities haveannounced. JE causes an inflammation of the brainand can be contracted by people of all ages, usuallyas the result of a viral infection passed to humans bymosquitoes. Nine out of the 13 counties of the city,which has a population of five million, have reportedcases of JE since 13 July.The Shanxi Provincial Health Department hasallocated 400,000 doses of a JE vaccine to

Yuncheng, which originally had only 20,000 doseson hand. The vaccinations will be given away free ofcharge, but with a 3 yuan ($0.37) fee for theadministration of the injection. In a media blitz, the people in Yuncheng are beingtold to clean up their neighborhoods by sweepingaway standing pools of water in which mosquitoescan breed. The hot weather and frequent rains inthe province have provided ideal conditions for themosquitoes’ reproduction, but officials are reportedto have said that as temperatures drop over thecoming months, so should the number of JE cases.

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

TRAVELMATTERS12

Air Berlin moves tosupermarkets

In a bold move that could signify the beginning of apartnership between supermarkets and budgetairlines, Air Berlin has been selling cut-price ticketsat Lidl checkouts. Lasting for just one week,customers at the German supermarket chain’s 390UK stores were able to buy £19 vouchers that theycould then swap for one-way flights on the low-costcarrier, which serves 25 destinations in Europe. Aspokeswoman for Air Berlin said the promotionwould enable the airline to reach more customersin the UK, and insisted that the company would notlose money from the sale: “For us, it’s important toincrease awareness of the brand and address newcustomers. It’s a win-win situation.” Lidl made astatement saying there was ‘a natural matchbetween a quality low-cost retailer and a qualitylow-cost airline’. The move in the UK follows othersimilar successful promotions in Germany and Spain.

The passport rush

The last thing the US travel industry needs at themoment is more problems, but thanks to reactionto the recent terrorist threat at Heathrow, theDepartment ofHomeland Security hasannounced that as of31 December 2007,anybody crossing theUS-Canada border willhave to show apassport, and if aperson flies or arrivesby sea into Canada,they will need to showa passport starting injust a few monthstime: from 8 January. However, critics havebeen swift to questionthe point of theexercise, as despitefrequently repeatedfalse news stores,none of the 9/11hijackers came throughCanada. Concerns were also raised about the effectthe new requirement will have on tourism inCanada and the US – fewer than 25 per cent ofAmericans have passports, and only about 40 percent of Canadians do. Canada’s government hasrightly gained a reputation for producing reliablestatistics, where officials have forecast the cost of thenew passport to be losses of $1 billion a year toCanadian tourism, and $750 million to the UStourism industry. The majority of Americans whodon’t have a passport say the cost of the documentis prohibitive at $97.

Conference onaeronautical EnglishSome 100 delegates from 31 countries andvarious international organisations gathered in

Singapore recently toaddress global concernover communicativecompetence ininternational civilaviation.Communicationdifficulties have oftenbeen implicated inaviation accidents andrunway incursion.According to theInternational CivilAviation Organisation(ICAO), more than1,500 passengers andcrew have lost theirlives in accidentsworldwide followingproblems incommunicationbrought about by a

deficiency in the English language on the part offlight crew and controllers. Concern hasprompted the ICAO to introduce newrequirements and establish minimum Englishlanguage proficiency levels for international civilaviation staff. These will include proficiencytesting and certification for air traffic controllersand pilots, as well as corrective training forthose unable to meet the standards required.All 189 members states of the ICAO arerequired to meet the new English proficiencystandards by March 2008.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is set toexpunge over 300 aircraft it deems unsafe from

its register in an effort to check the recurrence of airmishaps in the African region.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has warned that asmany as 18 million people are flying off on holiday

without official safeguards against travel companyfailure.

Kuwait and the US have signed an open-skies deal,effectively eliminating most government

restrictions on travel between the two countries.Kuwait also plans to develop its airport to increasecapacity.

In an effort to counteract the effects on passengernumbers of the terror plot at Heathrow, Ryanair

launched a sale of four million free seats. The airlinealso confirmed that it would be adding new routes toits schedule: including Dublin to Malta, Stockholmand the Canary Islands, and doubling the frequencyof its flights from Dublin to Berlin, Rome, Malaga andFaro.

Passengers travelling with Ryanair will be able touse their mobile phones and email devices

onboard from next summer, the companyannounced. A deal has been completed with OnAir toenable mobile communications on all of Ryanair’sBoeing 737 aircraft.

The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) hasclaimed China Eastern Airlines is losing more

money flying passengers because of skyrocketing fuelprices than flying ‘virtually empty when demand wasdecimated during SARS’.

Boeing Co. has thrown in the towel on itsConnexion in-flight Internet venture, saying it has

plans to shut down the unprofitable system by theyear’s end.

UK ocean cruise passenger numbers grew by fourper cent to 1.07 million in 2005, with average

revenue per passenger up to £1,253. If river cruisepassengers are included, the total cruising figures for2005 were 1.14 million people.

According to the American Hotel LodgingAssociation, leisure travellers rather than

businessmen mainly undertake petty theft of hotelbelongings. Theft of items such as hotel souvenirs areamounting to more than $100 million a year.

Heightened security at American airports couldreduce the availability of short-hop flights,

according to some experts. A report has showed thatthe number of domestic flights shorter than 400 milesin August 2006 is 25 per cent lower than the sameperiod last year.

Areport by eMarketer has projected that by 2009leisure and non-corporate travel consumers will

spend $122.4 billion on online travel. The four fastestgrowing travel markets over the next four years will beChina, South Korea, India and Japan.

German airport operator Fraport AG reported a53 per cent rise in second-quarter net profit,

boosted by higher passenger numbers and retail sales,mainly due to the football World Cup.

Airbus is facing an uphill struggle to placate angrycustomers after parent company European

Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. admitted theA380 jetliner programme faces more delays due tomanufacturing problems.

NEWSWIREMore air passengersbumped offA report released by the US Department ofTransport (DOT) has revealed that airlinepassengers in the country are getting bumped offflights more and more frequently; with figuressuggesting that the rate of bumped passengers is thehighest it has been in six years. Some 16,300passengers were bumped against their wishes in theApril-June quarter, which is a rate of 1.12passengers per 10,000: one third higher than at thesame time last year. The airlines’ rate of what theDOT calls ‘involuntary denied boardings’ is thehighest since 2000. The worsening problem is a reflection of the pushby airlines to fill a greater percentage of seats after avery difficult few years for the industry at large.Now, however, with travel demand on the up,continuing financial problems and record high fuelprices, airlines are filling planes to way beyondcapacity to maximize ticket revenues while holdingdown operating costs. American Airlines managedto fill a record 87 per cent of seats last month, whileDelta and Continental filled 85 per cent, whichmeans many flights were sold out or oversold.Southwest Airlines bumped nearly 32,000passengers voluntarily or involuntarily in the quarter,the most for any American carrier, but, on the otherside of the coin, the Dallas-based airline also carriedmore passengers than any of the other 19 airlinesincluded in the DOT report.The report also revealed that the percentage ofdelayed and cancelled flights increased from 2005,with more than 25 per cent of all domestic flights inJune arriving late (at least 15 minutes behind). Julyshaped up as an even more disastrous month forthe airline industry in general: during the week of 16July, New York suffered a power failure, TropicalStorm Beryl arrived on the east coast, and on 26and 27, a Northwest Airlines computer glitchdelayed more than 2,700 flights. Further long delayswere caused for passengers following the allegedterror plot at Heathrow on 10 August, and theresultant increased security measures.

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

TRAVELMATTERS 13

Tourists stay longerNew figures have shown that growth ininternational visitors to Australia has slowed, butthose who are visiting the country are stayinglonger and spending more. Managing director ofthe Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC)Matthew Hingerty said information released in a

recent InternationalVisitors Survey revealedthat the 5,037,483 touristswho went ‘down under’in year ended 30 Juneinjected $18.8 billion intothe economy. Theincreased lengths of stayand expenditure figuresare particularly welcomeconsidering both haddecreased by two percent during the 2004/5financial year. Britons werethe biggest contributors,spending a massive $2.9billion whilst on holiday orgap years, with an averagestay of 33 days. ATEC is lobbying state andfederal governments toincrease their

commitment to investing in tourism in regionalareas – especially in the run up to next year’sfederal election and the New South Wales stateelection. ATEC has also determined to initiate aregional tourism advisory panel aimed at helpingregional areas develop opportunities for attractingtourists, and is soon to launch an onlineeducational programme aimed at increasingknowledge of the inbound tourism sector.

Greek tourism gains In the wake of the conflict between Israel andLebanon, and the recent bomb blasts in Turkey,there has been an unexpected winner: Greektourism. Forming a major pillar of the country’seconomy, tourism is heading for a bumper yearin Greece. Stavros Andreadis, president of theAssociation of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE),told news agency Reuters that he expected tosee an annual rise in arrivals of about eight ornine per cent, and a similar rise in revenues. To cap an outstanding performance at the AthensOlympics, SETE said the end of the summerseason, September and October, could be evenbetter than expected, thanks to the bombing oftourist spots in Turkey putting many tourists offvisiting that country. It is estimated that roughly18 per cent of Greece’s gross domestic productcomes from tourism, with one in five peopleemployed in the sector. However, according to Andreadis, all is notcompletely rosy. Greece will be unable to copewith thousands of tourists changing their travelplans and flying into the country until it hasimproved parts of its infrastructure. Problems oflong queues and delays at Heraklion airport inCrete are symbolic of the need for expansion,and Greece has also been hit by long delays inferry connections to the islands, expensive ferrytickets and reports of mediocre servicesonboard. Andreadis is actively encouraging hisgovernment to sit up and take notice of theproblems, saying: “The government has to …draw up a long-term plan, five years or tenyears, that would trigger investment in the sectorand help build on this growth. Our tourismproduct must be improved.”

Airlines wait in hope for improvementsDecember will be a key month for the airlineindustry after the security alert that paralysed Britishairports in August, according to some industryanalysts. British Airways said that it had lost about£40 million from the disruption, but also noted thatforward bookings had returned to normal levels.Gehan Talwatte, managing director of Ascend, anaerospace analysis group, said: “In the long-term,the August events will seem more like a blip. But italso depends on how quickly BAA moves thingsback to normal.”The British Airports Authority (BAA) has a lot on itsplate at the moment, including submitting evidenceto the UK’s Office of Fair Trading in a fight tomaintain the current monopoly it holds over UKairports. It also came in for heavy criticism followingthe events of 10 August, as its lack of contingencyplans threw Heathrow into chaos for days. BritishAirways is still debating whether or not to sue theairports operator in a demand for compensation,while Ryanair has already started its claim against thegovernment for compensation. Ryanair has saidpublicly that if it won the £3 million claim, it woulddonate the money to charity, and that it waspursuing the claim in order to encourage theDepartment of Transport to ‘return airport securityto where it was before 10 August’.The no-frills airline easyJet announced that it lost anestimated £4 million as a result of the security alert,but is sticking to its profit estimates for the year.Despite the loss, the company said it was on courseto increase profits for the year by between 40 and50 per cent. During August, amazingly, easyJet sawan 8.4 per cent rise in passenger numbers,notwithstanding the cancellation of 469 departures.Another knock-on effect of the terrorist alert hasbeen a renewed call for passenger profiling, but

without discrimination towards Arabian or Asiantravellers. Advocates of profiling say trained airportand airline staff at security checkpoints should beallowed to judge which passengers aren’t likely topose a threat – such as old women and familieswith small children – and let them pass quicklythrough security inorder to focus onthose who maypresent a danger.Opponents to thescheme have twobasic objections: theysay profiling is aninfringement on civilrights, and noteffective in the longrun. The debatecontinues amongairline industry officials,with little hope of aresolution any time inthe near future. In related news, anopen-skies agreementbetween theEuropean Union (EU)and the US can besalvaged and signed by the end of the year,according to one EU transport official. Delay afterdelay has dogged the open-skies agreement,furthered even more after officials in the US saidthey were going to halt the relaxation of its foreignownership laws, which the EU said was imperativeto an open-skies agreement, but both sides stillappear to be confident of signing the agreementbefore the year is out.

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

AIR AMBULANCENEWS14

Partnership in the People’s Republic

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In the looking-glass worldof 21st-century China,where a theoreticallyMarxist state allows itsarmed forces to function asvirtually privatised, profit-making entities, thePeople’s Liberation Army(PLA) still controls andoperates most regionalhospitals and rescueservices. But the PLA isrolling out helicopter rescue operations acrossthis vast country, most recently in eastern China’sJiangsu Province, where the PLA is using a newlypurchased Robinson R44 helicopter. In southernChina, meanwhile, two new civilian outfits –Guangdong General Aviation and GunagdongBaiyun Aviation Corporation – are now providingcivil-operated air ambulance service.China’s civil aviation authority (CAAC) is rapidlyloosening restrictions on civil helicopteroperations and private ownership of light aircraft,citing increased demand for medical use amongother motives for opening up China’s air trafficmanagement.

A step forward for medevacWestern insurers point out that steady growth intravel to the People’s Republic has led to asignificant deficit in aeromedical provision, but thesituation is improving, according to AdrianLawrence, head of medical operations at EuropAssistance in the UK. "We have been closelymonitoring the growth in popularity of China as amainstream tourist destination,” he said. Trips toChina are no longer the preserve of hardybackpackers and adventurous travellers of old.We are seeing an increase in tourism across thespectrum and particularly amongst our olderclient base, which often presents its ownproblems." In response to these trends, thecompany has established a dedicated office inBeijing, which moved to Shanghai earlier thissummer, and has developed new relationshipswith emerging air ambulance service providers.Until recently, however, getting emergency casesfrom remoter areas to hospitals in Beijing,Shanghai or Hong Kong had been problematic.

Prepare for take-off

Until now, the PLA has been able to use only itsown military-specification helicopters – which are,to say the least, spartan in terms of onboardmedical facilities, patient comfort and safety.Understandably, western insurers have beenreluctant to place much trust in such equipment,

making it difficult to provide an adequate level ofmedevac cover to travellers over much of one ofthe world’s largest countries. And given China’snotoriously cumbersome and secretivebureaucracy, using fixed-wing or rotor-craftmedevac equipment based in other countries in theregion has rarely been an option, especially when arapid response is required. Even now, officials atPLA Hospital 454 say the helicopter medevacservice will be primarily for extreme emergencies."The service could be the difference between lifeand death for those in remote or inaccessibleplaces," said hospital spokesman Yin Jun, addingthat the service will not be made available for‘regular emergency situations in which it is moreconvenient and efficient to use a road ambulance’.That said, money talks. Each rescue flightoperated by Hospital 454 will cost at least20,000 yuan (US$2,500). Although the service,in common with other new medevac operationsin China, is primarily intended for local people,charging foreign insurance companies to use itwill help the PLA to defray the costs of downtime, maintenance and infrastructure.At the moment, only a tiny number of Chinesehospitals have helipads, or the aircraft to usethem, and few, if any, of China’s fledgling civilaviation companies operate at a profit.Partnership with foreign providers of aeromedicalevacuation policies could provide much-neededrevenue, allowing China to expand its airambulance coverage still further. Maybe – justmaybe – the aeromedical sector is looking at ascenario in which everybody wins, from Chinesevillagers in remote regions to prosperousWestern travellers and their insurers.

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

AIR AMBULANCENEWS 15

Cayman confusionfor air serviceThe Cayman Islands is still unsure as to the futureof its air ambulance service, despite reportingpositive progress in issue 67 of ITIJ (see Successfor the Cayman Islands). Health ministerAnthony Eden has defended a decision to seek asingle vendor for air ambulance service patients ofthe Cayman Islands National Insurance Company(CINICO). This is despite the fact that it alreadyhas a contractual agreement with CMN Inc. tomanage its air ambulance evacuation and medicaltreatment process overseas. The announcementthat the Health Ministry was directing CINICO toput its air ambulance contract out to a competitivetendering process was made by Mr Eden at aCabinet press briefing on 11 August. Mr Eden says he is committed to continuallyseeking ways to improve the Health Ministry’sservices to CINICO clients. Chief Medical Officer,Dr Gerald Smith, who is responsible for referringCINICO clients overseas, will chair the tenderingcommittee. Moreover, the committee will alsoinclude keystakeholders such asthe Health ServicesAuthority (HSA). MrEden was quick tonote that allapplicants who meetthe tender criteriawill be considered bythe government’sCentral TendersCommittee withoutpolitical interference. The decision to putthe CINICO contractout to tender hascome under earlycriticism; formerhealth ministerGilbert McLean, under whose administrationCINICO came into being, thinks having a single-source air ambulance provider is a bad idea.Besides questioning the feasibility of an airambulance service based in Cayman, there is alsohis belief is that a single-source air ambulanceprovider will not be cost-efficient and that noinsurance company is suited to have an exclusiveair ambulance provider. But the current healthminister insists that the collective aim andmotivating factor is to provide the best airambulance service to CINICO clients: “This is acomplex issue that will need to be carefullyexamined. At the end of the day, as minister ofhealth, I want to be assured that our people haveaccess to an efficient system.”

FAA gets tough

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the UShas fined a Georgia-based air ambulance company$1 million as a civil penalty for operating as an aircarrier without the appropriate certificate. The fineis part of a settlement reached after the FAAordered the company to stop its operations on 19May 2006, when it found Medway Air Ambulancehad entered into an agreement with Maryland-based American Flight Group (AFG) that violatedFAA regulations. According to an FAA statement, AFG was allowingother services – one of which was Medway – touse its air carrier certificate for a monthly fee, whilethe companies maintained operational control overtheir own flights and crews. If AFG had supervisedall aspects of the other carriers’ operations and theywere operating aircraft types for which AFG waslicensed, that would have been allowable. But theFAA says AFG did not exercise operational controlof the carriers concerned, and in one case anaircraft used was not a type for which AFG waslicensed. The FAA has revoked the air carrier

certificate for AFG,and Medway hassince obtained itsown certificate andresumed operations.According to RickMoore, owner andpresident ofMedway, safety wasnever compromised. Other certificationwas also reportedlysold by AFG to AeroNational, Alton,M&N Aviation andTrans CaribbeanAirways. TransCaribbean’s licenceto operate had been

suspended by the FAA, but AFG had neglected tocheck this fact. This is not an uncommon occurrence, says theFAA, which admits that malpractice among Part 135operators has been widespread. In response tocriticism by the US National Transportation SafetyBoard claiming that the FAA has lost its grip on thesector, the FAA insisted that it is continuallyinvestigating cases where air carriers allow othercompanies to operate under their certificate.“These cases send a strong message that the FAAstrictly enforces its safety regulations and will takeaction in situations where an air carrier is engagedin the franchising or rental of its air carriercertificate,” stated FAA administrator Marion C.Blakey in a statement.

Taiwan Straits opens for medevacInternational SOS has carried out the first directcross-Straits medical evacuation since the signing ofan agreement between China and Taiwan earlierthis year, allowing direct air access by charteredflights across the Taiwan Straits for emergencymedical rescue. This is the first time since 1949 thatany flight of this nature has been possible. China’s Cross-StraitsAviation TransportExchange Counciland the TaipeiAirlines Associationsigned theagreement on 14June. According tothe managingdirector ofInternational SOS inChina, JohnWilliams, thecompany had beenlobbying both authorities for 18 months to beallowed to set up a facility, and eventually its Cross-Straits Emergency Medical Rescue Service came intobeing on 28 June: “This operates direct flights bychartered passenger aircraft across the Taiwan Straitsfor emergency medical cases. Today saw the firstoperational flight and we are immensely proud tohave been selected to operate the service.”A 71-year-old man had suffered a stroke while visitingrelatives in Dongguan, Guandong Province, and hisfamily subsequently contacted International SOS.After reviewing the man’s medical reports andconsulting the local treating doctor in Dongguan, theassistance doctors recommended that the patient beevacuated home on an air ambulance, escorted bymedical specialists to ensure that the patient’s medical

condition remained stable throughout the flight. A medical specialist team from the Beijing AlarmCentre, comprising an Intensive-Care-Unit-traineddoctor and a flight nurse arrived in Guangzhou on14 September in a dedicated air ambulance, aHawker 800XP, to escort the patient home toTaiwan. The patient arrived in Taipei later the same

day and was met bya doctor and nursefrom InternationalSOS Taiwan whoescorted him to thelocal hospital.The assistancecompany’s alarmcentres in Beijingand Taipei workedclosely with thepatient’s family inDongguan andTaipei, the local

treating doctor in Dongguan and the receivinghospital in Taipei to ensure that the patient arrivedhome safely. Dr Charles Van Reenen, medicaldirector, North Asia region, International SOSexplained that prior to the availability of a directservice across the Taiwan Straits, patients whoneeded evacuating or repatriating to Taiwan fromSouthern China had to travel by road ambulance toShenzhen or Macau before they could betransported by commercial or charter flight toTaiwan. He continued: “In this particular case, thetravel time is reduced by three to four hoursbecause we no longer have to do a stopover, gothrough customs clearance and transfer the patientfrom the road ambulance to the air ambulance.”

Ontario rescue goes orangeOntario’s air ambulance service has been inoperation since 1977 and transfers over 17,000patients each year. Despite being in operation fornearly 30 years and employing about 244 flightparamedics, most people are still not very clued upabout transport medicine and why it is an important

part of the region’s medical system,according to

Dr Chris Mazza, theservice’s chiefexecutive. That is the motivating factorbehind the recent re-launch of the service underthe new name ‘Ornge’, alongside a newly paintedfleet of bright orange planes and choppers, all ofwhich are meant to give the operation a new profilein Ontario. Dr Mazza went on to outline hisintentions: “Transport medicine is a critical link in thechain of healthcare and it allows people to choosewhere they want to live without being fearful thatthey won’t be able to get to a centre of excellence.” Ornge has the ability to provide hospital-level careto a patient during transport to a hospital or healthcentre. The name is a catchy play on the brightorange ‘heritage colour’ that has graced Ontario’sair ambulances for years, according to spokespersonMike Sheiner. Despite the 26 bases across Ontario, Ornge facesa huge challenge in providing transport medicine inOntario due to the vast size of the localpopulation. Only Ontario, British Columbia andAlberta have significant air ambulance programmes,so the goal according to Dr Mazza is to create anationwide organisation

Medic’Air entersChinaFrance’s Medic’Air International now has a medicalteam based in the Zhongnan Hospital of WuhanUniversity that since mid-August has been fullyoperational. It has already carried out two successfuloperations, mobilising the new team into action.The first evacuation was a domestic flight fromLhassa, Tibet to Cheng Du, China; the second wasan international repatriation, from the Schenzenprovince, China to Brussels in Belgium. The team consists of Chinese medical doctors, whoare all bilingual (Chinese-English or Chinese-French)and is managed by one of Medic’Air International’sFrench medical doctors. Twenty-four hour logistical

support is offered on all Chinese territory through apartnership with a local services company. Medicalteams based in Paris and Tokyo complete anyremaining repatriation and evacuation organisation.Paris looks after repatriations on commercial airlines,Learjet 55 and Falcon 50 aircraft, whilst Tokyo isalso equipped to deal with repatriations oncommercial airlines. On 1 September, supervisingdoctor Huaqun Gao left Paris to settle in Shanghai inorder to coordinate medical contacts, as well as tocreate a link with the hospital structures in Shanghai.

Action in theMiddle East

Air Charter Service (ACS) in London hasplayed an important role in bringingrelief to civilians during the crisis in

the Middle East. It was able to assist inboth evacuating foreign nationals and

transporting aid cargo to Lebanon as recentevents in the country unfolded. Large-scaleoperations continue in order to help alleviatethe suffering of civilians caught up in theconflict. Air Charter Service’s passenger departmentarranged four MD-82 charters from Larnacacarrying a total of 646 Scandinavian evacueesback to their homeland. The flights werecompleted within 24 hours of receiving therequest for repatriation. Moreover, in the firstthree weeks of the crisis, Air Charter Service’scargo department was able to get involved inflying relief aid to the region. As the aid effortgot underway, ACS arranged five AN-12charters with a cargo of food and essentialgoods into Larnaca.With new aid routes now opening up, ACS isalso working on charters into other airportsincluding Damascus, where an ACS charteredDC-8 has delivered a consignment of reliefgoods from Copenhagen.

Membership issuesraised by legislatorsWhat happens when, in an area that has more thanone air ambulance company serving it and whereresidents have purchased membership for one airambulance provider or the other, a competitor isdispatched to the scene of an accident? This is aquestion that lies on many lips across the US, andalthough as yet no solution has been found, themechanisms have been put into place to find one.State senator Kim Hendren and other lawmakers inArkansas have met with providers of air ambulanceservices to try to bash out a solution. Ideas have been circulating: one suggestion is to gethelp from service members themselves. This means

that if a call is made to 911, or to a dispatcher inwhichever country a client is in, the name of theservice for which the injured party has amembership should, if possible, be declared, andwhere appropriate, the correct air operator wouldbe dispatched. This makes perfect common sense,but, of course, will not always be practical. Although it remains unclear to Hendren whatlegislators should do to solve the problem, hehopes that by raising the issue he will hear backfrom constituents on the issue. “I’d like to knowwhat people think about that,” Hendren concluded.“I don’t know how we’re going to handle it, but it’ssomething we need to work on.”This same sentiment has been reiterated in thestate’s Carroll County, which has witnessed agrowing number of air ambulance services in theregion. Originally, Western Carroll CountyAmbulance District (WCCAD) would call up thenearest helicopter if assistance was required, whichhappened to be Air Evac. But now, with more thanfive different companies close by, the choice ofwhich provider to use is not an easy decision tomake. According to chairman Bob McVey, when theground ambulance crew feels a patient needs anairlift, it calls for the dispatch of an air ambulance,not for a specific one. Problems arise for manyWestern District residents who have paidmemberships with Air Evac, as no reciprocity ofmembership benefits exists with other airambulance companies if Air Evac cannot respondwithin 15 minutes, and a helicopter from a differentprovider is dispatched instead. Ultimately, patientcare is paramount and the decision as to whichprovider to use will be based upon response time. Fourteen companies now exist in the WesternDistrict vicinity: Air Evac and Eagle Med are listedjointly as number one. What is to stop any of thesecompanies stating an arrival time that is exaggeratedin order to win business and then turn up lateunder the pretence of another emergency? Thiswas another point raised by legislators as a host ofnew issues come under scrutiny with the addition ofnew air ambulance services.

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

AIR AMBULANCENEWS16

ConferencePRAGUE 2006

The 14th International Travel Insurance3rd International Private Healthcare

plus the NEW Air Ambulance Forumand the 5th ITIJ Awards Ceremony

INDUSTRYAWARDS 2006

with a difference…We are delighted to welcome all delegates to a new and improved conference, bristling with newsessions, hot topics, and networking opportunities galore. The industries red letter day event just gotBIGGER, BUSIER, AND BETTER!!!

The International Private Healthcare Conference 2006 will take place in the stunning city of Prague,and boasts a brand new agenda set up, featuring dual track lectures in both Travel and PrivateHealthcare, multiple panel sessions and the ever popular break out groups.

And it’s not just the conference itself that will be special this year – the many delights that Prague hasto offer has allowed us and our sponsors to create some rather special evening events, providing yetmore networking access as well as good old fashioned fun!

Visit the all new ITIC website at www.itic.org.uk for the full low down and make sure to check out thenew pre-conference networking features in the “Interact” panel (previously “my ITIC”)

From the 31st October to the 3rd of November, this event looks ready to set new standardsfor industry interaction – see you there!

Tuesday 31st October

Morning registration for air ambulanceattendees and welcome luncheon

Lunch

Air Ambulance SessionsPanel: Is regulation necessary? The impact ofCAMBTS/EURAMI accreditation vs benefits.Panellist 1: Louis Wright, Sales & Marketing Manager -

Luxembourg Air RescuePanellist 2: David Bump,

VP Programme Development - Air TrekPanellist 3: Dr Michael Braida, CMO - AXA Assistance

Speaker & Panel: Working practise – flying timesfor medical crews. Looking at the financial andpractical implications of restricted hours.Panellist 6: Dr Chris Idzikowski,

Centre Director - London Sleep CentrePanellist 7: Sean Culligan, Operations - AMREF

Panellist 8: Dr Michael Churchill-Smith, Medical

Director - Skyservice Aviation

17:00-17:30 New delegates welcome & orientation17:30-19:30 Evening registration

Welcome function sponsored by Hygeia Corporation

ITIC, IPHC & IAAF AgendaThe International Travel Insurance Conference

International Private Healthcare Conferenceplus the NEW Air Ambulance Forum

Wednesday 1st November

ITIC Sessions

Welcome and introduction to healthcare in theCzech Republic. Opening speaker 1: Czech Minister of Health

The legal implications of the EU GenderDirective, a global overview.Speaker 2: Philip Woolfson, Avocat (Paris & Brussels) -

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

House Debate: Do insurance and assistancecompanies serve the client or has costcontainment become more important?Our participants debate this issue.Panellist 1: John Tangney, Managing Director - Tangney ToursPanellist 2: Philippe Belliard - Europ AssistancePanellist 3: Chris Peach, former Assistance DoctorPanellist 4: Maria Santamaria, Mapfre Asistencia

Lunch

Private Healthcare SessionsCost vs quality and global pricing. The paneldiscusses the difference in pricing around the globe andfinancial benefits of overseas or domestic treatment.Panellist 1: Abhijeet Sachdev,

Managing Director - Privat HospitalPanellist 2: Dave de Loose,

Head of Provider Relations - Vanbreda International Panellist 3: Robert Rodriguez, Operations Director -

Baptist Health International

Cost Containment: What are the advantages ofoverseas dental care?Speaker 4: Thomas Antalffy, Partner - VitalEurope Ltd

ITIC Focus Group*13:15-14:30 Emerging Problem Zones from a medical

and financial perspective. Moderated by Dr Michael Braida and Joe Valdez

14:30-16:00 Claims & SubrogaitonModerated by Dick Atkins

Air Ambulance Focus Groups*14:30-15:30 Air Ambulance Medical Directors Forum

Dr Michael Churchill-Smith, Medical Director - SkyService Aviation

15:30-16:30 Research & StatisticsDr Alex Veldman, Medical Director - Med Call Air Amb

16:30-17:30 Medical Malpractice: Is your carrieradequately insured?

Don Jones, President - Air Ambulance SpecialistsMartha Turnbull - RBC Insurance

19:00-22:00 Networking Quiz** and buffetdinner for all delegate, sponsored by OneWorld Assist

31 Oct - 3 Nov * Focus Group sessions are optional and not part of the main

conference agenda. They will be hosted in break out rooms. Places are limited and on a first come first served basis.

** All additional social networking functions are subject toconfirmation

Thursday 2nd November

Private Healthcare Sessions

Emerging markets - developments in EasternEurope.Speaker 1: Andrew Apps - GoodHealth

Licensing to sell in a foreign country.Speaker 2: Financial Services Authority

Debate: FMU vs Moratorium – debating thebenefits of both policy types – fully underwritten andpartially underwritten policies. Which is the morepreferable to the insurer and why?Panellist 3: Carl Carter, Managing Director - IMG EuropePanellist 4: Sarah Mason, International Sales Manager -

Norwich Union HealthcarePanellist 5: Ori Karev, Managing Director & VP crossborder service -United Health Group InternationalPanellist 6: Andrew Sandilands, Head of Sales &

Customer Realtions - InterGlobal Ltd

Focus Groups*09.30-10.30 Commercial Repatriations10.30-11.30 Advantage Air Ambulance broker or owner?11.30-12.30 Reinsurance12.30-13.30 Sales & Marketing

Lunch served in the exhibition area

ITIC Panel SessionsThe retired: Problem or opportunity? The elderly person continues to represent anincreased proportion of the population, with a greater disposable income.Speaker 1: Dr Marios Kyriazis, Gerontology - Kings

College University Panellist 2: Peter Staddon, Head of Technical Services -

British Insurance Broker’s AssociationPanellist 3: Mike Starko, MD - OneWorld AssistPanellist 4: Dr Marios Kyriazis, Gerontology - Kings

College University

Disaster Management – how prepared are we?Seemingly major disasters on the increase; have welearned the lessons of the past?Panellist 5: Foreign Minister - tbaPanellist 6: Dr Eric A Guile, Medical Director - Global

Assistance, BaliPanellist 7: David Fitton, Head of Crisis Group, Consular

Directorate – Foreign Office

18:30-21:30 Evening drinks reception & 3 hour Jazz River Cruise** all delegates invited. Sponsor tba

Friday 3rd November

ITIC SessionsThe developing US market.Although the richest and most sophisticatedeconomy in many areas, travel insurance in the USis still relatively unknown and unused. Our nextspeaker looks at the development of the US travelinsurance industry. Speaker 1: Jon Ansell, CEO - World Access America

Cost containment in the US. Our panel ofexperts looks at several cost containment issues Panellist 2: Virgil Bretz, CEO - Hygeia CorporationPanellist 3: Art Weinblatt, Vice President of Managed Care

- HCA East Florida DivisionPanellist 4: Martha Turnbull, Director, Operations &

Medical Claims - RBC InsurancePanellist 5: Franz Benstetter, Head of Managed Care

Services - Munich RePanellist 6: Tom Hudson, Legal Council - Medex Assitance

Corporation

Light lunch served in the exhibition area

Hospital Focus Groups*

14:30-15:30 Implications of cross border treatment– quality, liability, practicality &desirabilityDr Glen Staples, New BusinessDevelopment Director - Netcare 911

19:30-02:00 Black tie conferecnce finaleand ITIJ Awards Dinner

NEW AWARDCATEGORY FORITIJ ADVERTISERSVote for your choice of thebest promotionalcampaignor individual advertisement

strategyof thetravel insurance industry

for2006

Lines are closed for nominations!

INDUSTRYAWARDS 2006

So, here are the reasons that you should not miss this event:

Unrivalled networking opportunitiesThe International travel insurance & private healthcare conference offers over eighteenhours of dedicated networking time. We offer our delegates the ideal platform tonetwork in formal and more relaxed environments during sit down and buffet-stylelunches, coffee breaks, cocktail receptions, post conference social events and galadinner and awards ceremony.Interactive panel sessions The combined conferences offer more panel discussions than ever before! Withseveral sixty to ninety-minute ‘chat show’ style sessions - you can ask the questionsyou want answers to! You will not get a better chance than this to question the leadingplayers in the industry directly.

Meet, interact and do business with the people who really matterOur unique ‘INTERACT’ tool (previously MyITIC) enables you to pre-arrange meetingsbefore the event. This allows you to view the current delegate list and message theattendees directly without ever seeing their email address. This year we offer you theopportunity to create your own profile by adding a photograph and short introduction sothat you will be recognized at the conference. Here you can also get the latest conferencenews and developments.

Exhibit - the sales and marketing solution proven to generate leads and new businessThe perfect environment for you to engage in “face to face” meetings. The exhibition areais the place where you can make new and long lasting business relationships in these quicklydeveloping industries. With the conference taking place over ‘full days’ we offer ourexhibitors a constant stream of visitors and host all coffee breaks and two lunches in thisdedicated area to maximize exposure to your products and services.

sponsors of theCostContainmentAward

sponsors of theAssistance/ Claims HandlerAward

sponsors ofthe Insurer /UnderwriterAward

sponsors of the MarketingCommunications Award

Nominations have been made and the votes have been counted. We are delighted to announce the three finalists in each category with the highest number of

votes, in alphabetical order:

Insurer/Underwriter of the Year Award - presented by Medex Global Group: A.I.G

Insure For AllMondial

Cost Containment/Provider of the Year Award - presented by Direct Line:Global Excel Management

Hygeia CorporationMCI Spain

Air Ambulance of the year Award:Air Ambulance Professionals

Canadian Global Air AmbulanceSkyservice Lifeguard

Assistance/Claims of the Year Award - presented by Hygeia Corporation:Intergroup

Fortis Sos International

ITIJ Marketing Campaign - presented by M Consulting:To be announced on the night

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

NEWS 21

In late August, the terrorist Kurdistan FreedomFalcons (TAK) threatened more attacks on touristareas throughout Turkey, with Istanbul and othermajor port cities along the country's western andsouthern coasts particularly at risk through theend of the summer tourist season. IJET IntelligentRisk Systems has the latest information

TAK made the threat on its website, demanding therelease of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Mostrecently, the group claimedresponsibility for the 27 Augustbombings in Istanbul andMarmaris that injured 27people, and are also suspectedin at least four more bombingsthroughout Turkey since thatdate. Also in late August, policedetained a suspected Kurdishmilitant in Izmir carrying plasticexplosives. In the wake of the recent spateof bombings, the largestKurdish political party in Turkeycalled on the PKK on 11September to declare aunilateral ceasefire. The plea came amid risingTurkish nationalistic sentiment that is making thepossibility of a truce less likely. The DemocraticSociety Party (DTP) held a press conference inDiyarbakir in southeastern Turkey to make theannouncement, saying that the ongoing fighting

between the group and the Turkish military wascollectively damaging all of Kurdish society. The DTPstatement was followed by a bombing in Diyarbakiron 12 September, an implicit rejection of peace byeither Kurdish separatists or Turkish nationalists – theidentity of the bombers is unknown at the moment.

CrackdownSecurity forces have raided DTP offices andmeetings on several occasions in the past year. Thecrackdown on Kurdish civil society and politicalorganisations is another indicator that the conflictbetween the PKK and the Turkish military isescalating. The ongoing military campaign in thesoutheast means that tensions between Turkey andits Kurdish population are already higher thannormal at the moment, and violence between the

country's military andKurdish militants in theTAK and the KurdistanWorkers Party (PKK)could escalate further,particularly if theseunlikely but possibleevents occur: • Deadlier attacks:Most TAK and PKKattacks generally donot cause deaths, butif a future bombing isparticularly deadly or ifit especially inflamespublic opinion, the

Turkish military is likely to escalate its offensiveagainst the PKK in the southeast. This, in turn,would prompt even more TAK bombings. • Turkish ground incursion into northern Iraq: If themilitary escalates its current attacks on PKK bases innorthern Iraq by sending in a significant number ofground forces, Kurdish militants will likely launcheven more reprisal bombings in Istanbul and othercoastal cities. Although TAK attacks generally result in fewcasualties, they often target areas heavily-trafficked by foreigners, such as markets, banksand tourist sites. Travellers should be warned toremain aware of their surroundings whilevisiting areas frequented by large numbers offoreigners, and to consider avoiding publictransportation. They should immediately informlocal authorities about any suspicious packages.Militants often plant explosives inside trashcansin public areas. Increased security measuresmay result in roadblocks and identity checks,particularly after attacks.

Kurdish militants threaten more bombings

A new survey published recently by Halifax TravelInsurance shows that thieves have stolen almost £3billion worth of items from British holidaymakersover the last five years. Tellingly, over half the itemsstolen from nearly seven million Brits could not beclaimed back as the victim did not have travelinsurance. Despite 80 per cent of travellersknowing they needed a crime reference number inorder to claim, one in four did not bother to obtainsuch information.According to the results of the survey, almost athird of all thefts occurred from accommodationabroad, with money the most likely item to bestolen. Meanwhile, the Post Office has justpublished research that shows cash is the mostpopular method of payment for Britishholidaymakers – 47 per cent prefer to use localcurrency, around a third use their credit or debitcard, while travellers cheques sales have dropped12 per cent in the last year.One quarter of British tourists who were victims ofcrime said the incident had ruined their holiday, withone in ten saying the experience was so disturbingthey would not return to the country where ithappened. Halifax has advised that prevention isbetter than cure, and is encouraging its customersto always use a hotel safe for belongings wherepossible, and only carry around as much money asis needed.

Although TAK attacks generally result in fewcasualties, they often target areas heavily-trafficked by foreigners, such as markets,

banks and tourist sites. Travellers should bewarned to remain aware of their

surroundings while visiting areas frequentedby large numbers of foreigners …months, with a further 27 per cent revealing they

had taken more than three vacations during thesame period.“Insurers should do more to provide competitiverates for this growing market,” said Mason.“Older people should not be penalized for goingabroad and should be able to find affordabletravel insurance.”

Agediscrimination: theend is in sight

continued from p.1

Despite the coupd’etat that occurred inThailand on 19September, thecountry remainsoutwardly peaceful,and there have beenno reported delays totravel in or out of thecountry. Despite

some hotel chains reporting a significant drop inbookings following news of the military takeover,Thailand itself remains calm in good spirits.The military has taken control of governmentoffices, but the transition has not been a violent one,and on the streets of Thailand there is little evidenceof any change, apart from the presence of militarypersonnel and equipment. Pacific Aisa TravelAssociation (PATA) members in Thailand are keen toreassure the global travel industry that tourismfacilities and services are currently operating asnormal. Both tourists and indigenous people seemto have reacted very calmly to the situation, andpictures from Bangkok have shown goodcommunication and relationships between themilitary and local inhabitants. One British touristcommented in particular on the lack of a threateningor dangerous atmosphere, citing jovial exchangeswith the army personnel guarding certain parts ofthe city. The coup came following months of sparringbetween the former prime minister and his politicalopponents, which pushed Thailand into aleadership crisis. It has been reported that themilitary took over just before the ousted primeminister was to place friends and businessassociates into positions of political power,furthering his company’s own interests. WhileThailand’s new military rulers have promised to puta civilian government in place within two weeks,and hold new elections by October 2007, they

have also cracked down on political activities andcurtailed some civil liberties. In fact, a small group ofdemonstrators were detained for protesting at thearmy’s declaration of martial law.Despite tourism earnings counting for a largeproportion of Thailand’s gross domestic product,officials in the industry do not seem concerned thatthe coup will affect the travel trade for very long,and with the high season coming up, many hoteland resort owners hope they are right.

Brits abroad lose £3billion to thieves

Turbulent Thailand stays peaceful

Stop anyone of a non-Italian background on thestreets of New York and ask them where Umbriais. It is unlikely that they will even have heard of theplace, let alone know where it’s located. But go toan Umbrian village way up in the hills and talk to alittle old lady who has never been out of theprovince. The chances are she’ll be a mine ofinformation about America. The Italians have alwaysbeen worldly-wise, ever since the golden era ofRome when they built the greatest empire inhistory and ruled most of the then known world.Constrained by what were some of Europe’slowest wage levels in what was then an essentiallyagrarian nation, until recent times Italianstraditionally stayed close to the land they workedso hard.But while they did not venture abroad much forleisure, emigration was massive, especially whenindustrialisation really got under way in the mid1800s, and as a result an outgoing attitude and alove of travel are now deeply ingrained in theItalian psyche.

Travelling lightItaly, which has a population of 58 million – slightlybelow that of the UK – is today the fifth largestoutbound travel market in Europe. Its workingcitizens enjoy four weeks of paid holiday, usuallytake at least two separate holidays a year and arehigh spending when away from home. Anestimated 19 million Italians travel abroad each year,mostly in July and August, December and January,with an average stay of 15 nights. Given the recentstate of economic uncertainty and, for many Italians,stagnant or declining disposable income levels, theonce traditional month-long August vacation hasbecome a thing of the past and Italians are nowmore likely to spend their holiday allowance bytaking a series of much shorter breaks, which opensopportunities for those marketing single-trip travelinsurance policies.This has been a rapidly growing outbound market,with numbers having doubled in just the last fiveyears alone, and leisure travel accounting for 85 percent of the 25 million trips abroad that involve at

least one night’s stay out of thecountry. It should be noted that travelwithin Europe still dominates, withlong-haul still a relatively low volumesector, most of it comprising visits tofriends or family abroad.However, 2005 produced a worryingslowdown, both in inbound andoutbound terms. In the wake of theintroduction of the euro, prices hadrisen sharply, affecting the spendingpower and holiday budgeting of Italianfamilies, while similar difficulties in theother EU economies, especially inFrance and Germany, adverselyaffected incoming numbers. Japanesearrivals also declined, though therewas an increase in visitors from suchemerging countries as Russia, Chinaand the new European Unionmember states of the east. The netresult was zero overall growth intourism spending.Traditionally, Italy’s travel industry hasbeen very much a two-way affair, with

a steady flood of incoming visitors ever since thedays of the Grand European Tour that attractedByron and other notables. Italy’s hospitality industryaccounted for 15.5 per cent of all non-national-resident bed nights in Europe’s hotels five years ago– a figure beaten only by Spain on 21.5 per cent,with France in third place on 11.2 per cent. ButFrance has now overtaken Italy once more, as hasthe US, pushing Italy back in the World TourismOrganisation inbound tourism rankings, whichcurrently find it in fifth place.Problems beset many sides of the economy butoften a down is compensated by an up: as an

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

WORLDMARKETS22

Bella ItaliaItaly is a sophisticated country of insurance-savvy,keen travellers. Roger St Pierre provides abackground for doing business in this European hub

Taking an increasinginterest in the insurancesector, however, it isbanks that are likely tospearhead thepredicated mega-mergeronslaught.

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instance, national airline Alitalia’s woes, wrought bythe strong growth of low-cost carriers in thecountry, simply meant a switch of business fromone Italian company to others and more spare cashfor such considerations as insurance cover.It’s also hoped that all the razzmatazz thatsurrounded the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics willswing the pendulum back in Italian tourism’s favour.Helping too will be the recently created ComitatoNazionale per Il Tourismo (National Committee forTourism) and the recent setting up of a newnational tourism website. Unlike in some countries,Italian tourism has solid backing and commitmentfrom its government and president Romano Prodihas already signalled his sympathy with theindustry’s ongoing needs if it is to realise its truepotential.Inbound tourism at present is mainly centred inthe centre and northeast, around such great citiesas Milan, Rome, Venice and Florence plus the

Italian Lakes and rural Tuscany. Italians, however,intend to head south to the sun, whether it be inItaly’s southern provinces or holidaying abroad.Research by the Touring Club Italiano indicatesthat visitors to Italy are attracted most by culturalconsiderations (33 per cent), environment (27 percent), social (five per cent), family visits (15 percent) and business (20 per cent).

Insurance-minded Italians have been quick to embrace newtechnology and right from the start of thetelecoms revolution have had one of the highestpenetrations of mobile phones in the world. Theworldwide Web is increasingly important in thetravel and related insurance business, thoughmany Italians use this exciting new media more forinformation research purposes than actual bookingneeds and still prefer making their purchase ofholiday products face to face over a travel agencycounter. Despite the accelerating inroads of theInternet, more than half of all package holidaysales are still made in person at travel agents,along with the purchase of key add-ons like travelinsurance and car hire.

There has, however, been increasing consolidationof the agency sector, with franchising having beenthe buzz-word of the past half-decade, and thereis no doubt that the expansion of broadbandtechnology in private homes will increasingly steerbusiness away from the shopping street retailers,with only those companies with a strong

customer-satisfaction orientation likely to survive inthe long run.David Rochester, senior pricing manager at theUK’s Halifax Travel Insurance, believes globalwarming might play a big role in how Italy’stourism future pans out: “Travel insurers acrossEurope need to prepare now for the impact ofclimate change on our travel habits, on where wewant to go and when we want to go there,” hesays, adding, “In the future, people might belooking for a winter holiday in Italy and a summerholiday in Sweden!”According to the recently published Halifax TravelInsurance Holiday 2030 report, Bill McGuire,Benfield professor of geohazards and director of theBenfield Hazard Research Centre, is advising that:“The number of heatwaves occurring in theTuscany region is forecast to rise dramatically. TheAmalfi area will suffer from far more unbearable hotand humid nights, with an additional 35 to 42

‘tropical’ nights when temperatures fall to no lessthan 20˚C. Both these regions are likely to see atleast 20 additional dry days a year, leading toincreased fire risk. “There will also be more flashfloods while long, dry spells will lead to watershortages,” McGuire predicts.Italy is an insurance-minded nation, however. Theoverall demand for insurance products is growing ataround 12 per cent and the ratio of premiums toGDP has increased every year since 1999 and nowstands at more than four per cent. But, with Franceat six per cent and the UK at 10, there is obviouslystill plenty of room for growth.Traditionally, the Italian market has been abattleground for a large number of locally ownedplayers, with no mega companies as there areelsewhere, but this is changing. Leading non-lifecompanies at present include Ras, Sai, Generali andAssitalia but non-Italian companies, especially fromFrance and Germany, are now moving in. Heavilygovernment regulated, the industry is overseen bythe Instituto per Viglanza sulle Assicurazione Privatedi Interesse Collettivo (the Institute for Control ofPrivate Insurance Companies). Taking an increasinginterest in the insurance sector, however, it is banks

that are likely to spearhead thepredicated mega-mergeronslaught.

Fiscal policyIn 2002, insurance premiumscollected by Italian insurersincreased by 14.1 per cent toUS$86,239 million, withUS$32,454 million coming fromcasualty insurance policies, andgrowth has continued sincethen.Back in 1951, Italy was one ofthe six countries that signed theParis Treaty that set Europe off

on the path towards integration and it has been akeen supporter of the united Europe concept eversince. Today the fourth largest economy in Europeand ranked eight in the whole world behind theUS, Japan, Germany, China, India, the UK andFrance, Italy is also the world’s sixth largest exporterof manufactured goods, according to the OECD. Its

economy is based on small and medium sizedcompanies, with few mega corporations and themost important of them, Fiat, in seemingly terminaldecline. A tight fiscal policy, imposed in order tomeet the requirements of the Economic andMonetary Union, has helped Italy benefit fromlowered interest and inflation rates. Italy adoptedthe euro from the new currency’s inception.With its population forecast to decline by a thirdover the next 50 years, largely due to thelowest birth-rate in Europe, Italy is at the heartof the debate over immigration, havingexperienced a wave of incomers from NorthAfrica and the Balkans in recent times. Thereare now said to be more than a millionRomanians – whose language is close to Italian– residing in the country.Life expectancy stands at 77 for men and 83 forwomen, while average income per year is

US$30,010. Unemployment is currently runningat under 10 per cent. National GDP is US$1.3trillion at present, with Germany France, the UK,the US, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium andSwitzerland among the main trading partners.Doing business in Italian calls for good peopleskills. Most Italian business people, especially theyounger ones, now have at least a rudimentarycommand of the English language, however.When doing business, remember that an Italianwill rarely forge a deal with someone he hasnever met face to face, so in order to crack themarket you need to go there in person and pressthe flesh. They are a hospitable, charming peopleand once they are comfortable with you they arerelatively easy to deal with, though bureaucraticprocesses can be irritatingly long and quickresponses to emails are not yet the norm. Fulland accurate documentation is also advisable.

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

WORLDMARKETS 23

… stagnant or declining disposable income levels,the once traditional month-long August vacation hasbecome a thing of the past and Italians are nowmore likely to spend their holiday allowance by takinga series of much shorter breaks, which opensopportunities for those marketing single-trip travelinsurance policies.

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International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

NEWSANALYSIS24

“Is there a doctor onboard?”

Onboard medical incidents can be an anxiousexperience for an afflicted passenger, theircompanions and crew alike. A stricken passenger at30,000 feet is not what any airline wants and thequality of care that can be given is limited. Rulesregarding training of crew, necessary onboardmedical kits and treatment procedures are wellestablished in most countries, and continue to bemonitored and improved upon. But with thedevelopment and imminent arrival of two newaircraft – the Airbus A380, which will carry 550passengers, and the A350, which will have a longerflight capacity than existing aircraft – onboard healthis an issue that is likely to be again in the public eye.

Who governs?Much sickness onboard is thankfully minor. BritishAirways (BA), which carries about 34 millionpassengers a year on about 400,000 flights, reportsthat the most common medical problemsencountered onboard are fainting, diarrhoea,vomiting, bruises and sprains. The most commonpotentially serious problem is chest pain or othersuspected heart problems, while other, moreserious problems, like deep vein thrombosis (DVT)can surface later. But who governs the conduct of onboard health andwhat rules apply? Generally, airlines must complywith the rules of the authority with whom they areregistered. In the UK, for example, the Civil AviationAuthority (CAA) regulates aircraft registered in GreatBritain. “Rules relating to onboard health are laiddown in Europe by the Joint Aviation Authorities(JAA) operations manual, known in the industry asJAR-OPS 1,” explains Dr Raymond Johnston, headof the CAA’s Aviation Health Unit. “This sets outmedical standards for fitness for cabin crew andprovides general guidelines for cabin crew on thetreatment of passengers.” Countries’ individualregulators, like the CAA, can subsequently build on

these minimum standards and enforce their ownadditional requirements for members.An association of representatives of the civil aviationauthorities of various European states who haveagreed to cooperate on safety standards – known asthe European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) – willsoon take over some of the JAA’s work, Dr Johnstonexplained. As a European Union body, the EASA willhave the power of the EU’s lawmaking capacitiesbehind it. “Currently, cabin crew must have basic first aidtraining that is tailored with specific reference towhat can occur on an aircraft,” says Dr Johnston.Some airlines, however, provide additional trainingto that which is required as a minimum standard.BA says its cabin crews undergo rigorous first aidtraining, above and beyond statutoryrequirements, as part of their entrance training.Five days are devoted to learning life-saving

Travel insurance is all well and good, but what if you fall ill during your flight? DianaBentley looks at how well prepared airlines are in case of medical emergency and whereresponsibility for onboard health actually lies

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

NEWSANALYSIS 25

procedures as well as more general first aid skills,and refresher courses must be completedannually. Cabin crews of Singapore Airlinesundergo a four-month training programme thatincludes health and safety. Crews will have specifictraining for the new double-decker A380 craft,including medical and health programmes. Under JAA rules, two different sorts of equipmentmust be used on airlines: a first aid kit that includesbasic medical supplies like bandages and antisepticcleaner, and a medical kit that contains morecomplex equipment and drugs, which can only beused under the supervision of a qualified personsuch as a doctor or a nurse. Many airlines exceedthe minimum requirements laid down by theirrelevant regulator, however.In the UK, semi automated external defibrillators –used in cases of sudden cardiac arrest – do nothave, by law, to be carried onboard an aircraft, butsome airlines stock them by choice. Low-cost orshort haul airlines may not. Since 2004, the FederalAviation Administration of the US has required thatall planes in the country carry defibrillators, thoughsome airlines already did. “Some airlines like Qantasand Virgin Atlantic used them before the US rulescame into force,” says Joan Sullivan Garrett,founder and Chairman of MedAire, the US-headquartered global telemedicine company. “Weregard them here not as medical equipment but aspart of first aid.”Medical standards, however, evolve with medicaldevelopments and with what regulators considerdesirable for passenger safety. Presently, the JAA isreviewing what needs to be carried onboard and itsconclusions are expected later this year.

Handling cases onboard As to who may be especially at risk on a flight, theCAA’s Dr Raymond Johnston says: “The (US-based) Aerospace Medical Association (ASMA) hasgeneral guidelines on fitness to fly, but each airlinehas its own rules, and passengers with healthproblems should ask their airline for advice if theythink they need it.” According to BA, most peoplewith existing medical conditions can fly on acommercial aircraft without any difficulty, but whencabin air pressure is equivalent to an altitude of6,000 to 8,000 feet, special care is sometimesneeded. “Passengers with problems like heartdisease or breathing difficulties should discuss theirjourney with their doctor before booking, and ifthey are flying with us they or their doctor can speakto our Passenger Medical Clearance Unit,” says BA’sDr Mark Popplestone. Onboard, apart from crew training and basicsupplies that may be stipulated by regulators, howairlines respond to a passenger’s illness is up tothem. When the crew does not feel they can handlean incident alone, a call is put out for a `GoodSamaritan’ – a doctor or nurse who may happen tobe onboard and who may offer to help. Such

passengers may fear subsequent legal problems,although airlines like BA indemnify their GoodSamaritans against any legal proceedings that mayarise following the assistance of a passenger. Many airlines now use the services of telemedicinecompanies, which provide immediate advice bysatellite telephone or high frequency radio fromdoctors who are particularly knowledgeable ofairborne conditions. One of the most renowned isPhoenix-based MedAire, which provides a range ofsupport through its MedLink service – from first aid

and medical kits, staff and crew training, airport andin-flight medical advice – for around 90 airlinesincluding Aer Lingus, Air Canada, British Airways,Cathay Pacfic, Delta Airlines, Qantas Airways,Thomas Cook Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways.“All of our doctors are active practitioners and alsoundergo specific training in altitude physiology,” saysSullivan Garrett. MedLink’s medical advice, she says,can be given in over 140 languages throughinterpreters: “Most pilots and crew speak English buttheir proficiency varies. Also, not only do crew andanyone else helping onboard sometimes needinterpreters, but the interpreters must be familiarwith medical terminology.” One dilemma that can arise, points out Sullivan-Garrett, is that an airline may be carrying equipmentthat only medical professionals can use, but no suchprofessional may be onboard, or those that are maynot want to use it. Before taking on clients,therefore, telemedicine companies generally discusswith airlines what they are confident andcomfortable about doing in medical emergencycases. If telemedicine doctors believe an illpassenger needs to be hospitalized or needs urgentmedical attention, it identifies the closest hospital incase the plane needs to be diverted, though insome more isolated parts of the world, findingadequate medical facilities nearby can be a challenge.

Cost-effectiveness Not all airlines have telemedicine services thatrequire expensive onboard satellite communicationssystems. Easyjet, the UK-based low-cost airline, isone airline that sees no need presently to have suchfacilities. “We’re a short haul airline,” says an Easyjetspokesperson. “We don’t have equipment likedefribullators onboard, though we do have standard

first aid kits. And we don’t use a telemedicine serviceas our planes are usually very close to airportswhere we can land if we have a medicalemergency.”This may be reasonable in the case of a short haulairline and it remains the decision of the airline as towhat it will carry onboard. “It’s up to the airlinewhat kind of backup they need and want but a lot ofairlines use telemedicine services and a lot arelooking at them,” says the CAA’s Dr Johnston. Butshould telemedicine services be compulsory? “It’slike any other new treatment or procedure,” hesays. “You have to consider the accumulatedevidence before you make anything mandatory ordecide whether something is an effective – and acost-effective – way to intervene.” Some insurers, too, it seems, are not so concernedabout telemedicine services. “We only expectpeople to receive minimal treatment onboardanyway,” says a spokesperson for BUPA’s travelinsurance arm. “Our policies cover people for beinghospitalized after a diversion, and in cases wherethey can’t get proper treatment we can send adoctor or nurse or an air ambulance.” NorwichUnion – also a travel insurer – has a similarapproach: “Our experience is that airlines take thesafety of their passengers seriously so they will makethe decision that is right for them,” says thecompany’s David Ross.

Flight diversion However minor most onboard illnesses may be,there may well come a time when a passenger mayneed immediate treatment not available onboard.Around one in every 1,000 BA flights is diverted fora medical emergency. “Ultimately, the decision onwhether to divert rests with the captain; however,they’ll take advice from our telemedicine serviceand, potentially, any medical professional onboard,”says BA’s Dr Popplestone. Where a plane decides to

land depends on many factors, such as distancefrom the planned destination, airport facilities –including fuel availability and ground support – andavailable medical facilities, on which telemedicinecompanies also advise. “We have data on 15,000medical facilities in 5,000 cities,” says MedLink’s JoanSullivan Garrett. “So we help the captain with whichairport would be closest to the best facilities for thepatient, but their ground operations people alsoadvise about the airport’s capabilities and otherfactors. It’s not just the health of the ill passengerthat’s at stake but the safety and health of all of theothers.” Once the passenger has been handed overto the care of the airport and local emergencymedical service providers, airlines consider that thepatient is no longer under their care. Bigger planes and those with longer flight capacitymay naturally see an increase in the number ofonboard health incidents. “[Such flights] may be aproblem for those with cardio-vascular problems orproblems like asthma,” says Sullivan-Garrett. Largerplanes also have less ability to make diversions, ascertain airports are too small to accommodate themor do not have the facilities to service them. Recentdevelopments in the aviation world may increasethe need for a review of the treatment of onboardillness, but airlines, thankfully, have a variety ofadvisers apart from their own staff, consultants andregulators. The International Air TransportAssociation (IATA) has a Medical Advisory Group,and the ASMA and the International Academy ofAerospace Medicine (IASM) are also considering theissues presented by new aircraft. Advances in medicine too – including bettermethods of diagnosis – may help in future. “Thereare devices being developed that in the next fiveyears may be able to help with the rapid diagnosisof, for instance, heart attacks,” says Sullivan Garrett.“And these may well be able to make a difference toonboard treatment.”

Crews will have specific

training for the new double-

decker A380 craft, including

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International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

FEATURE26

Air ambulance Part �: HEMS

Helicopters are used for so-called primary andsecondary missions. Predominantly, the aim ofprimary missions is to bring a medical crew as fast aspossible to a patient requiring urgent medicaltreatment. Especially in rural and mountainous areas,helicopters are generally the only means of transportthat is able to guarantee the location, or scene of anaccident, can be reached within the specific timeperiod set by several national medical serviceregulations. Furthermore, a medical indication e.g.spine trauma or crainiocerebral injury (CCI), maketransportation by helicopter necessary to avoid theshocks and vibrations caused by more commonground transportation methods.Secondary missions are ambulance flights where apatient is transported from one hospital to another,typically because he or she is in need of specifictreatment that can only be offered in specialisedinstitutes (i.e. burn injuries). The necessity oftransportation by helicopter is proportional to itstime benefits and gentle transportationcharacteristics, which can be a medical imperative.Most ambulance helicopters are equipped asintensive care vehicles that require a spacious cabinand fully redundant systems.

In the beginningThe utilisation of helicopters for rescue missionsstarted in the armed forces parallel to thedevelopment of helicopter technology. Integrationinto civil rescue systems took place several yearslater, but initially with a low density of operations.Typically, it was only private organisations, however,that provided a practical area-wide solution for anintegrated air rescue system (1970 in Germany,1987 in Great Britain, 1989 in Luxembourg), as thearmed forces or other public organisations weremore concentrated, due to their technical and task-orientated requirements in specific areas such as theopen sea, coastlines or mountains.Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS)providers started with light, single-engine turbinehelicopters, like the Bell Jet/Long Ranger and theAllouette II or III from Sud Aviation. With thedevelopment of the Messerschmitt Bölkow Blohm(MBB) Bo 105 (the first of its kind – a light, twin-engine helicopter using composite materials),however, twin engine helicopters then entered themarket for practical HEMS use, along with a newphilosophy of performance and safety requirements.Nowadays, according to the HEMS philosophy of

the european Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), only(twin-engine) helicopters of performance class 1 –which are designed in case of a single engine failureto be able to continue operations with theremaining engine, as well as in critical situations liketakeoff and landing – may be used for HEMSoperations.

HEMS helicopters in Europe have to fulfil thefollowing requirements as a bare minimum:• Equipment for night flights must be carried ifoperating on a 24-hour basis.• Craft must be of a compact design to be able touse small landing sites in order to position medicalcrew as close as possible to a patient.• Craft must have a large cabin to take requiredmedical equipment, medical crew and a patient ascomfortably and as realistically as possible.• In mountainous and maritime regions, rescuehelicopters should be equipped with a hoist orsimilar equipment to reach needy persons where ahelicopter cannot necessarily land.• The main and tail rotor must have a high positionon the craft to avoid injuries to people walkingclosely around the helicopter while the rotors arestill turning.

• The craft must have low noise capability.

Common HEMS craftSingle-engine helicopters:

While JAA´s HEMS philosophy requiresperformance class 1 helicopters, in the US underthe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and innon-JAA member states (e.g. Switzerland) HEMSoperators successfully function with single enginehelicopters. Those types are characterised by abeneficial relation between take-off mass and engineperformance, high reliability and low operationalcosts. Amazingly, in high mountains they have beenproven reliable and efficient for many years.

Twin-engine helicopters:Eurocopter EC 135This is the most common modern type of HEMShelicopter used for primary bases in Europe. TheEC 135 has replaced the MBB Bo 105 andsurpassed it in profit for HEMS operations.Noteworthy characteristics of this craft are excellentcustomer service from the manufacturer, and the‘Fenestron’ (caged tail rotor), which minimizes thedanger of tail rotor strikes, which can happen whena helicopter is on the ground with its rotors stillturning. Examples of organisations currentlyemploying this model are ADAC, öAMTC (Germanand Austrian Automobil Club), DeutscheRettungsflugwacht (DRF), Air Zermatt, REGA,ANWB, and Mont Blanc Helicopters.

MD 902 Explorer With nearly the same external dimensions as the EC

Especially in rural andmountainous areas�helicopters are generallythe only means oftransport that is able toguarantee the location�or scene of an accident�can be reached withinthe specific time periodset by several nationalmedical serviceregulations�

In modern emergencymedical services(EMS), helicoptersplay an essential life-and cost-saving role,where time andspecial treatment forheavily injured or sickpatients count themost. Peter Moellerand Tim Junk gives anup-to-date guide toEurope’s mostpopular craft

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

FEATURE 27

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

135, but with a bigger cabin, the MD Explorer fromMD Helicopters is very popular for dual use – i.e.both primary and secondary missions. WhileEurocopter uses a conventional tail rotor installed atvery high position on the EC 145 or a Fenestron onthe EC 135, MD uses no tail rotor at all for theExplorer. Instead, the state-of-the-art technologythat is used to control the helicopter around thevertical axis is called NOTAR (NO TAil Rotor). Ituses a vectored air-flow through the tail boom,produced by a high-power internal fan. Theadvantages of this system are obvious: a dramaticdrop in the potential for a ground accident, asubstantial reduction in ambient noise and lessvibration for the patient compared to helicoptersequipped with conventional tail rotor systems. Forthese reasons, the MD Explorer is expected tobecome more and more common for HEMS use.The Explorer is used by organisations such asLuxembourg Air Rescue (LAR), DRF, Knaus

Helicopter, as well as the UK’s Kent AirAmbulance, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and GreatNorth Ambulance.

Agusta A-109The A-109 has been developed into a number ofmission specific configurations since its first flight in1971. Aside from its primary use as executivetransport, it is used widely in medevac, police andpatrol roles worldwide. Previously, medevacconfigured A-109As were based on the standardairframe, but modifications engineered by the USfirm Custom Aircraft Completions resulted in the A-

109 Max, with transverse stretcher stowage andbulged side door transparencies. The landing gearoffers advantages when landing on rocky surfaces inmountainous regions, therefore the A-109 isespacially prominent in Switzerland and Italy.

Eurocopter EC 145Whilst the EC 135 is mainly used for primarymissions, the EC 145 (the first of which was officiallydelivered in 2002) is popular for secondary missionsand the transport of intensive care patients. This isprimarily because of its spacious cabins andcompartment areas, a particularly beneficial feature

when transporting a patient from one hospital toanother. After an international competition, in which,for example, it faced the Agusta A-109K2, it wasselected in December 1997 by France for theSecurité Civile for HEMS operations.

Bell 412The 412 is a member of the UH-1N/Bell 212family, featuring a powerful, four-blade main rotor.Bell claims that the 412EP offers the lowest seat-mile costs in its class and the highest dispatchreliability of any twin-engine helicopter in the worldtoday. The Model 412 was announced on 8September 1978 and it received its FAA certification

on 9 January 1981. After 213 were built in the US,production was transferred to the Mirabel plant inCanada in February 1989. During its life, the original412 has been upgraded several times.

Flight logisticsLight twin-engine helicopters like the EC 135 andthe Agusta 109 are mainly used for primarymissions, whilst bigger helicopters like the EC 145,Bell 412 or Bell 222 are popular for secondarymissions and the transport of intensive care patientsbecause of their spacious cabin and compartmentareas. All of the helicopters listed above travel withina speed bracket of about 220 to 240 kilometres per

hour. Their range is between 500 kilometres and600 kilometres. So, which helicopter will an operator choose to use?To answer this, the operator must weigh up thefollowing factors with the general requirements ofthe craft’s day-to-day operations:

• Cabin size and load capability• Type of operation (primary or secondary missionsor mixed)• Area of operation (flat or mountainous, congestedor non-congested)

• Daylight operations only or 24 hours service • Maintenance costs• Fuel efficiency• Compatibility with existing fleet• Service of the manufacturer (availability of servicestations, spare parts and reliability)Various parts of the world require differentcapabilities for HEMS operations, so an operatorwould be wise to invest in the helicopter best suitedfor any given environment. Helicopter vehicles have proven to be an essentialtool for emergency medicine, their influence anduse having grown steadily for over 30 years.Technological advancements in both ‘power toweight’ and efficiency will continue to push HEMSuse far into the foreseeable future. Whilst it isevident that these aircraft save lives on a daily basis,their use is more than just immediate. Risks andcosts of post-trauma treatment are dramaticallyreduced by the existence and reliability of a well-equipped and effective Helicopter EmergencyMedical Service System.

The necessity oftransportation byhelicopter is proportionalto its time benefits andgentle transportationcharacteristics� whichcan be a medicalimperative�

Helicopter vehicles haveproven to be an essentialtool for emergencymedicine� their influenceand use having grownsteadily for over ��years� Peter Moeller, born in Bonn,

started his helicopter pilot

career in the German

Army’s aviation unit on the

Bell UH 1D. In 1983, he

began work for Air Lloyd as

a helicopter pilot and

instructor in Europe and

Africa, later becoming head of training, and

eventually managing director of the company. He

left in 2006 to start a career with Luxembourg Air

Rescue as chief pilot in the helicopter department

and crew-training manager. He currently has a

total of around 13,500 flight hours.

Every new trip to the coast seems to reveal thelatest wackiest water ‘sports’ activity, and ofteninvolves something inflatable and precarious-looking.Otherwise, vacations today often involve someother precarious ‘fun’ activity, like being catapultedinto the stratosphere in a reverse bungee or scalingnew heights on a rock face. Yes, even your averageholidaymaker can’t help but have a go at the odd bitof off-piste skiing if the challenge arises.So, scuba diving, rock climbing, mountain biking,motor racing, and white water rafting: the holidayactivities of adventurous twenty and thirty-somethings? No, these are what many over 60s areopting for during adrenaline pumping activity holidays.People of all ages and nationalities are increasinglylooking for risk and excitement on holiday. Thereare, in fact, two variations: those who take part inthese activities while at a conventional beach, skior country resort, and those who go for a specificadventure holiday. In researching this feature, Iencountered specialist holidays which sound likethe fevered imagination of comedy sketch writers,including gorilla tracking, rain forest canopywalking, walking up Sydney Harbour Bridge, duneand wadi bashing, mud buggying, cage shark diving

and parapenting.This trend offers both problems and opportunitiesfor travel insurers. The traditional way of dealingwith risky activities is to have a long list of what isincluded, and an even longer list of what isexcluded. Trying to pick up activities that may be orcould be dangerous but are not specificallyexcluded can be done by various clauses andexclusions precluding cover for any dangerousactivities. Listing activities is much fairer, and causes

less of a problem with regard to claims andconsumer bodies.

Rising to the challengeIncreasing numbers of people of all ages are seekingout an active and challenging lifestyle and might notstop to consider whether their travel insurancecovers them for a particular sport or activity. Theycan be tempted to try something new while awayon holiday, seeking out specialist activities that they

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

FEATURE28

DDaannggeerroouuss ttiimmeess:: sport for all

Vacations would not

be vacations without

today’s obligatory stint

on the local bungee

jump or rapids run.

But it’s not just twenty

year-olds that are

flinging themselves

from bridges in search

of holiday thrills. Ian

Youngman finds out

who’s covered

The traditional way of dealing with risky activities is

to have a long list of what is included, and an even

longer list of what is excluded.

cannot do at home, without making sure they haveadequate cover. This trend will undoubtedly causearguments between customers and insurers as towhat is or is not covered. What is also likely is anincrease in disputes where customers blame travelagents, event organisers, travel insurers, andintermediaries, for not making it clear what activitiesinsurance did or did not cover. It is almost inevitablethat when someone is killed or seriously injuredduring a ‘dangerous’ activity, which insurance doesnot cover, but where insurance was available, thefamily will take legal action against intermediaries ortravel agents for failing to offer this protection.Insurers around the world have a common attitudeto dangerous’ activities: they exclude them. The USand the UK lead the way in recognising the need forwider cover, however. This is done in three ways –a wider range of activities included in standard travelpolicies, a wider range of activities that will becovered on request, and the rise of specialist coversaimed specifically at groups of ‘dangerous’ activities.In the US and the UK, for example, travellers canchoose from 500 or more policies from over ahundred suppliers. In others, there may be as few asa dozen insurers, mostly being unwilling to cover‘dangerous’ activities. Nevertheless, many holidaymakers travelling frommajor countries can arrange cover for the activitiesthey will or might be doing in advance of their trip.Others will not know until they reach a destination,what activities they can or might do, so requestextra cover when there. People travelling fromcountries where they cannot arrange cover inadvance can look for specialist cover at theirdestination, if it is available.

Hazardous terrainWinter sports insurance has become more refinedas skiers are getting more adventurous and needcover for more hazardous pursuits. There are manyinsurers offering winter sports cover, and plentyoffering specialist cover for higher risk winter sports.The type of activities that standard travel policies willcover, with or without a winter sports extension,normally includes such things as cross-country skiing,glacier walking or trekking and dog sledding. Otheractivities such as heli skiing and off-piste snowboarding and skiing are available within winter sportscover, but some are only on offer from specialisttravel insurers. Insurers vary greatly on what isautomatically covered, what can be covered forextra premium, and what can only be covered byspecialist policies. Activities that are usually excludedfrom standard and winter sports polices, and thatare generally only covered by specialist ‘dangeroussports’ insurers include bob sleighing, ice hockey andski jumping.Off the slopes, and taking typical travel policies frommajor insurers, there are standard exclusions thatare apparent. Insurers are generally not prepared toconsider covering certain activities even foradditional premium. These include canoeing, polo,pot holing, scuba diving and sky diving. But for eachinsurer, what is or is not specifically excludedappears extremely random. There is a strongsuspicion that in some cases underwriters have satdown and excluded all the ‘dangerous’ activities they

can think of, while others have added exclusionsonly after a claim on that activity has happened.Where insurers try to protect themselves is acatchall exclusion. In an era where insurers have tobe seen to treat customers fairly and lawyers argueagainst ‘blanket’ exclusions and restrictions – whichare weighted in favour of the insurer – these canbecome a publicity disaster. Such wording usuallyeffectively excludes any especially hazardous pursuitsor activity. Some try to soften the exclusion bysaying that the exclusion does not apply to holidayactivities where experts employed by a localorganiser give the traveller tuition.

Caught in the middleBetween the specialists and the mainstreaminsurers are those with substantial travel portfolioswhere they are not the carrier, but use one ormore insurers. They seek to include activities,which are riskier than lying on the beach, but notvery dangerous. Normally included activities couldbe jet skiing, rowing, rollerblading or skating andwater skiing.The attitudes of specialist travel insurers and theirpolicies are often very different from the largerinsurance groups for whom travel is one of manylines. One leading travel insurance specialistautomatically covers over 40 adventure sportsincluding bungee jumping, jet skiing, scuba diving andwhite water rafting. Another, for those over 50,automatically protects leisure activities includingcanoeing, snorkeling, sailing, jet skiing, surfing,trampolining, hill and fell walking and cycling.Yet another travel specialist lists one hundred‘dangerous’ activities. Some they includeautomatically, others they will include on requestand for extra premium. Most of these activitiesthey will cover for medical expenses only, oftenwith excess, but not personal accident orpersonal liability.At the two heat extremes of ‘dangerous sports’ arewinter sports and safari activities. While we havealready looked at cover for those heading to colderclimes, it would appear that safari adventures arecertainly becoming mainstream as more and moreoperators add Africa to their programmes: gorillatrekking in Uganda, open vehicle game drives allover Africa, mokoro canoe rides in the OkavangoDelta, bush walks all over Africa, and shark cagediving in South Africa, to name but a few, are nottrips that are hard to find these days.Regarding claims, figures are scarce, but there arereports from insurers warning people to take care,get fit, and to check their cover. Many ‘dangerous’activities are probably less risky, however, than‘traditional’ holiday ones of drunken diving intoswimming pools from hotel balconies.

Opportunity aboundsAlthough a few insurers, almost all in the Londonmarket, offer special travel insurance for ‘dangerous ‘activities, this is an underserved niche. In manycountries, there is nowhere for people who wantsuch travel insurance to buy cover for theseactivities, and in others, the travel insuranceindustry and wording are relatively unsophisticated,so policy wordings are very vague on what is or is

not covered.The evidence suggests that there are several thingsthat insurers could or should do. If they do notwant to cover, at any price, ‘dangerous’ activities,they should make policies, brochures and alladvertising very clear as to what is or is notcovered. Those who want to get extra premium bycovering these activities should also make it veryclear what they will cover, for what price, and whatlimitations apply. Both categories need to ensurethat all agents, intermediaries and travel agents

know precisely what is, can and cannot be covered;and tell their customers.There is undoubtedly premium opportunity forinsurers who want to cover these special activitieswhich so many more people are now undertakingon holiday. For holidaymakers who only decide tobe adventurous when they get to their location, orwho cannot get insurance in advance, there aresurely also opportunities for insurers to offerinsurance at the destination.

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

FEATURE 29

Insurers vary greatly on what is automatically

covered, what can be covered for extra premium,

and what can only be covered by specialist policies.

AIR AMBULANCE cont.

1. Air Ambulance

2. Assistance Companies

3. Air Ambulance Interior

4. Cost Containment

5. Claims Management

6. Critical Care Patient Transport

7. Funeral Directors

8. Healthcare Clinics

9. Hospitals

10. Medical Escort on Commercial Airlines

11. Medical Provider

12. Medical Screening

13. Re-insurance

14. Travel Agents

CATEGORY KEY

Pacific Flight Services Pte Ltd Katherine Yeo – Assistant Marketing Mgr

ST Aerospace Engineering Bldg charter_flight@pacific.net.sgSeletar West Camp www.fly-pfs.comSeletar Airport Tel: +65 6481 3756797796 Fax: +65 6482 1727SINGAPORE

South Pacific Air Ambulance Scotty Watson – Managing Director

NEW ZEALAND ops@spaanz.co.nzAUSTRALIA Tel: +649 256 9000SINGAPORE Fax: +649 256 9111

EUROPE

Air Ambulance Worldwide Inc. Mark Jones – President

35246 US Hwy 19 North mjones31@tampabay.rr.com#210 www.airambulanceworldwide.comPalm Harbor Tel: +1 727 781 1198Florida 34684 Fax: +1 727 786 0897USA

Augsburg Air Ambulance Roland Schoberth – Director

Roseggerstr 17 info@ambulanzflugdienst.deD-86368 www.ambulanzflugdienst.deGersthofen Tel: +49 821 299 1020GERMANY Tel: +49 821 299 2030

AeroMed 365 Paul Golder – Commercial Director

Worth Corner Business Centre paul.golder@aeromed365.comTurners Hill Road www.aeromed365.comPound Hill Tel: +44 8707 596 999Crawley RH10 7SL Fax: +44 8707 559599UK

Air Medical Ltd Glenn Salt – Flight Operations Manager

Oxford Airport operations@airmed.co.ukKidlington www.airmed.co.ukOxfordshire Tel: +44 1865 842 887OX5 1QX Tel: +44 1865 370 642UK

DRF German Air Rescue Frank Spirgatis – Director, Fixed Wing

Raiffeisenstr 32 frank.spirgatis@drf.de70794 Filderstadt www.german-air-rescue.deGERMANY Tel (24hr): +49 711701070

Fax: +49 711701071

Euro-flite Air Ambulance Juani Missonen – Coordinator

Helsinki International Airport juhani.missonen@jetflite.fiPO Box 187 Tel: +358 20510 1900FIN-01531 Fax: +358 20510 1901VantaaFINLAND

EMC Meditrans Servé de Klerk – President

Hoevestein 23 info@emc.nlPostbus 4190 www.emc.nl4900 CD Tel: +31 162 496 000Oosterhout Fax: +31 8 42 24 64 86THE NETHERLANDS

FAI – rent-a-jet AG Volker Lemke – Director Sales & Marketing

Flughafenstrasse 100 lemke@fai-ag.deD-90268 Nuremberg www.rent-a-jet.deGERMANY Tel: +49 911 36009 31

Fax: +49 911 36009 59

Global Medical Support Otto Karud – Marketing Director

Ullevaal University Hospital gms@snla.no0407 Oslo www.globalmedicalsupport.comNORWAY Tel: +47 22 96 50 50

Telfax: +47 22 96 50 51

IFRA Bernhard Fantner – Assistant to Director

Bahnhofplatz 13/5 office@ifra.atPOB 160 www.ifra.at3500 Krems Tel: +43 2732 825 610AUSTRIA Fax: +43 2732 851 01

1. AIR AMBULANCE

AFRICA

Air Ambulance Worldwide Inc. Mark Jones – President

35246 US Hwy 19 North mjones31@tampabay.rr.com#210 www.airambulanceworldwide.comPalm Harbor Tel: +1 727 781 1198Florida 34684 Fax: +1 727 786 0897USA

AMREF Flying Doctor Service Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director

Wilson Airport emergency@flydoc.orgLangataRoad www.amref.orgPO Box 18617 Tel: +254 20 600 090Nairobi Fax: +254 20 344 170KENYA

Netcare 911 Aeromedical Shane Marais

Netcare 911 House flight@traumalink.co.za49 New Road www.netcare911.co.zaHalfway House Tel: +27 11 254 1392Midrand 1685 Fax: +27 11 254 1405SOUTH AFRICA

AUSTRALASIA

Air Ambulance Worldwide Inc. Mark Jones – President

35246 US Hwy 19 North mjones31@tampabay.rr.com#210 www.airambulanceworldwide.comPalm Harbor Tel: +1 727 781 1198Florida 34684 Fax: +1 727 786 0897USA

Asia Assistance Partners Siriporn Wongurai – Int Ops Director

184/235 Forum Tower aapartners@anet.net.th36th Flr Ratchadapisek Rd www.aapartners.netHuaykwang Tel: +662 645 3733-5Bangkok 10320 Fax: +662 645 3732THAILAND

Asia Medical Assistance Abhijeet Sachdev – Vice President

DLF City-ll asiamedassist@vsnl.netM.G Road www.privathealthcaregroup.comNew Delhi Tel: +91 9899 198 198Gurgaon 122002 Fax: +91 1242 235 2527INDIA

CareFlight International Colin Robshaw – Co-ordinator

Westmead Hospital Campus international@careflight.orgPO Box 159 www.careflight.orgWestmead Tel: +61 1300 655 855NSW 2145 Fax: +61 2 4751 2995AUSTRALIA

Medical Wings Jarin Kiatfuengfoo – Director

222 Room 3602 m.w@medicalwings.comBangkok Int Airport www.medicalwings.comViphavadeo-Rangsit Rd Tel: +662 247 3392Sikan, Donmuang Fax: +662 535 4355Bangkok 10210, THAILAND

Mediflight Debra O’Brien – Operations Manager

Royal Adelaide Hospital info@mediflight.com.auNorth Terrace www.mediflight.com.auAdelaide Tel: +61 8 8223 6618SA 5000 Fax: +61 8 8223 6340AUSTRALIA

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

SERVICEDIRECTORY 30 To have your company listed in the Service Directory email: dave@itij.co.uk

AIR AMBULANCE cont. AIR AMBULANCE cont.Jet Executive International Charter Günter Krahé – Ground Ops Manager

Mündelheimer Weg 50 sales@jetexecutive.comD-40472 www.jetexecutive.comDüsseldorf Tel: +49 211 602 7775GERMANY Fax: +49 211 602 77766“Homebase Frankfurt/Main”

Luxembourg Air Ambulance Andy Breeden – Operations

175A, rue de Cessange info@air-ambulance.luL-1321 www.air-ambulance.luLUXEMBOURG Tel (24 hr): +352 420 440 1

Fax: +352 420 440 366

Med Call GmbH Michael Diefenbach – CEO

Bahnhofstrasse 22 info@medcallgmbh.com65185 www.medcallgmbh.comWiesbaden Tel: +49 611 9310 310GERMANY Fax: +49 611 9310 311

Medical Jet Services & Partner W Dichtl

Radetzkystr 19 office@medicaljetservice.comVienna www.medicaljetservice.com1030 Tel: +43 1 713 2799AUSTRIA Fax: +43 1 713 2799-19

Red Star Aviation Mustafa Atac – CEO

Sabiha Gokcen Int Airport redstar@redstar-aviation.comJ Blok Kurtkoy 34912 www.redstar-aviation.comIstanbul Tel: +90 216 588 0216TURKEY Fax: +90 216 588 0225

Swiss Air Ambulance/REGA Walter Stunzi – PR/Marketing Mgr

PO Box 1414 ops@rega.chZurich Airport www.rega.chCH-8058 Tel: +41 333 333 333SWITZERLAND Fax: +41 44 654 3590

Tyrol Air Ambulance Jakob Ringler – Managing Director

PO Box 81 taa@taa.atA-6026 www.taa.atInnsbruck Airport Tel: +43 512 224 220AUSTRIA Fax: +43 512 288 888

NORTH AMERICA

Aerojet Stuart Hayman – President

4631 NW 31st Ave #220 info@aero-jet.comFt Lauderdale www.aero-jet.comFL 33309 Tel: +1 954 730 9300USA Fax: +1 954 485 6564

Air Ambulance Professionals, Inc. Brian L. Weisz – President

Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport sales@airambulanceprof.com1535 South Perimeter Rd www.airambulanceprof.comHangar 36B Ft. Lauderdale Tel: +1 954 491 0555Florida 33309 Fax: +1 954 491 6114USA

Air Ambulance Specialists, Inc. Donald Jones – President

8001 S.Interport Blvd. info@airaasi.comSuite 250 www.airaasi.comEnglewood Toll Free: +1 800 424 7060CO 80111 Tel: +1 720 875 9182USA Fax: +1 720 875 9183

Air Ambulance Worldwide Inc. Mark Jones – President

35246 US Hwy 19 North mjones31@tampabay.rr.com#210 www.airambulanceworldwide.comPalm Harbor Tel: +1 727 781 1198Florida 34684 Fax: +1 727 786 0897USA

AirMed International LLC Cindy Horvath – Clinical Care Co-ordinator

1000 Urban Center Drive chorvath@airmed.comSuite 470, Birmingham www.airmed.comAL 35242 Tel: +1 205 443 4840USA Fax: +1 205 443 4841

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

SERVICEDIRECTORY 31call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 To make an alteration to a listing email: dave@itij.co.uk

Air Trek Air Ambulance David Bump – Vice President

28000 A-5 Airport Road airtrek@sunline.netPunta Gorda www.medjets.comFL 33982 Toll free: +1 800 633 5387USA Tel: +1 941 639 7855

American Care Air Ambulance Joel Reynolds – General Manager

8775 Aero Drive americancareair@aol.comSuite 120 www.americancareairambulance.comSan Diego Tel: +1 858 627 0515CA 92123 Fax: +1 858 627 0534USA

Canadian Global Air Ambulance Jeff McIntosh – President

Toronto jmcintosh@canadianglobalair.caWinnipeg www.canadianglobalair.caVancouver Toll Free: +1 800 563 3822CANADA Tel: +1 204 888 5555

Fax: +1 204 888 9111

JET ICU Carlos Elcoro– International Program Director

15725 Fairchild Drive email@jeticu.comClearwater www.jeticu.comFL 33762 Tel: +1 877 453 8428USA Tel: +1 727 524 9825

Fax: +1 727 524 9826

National Air Ambulance George Martinez– Mgr Flight Co-ordination

3495 SW 9th Ave enquiry@nationalairambulance.comFort Lauderdale www.nationalairambulance.comFL 33315 Tel: +1 954 359 9900USA Fax: +1 954 359 9500

Skyservice Air Ambulance David Ewing – VP Int. Market Development

YUL/Trudeau Int Airport skyservicemiami@aol.com9785 Avenue Ryan www.skyservice.comMontreal (Quebec) Tel: +1 514 497 7000H9P 1A2 Fax: +1 514 636 0096CANADA

2. ASSISTANCE COMPANIESAFRICA

AMREF Flying Doctor Service Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director

Wilson Airport emergency@flydoc.orgLangata Road www.amref.orgPO Box 18617 Tel: +254 20 600 090Nairobi Fax: +254 20 344 170KENYA

Connex Assistance Egypt Lara Helmi – Int Network Director

Office II info@connexassistance.comIst Floor www.connexassistance.com6 Sad El Aali Street Tel (24hr): +2 02 336 0005Dokki, Cairo Fax (24hr): +2 02 762 0003EGYPT

Netcare 911 Aeromedical Shane MaraisNetcare 911 House flight@traumalink.co.za49 New Road www.netcare911.co.zaHalfway House Tel: +27 11 254 1392Midrand 1685 Fax: +27 11 254 1405SOUTH AFRICA

AUSTRALASIA

Asia Assistance Partners Siriporn Wongurai – Int Ops Director

184/235 Forum Tower aapartners@anet.net.th36th Flr Ratchadapisek Rd www.aapartners.netHuaykwang Tel: +662 645 3733-5Bangkok 10320 Fax: +662 645 3732THAILAND

Asia Medical Assistance Abhijeet Sachdev – Vice President

DLF City-ll asiamedassist@vsnl.netM.G Road www.privathealthcaregroup.comNew Delhi Tel: +91 9899 198 198Gurgaon 122002 Fax: +91 1242 235 2527INDIA

Blue Dot Assistance Dr Faustinus Wirasadi– President Director

Blue Dot Center bluedot.assistance@idn.co.idBlok K, L, M www.idn.co.idJl Gelong Baru Utara 5-8 Tel: +62 21 5696 2399Tomang, Jakarta Barat 1440 Fax: +62 21 5696 2499INDONESIA

2. ASSISTANCE COMPANIES cont. ASSISTANCE COMPANIES cont.

MK International Emergency Services Minas Kaloumenos – General Manager

95, Ioanninon Street mkassist@hol.gr10444 Athens Tel: +30 210 5154600GREECE Fax: +30 210 5131660

SER Assistance Ltd. Dr S Zareceansky – Gen Mgr & Director

50/2206 Dizengoff Street serasist@netvision.net.ilDizengoff Tower Tel: +972 544 370 00264332 Tel-Aviv Fax: +972 362 919 91ISRAEL

SOS International Helle Drager – Marketing Manager

Nitivej 6 sos@sos.dkDK-2000 www.sos.dkFrederiksberg Tel: +45 7010 5055Copenhagen Fax: +45 7010 5056DENMARK

TBS Team 24 d.o.o Edvard Hojnik – General Manager

Ljubljanska Ulica 42 info@tbs-team24.com2000 Maribor www.tbs-team24.comSLOVENIJA Tel: +386 2618 2301(Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Fax: +386 2618 5800Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro, Kosovo )

NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA

ASISTUR Emilio Guevara – Managing Director

Prado 208 asisten@asistur.cue/ Colon y Trocadero www.asistur.cuHabana Vieja Tel: +537 8664499Ciudad Habana 10100 Fax: +537 8668087CUBA

Assured Assistance Inc. Martha Turnbull – Director of Operations

6880 Financial Drive martha.turnbull@rbc.comMississauga Tel: +1 905 816 2495Ontario Fax: +1 905 813 4719L5N 7Y5CANADA

CMN Inc. Peter Lozier – Vice President

140 Renfrew Drive plozier@canmednet.comSuite 103 Markham www.canmednet.comOntario Tel: +1 905 669 4333L3R 6B3 Fax: +1 905 669 2221CANADA

Global Excel Management Brian Allatt – CEO

73 Queen Street corpinfo@globalexcel.caLennoxville, Quebec www.globalexcel.caJIM IJ3, CANADA Tel: +1 866 566 11304242 Cranmore Court Fax: +1 819 566 8335Belle Isle, Fl 32812, USA

Medex Assistance Corporation Linda McGee – SVP of Sales

8501 LaSalle Road info@medexassist.comSuite 200 www.medexassist.comBaltimore Tel: +1 410 453 6300MD 21286 Fax: +1 410 453 6301USA

OneWorld Assist Taka Katsube – Dir Assist & Cost Mngment

10th Floor tkat@oneworldassist.com6081 No.3 Road www.oneworldassist.comRichmond, BC Tel: +1 604 303 2113V6Y 2B2 Fax: +1 604 276 4593CANADA

TMCA Margaret Whartom – Ops Manager

217 Broadway margaret@tmcatravel.comSuite 600 www.tmcatravel.comNYC Tel: +1 212 964 8580NY 10007 Fax: +1 212 406 1520USA

World Travel Protection Canada Inc. Dr Ron Mayer – President & Chf Med Officer

400 University Avenue ron.mayer@wtp.ca15th Floor www.wtp.caToronto Tel: +1 416 977 3565Ontario M5G IS7 Fax: +1 416 205 4676CANADA

Customer Care Pty Ltd Janine Benson – Operations Manager

Level 3 janineb@customercare.com.au60 Miller Street www.customercare.com.auNorth Sydney 2060 Tel: +612 9202 8222NSW Fax: +612 9202 8220AUSTRALIA

Global Assistance & Healthcare Mario Babin – Chief Executive Officer

Jalan Pattimura global@global-assistance.net15 Kebayoran Baru www.global-assistance.netJakaita Tel: +62 21 725 811512110 Fax: +62 21 725 7961INDONESIA

First Assistance Mary-Jo McDonald – General Manager

PO Box 17-310 rescue@firstassistance.co.nzGreenlane www.firstassistance.co.nzAuckland Tel: +64 9 356 1650NEW ZEALAND Fax: +64 9 525 1278

Medical Wings Jarin Kiatfuengfoo – Director

222 Room 3602 m.w@medicalwings.comBangkok Int Airport www.medicalwings.comViphavadeo-Rangsit Rd Tel: +662 247 3392Sikan, Donmuang Fax: +662 535 4355Bangkok 10210 THAILAND

South Pacific Air Ambulance Scotty Watson – Managing Director

NEW ZEALAND ops@spaanz.co.nzAUSTRALIA Tel: +649 256 9000SINGAPORE Fax: +649 256 9111

EUROPE & THE MEDITERRANEAN

ARC Transistance Hans Biekmann – Network Director

11 Avenue Pleiades hans.biekmann@arctransistance.comB-1200 Brussels www.arctransistance.comBELGIUM Tel: +32 2 776 04 70

Fax: +32 2 776 04 99

Atlantic Assist Adriano Gouveia – Operations Manager

Rua da Alfandega 10-2.D info@atlanticassist.comPO Box 750 www.atlanticassist.com9000-056 Funchal Tel: +351 291 214 200Madeira Fax: +351 291 214 202PORTUGAL

Express Assist Vardan Azatian – General Director

11-th Radialnaya, 2 eac@expressassist.ru115404 www.expressassist.ruMoscow Tel: +7 495 775 2090RUSSIA Fax: +7 495 775 2091

Global Voyager Assistance Costas Danilenko – CEO

PO Box II cdanilenko@gvassistance.com125124 www.gvassistance.comMoscow Tel: +7 495 775 0999RUSSIA Fax: +7 495 775 0998

Life Assistance Igor A Striganov – General Director

Engineernaya St. 24h@lifeassist.ru12A www.lifeassist.ru127410, Moscow Tel: +7 495 755 5678RUSSIA Fax: +7 495 631 0465

Mapfre Asistencia Pablo Alvert Sanz – Dep Reg Dir Europe

Sor Ángela de la Cruz, 6 palvert@mapfre.com28020 Madrid www.mapfreasistencia.comSPAIN Tel: +34 91 581 1320

Fax: +34 91 581 1850

Marm Assistance Jill Atac – CEO

Sabiha Gokcen Int Airport marm@marmassistance.comJ Blok Kurtkoy 34912 www.marmassistance.comIstanbul Tel: +90 216 588 0588TURKEY Fax: +90 216 588 0602

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

SERVICEDIRECTORY 32 To have your company listed in the Service Directory email: dave@itij.co.uk

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

SERVICEDIRECTORY 33call +44 (0) 117 925 5151 To make an alteration to a listing email: dave@itij.co.uk

4. COST CONTAINMENTAir Ambulance Technology Egon Kuntner – President

A-5282 aat@airambulancetechnology.comRanshofen www.airambulancetechnology.comAUSTRIA Tel: +43 7722 85051

Fax: +43 7722 85051-22

EUROPE

ChargeCare International Philip Marshall – Director of Operations

PO Box 18 admin@chargecare.co.ukHolsworthy www.chargecare.co.ukEX22 7WB Tel: +44 1409 261 368UK Fax: +44 1409 261 633

M & V Administrators GmbH Jennifer Venables – Corp. Ops Director

Obergütschstrasse 33 jennifervenables@mv-administrators.comPostfach 7622 www.mv-administrators.comCH-6003 Luzern Tel: +41 41 210 6040SWITZERLAND Fax: +41 41 210 6039

Marm Assistance Jill Atac – CEO

Sabiha Gokcen Int Airport marm@marmassistance.comJ Blok Kurtkoy 34912 www.marmassistance.comIstanbul Tel: +90 216 588 0588TURKEY Fax: +90 216 588 0602

OneWorld Assist Jeanette Harper – Business Dev. Manager

PO Box 419 jhar@oneworldassist.comFleet www.oneworldassist.comGU51 9AY Tel: +44 7786 982 624UK Fax: +44 1252 627 391

NORTH AMERICA

CMN Inc. Peter Lozier – Vice President

140 Renfrew Drive plozier@canmednet.comSuite 103 Markham www.canmednet.comOntario Tel: +1 905 669 4333L3R 6B3 Fax: +1 905 669 2221CANADA

Global Excel Management Brian Allatt – CEO

73 Queen Street, Lennoxville corpinfo@globalexcel.caQuebec, JIM 1J3, CANADA www.globalexcel.ca4242 Cranmore Court Tel: +1 866 566 1130Belle Isle, FL 32812 Fax: +1 819 566 8335USA

Global Medical Management Raija Itzchaki – Assistant VP Marketing

7901 SW 36th Street contact@gmmusa.comSuite 100 www.gmmusa.comDavie Tel: +1 954 370 6404FL 33328 Fax: +1 954 370 8613USA

Health Systems International Peggy Novotny – VP / Gen Mng. Int Bus.

5975 Castle Creek Parkway pnovotny@us-hsi.comSuite 100 www.us-hsi.comIndianapolis Tel: +1 317 806 2000IN 46250 Fax: +1 317 806 2033USA

Hygeia Corporation Joe Radigan – Chief Operating Officer

15500 New Barn Road j.radigan@hygeia.netSuite 200 www.hygeia.netMiami Lakes Tel: +1 305 594 9291FL 33014 Fax: +1 305 594 9201USA

Medsave USA Jeffrey Baker – President

1400 Old Country Road jbaker@medsaveusa.comSuite 109 www.medsaveusa.comWestbury Tel: +1 516 622 1784NY 11590 Fax: +1 516 294 6761USA

TMCA Margaret Whartom – Ops Manager

217 Broadway margaret@tmcatravel.comSuite 600 www.tmcatravel.comNYC Tel: +1 212 964 8580NY 10007 Fax: +1 212 406 1520USA

5. CLAIMS MANAGEMENT

Global Assistance & Healthcare Nathan Hannah – TPA Mgr Asia/Pac

Jalan Pattimura nathan.hannah@global-assistance.net15 Kebayoran Baru www.global-assistance.netJakaita Tel: +62 21 725 811512110 Fax: +62 21 725 8951INDONESIA

Global Excel Management Brian Allatt – CEO

73 Queen Street, Lennoxville corpinfo@globalexcel.caQuebec, JIM 1J3, CANADA www.globalexcel.ca4242 Cranmore Court Tel: +1 866 566 1130Belle Isle, FL 32812 Fax: +1 819 566 8335USA

6. CRITICAL CARE PATIENT TRANSPORT

EUROPE

Lufthansa German Airlines Doris Ehring – Product & Process Management

FRA SQ/B ksfxrmed@dlh.deFrankfurt Airport Tel: +49 561 9933 7020D-60546 Fax: +49 561 9933 117GERMANY

7. FUNERAL DIRECTORS

Funeralcare International Roger Waddington

221 Upper Richmond Road funeralcare.international@letsco-operate.comPutney Tel: +44 20 8788 5303London SW15 6SQ Fax: +44 20 8788 2525UK

Global Networks Funeral Assistance Cristina Almudi – Managing Director

23 Blindmans Lane info@gnfa.infoCheshunt www.gnfa.infoHertfordshire, EN8 9DR Tel: +44 1992 640 066UK Fax: +44 1992 785 030

MK Funeral & Transportation Services Minas Kaloumenos – General Manager

95, Ioanninon Street mkassist@hol.gr10444 Athens Tel: +30 210 5154600GREECE Fax: +30 210 5131660

Rowland Brothers International Melanie Walkling – Manager Int. Dept

299-305 Whitehorse Road info@rowlandbrothersinternational.co.ukWest Croydon www.rowlandbrothersinternational.co.ukSurrey Tel: +44 20 8684 2324CR0 2HR Fax: +44 20 8684 8000UK

Servilusa Vanda Castro – Manager Int Dept

Agencias Funerarias SA internacional@servilusa.ptInternational Dept. www.servilusa.ptRua do Entreposto Industrial Tel: +35 121 470 63008-2 Esq, 2610-135 Amadora Fax: +35 121 470 6499PORTUGAL

8. HEALTHCARE CLINICS

Number One Health Group Dr Charlie Easmon – Director

1 Harley Street info@numberonehealth.co.ukLondon www.numberonehealth.co.ukW1G 9QD Tel: +44 207 307 8756UK Fax: +44 207 504 3758

Privat Travel Clinics Abhijeet Sachdev – Vice President

DLF City-ll sos@privathealthcaregroup.comM.G Road www.privathealthcaregroup.comNew Delhi Tel: +91 9899 198 198Gurgaon 122002 Fax: +91 124 235 3794INDIA

International Travel Insurance Journal www.itij.co.uk

SERVICEDIRECTORY 34 To have your company listed in the Service Directory email: dave@itij.co.uk

10. MEDICAL ESCORT ON COMM AIRLINES cont.EMC Meditrans Servé de Klerk – President

Hoevestein 23 info@emc.nlPostbus 4190 www.emc.nl4900 CD Tel: +31 162 496 000Oosterhout Fax: +31 8 42 24 64 86THE NETHERLANDS

Voyageur Aeromedical Travel Marc Lucus – General Manager

Voyageur Buildings marc@voyageur.co.uk43 Colston Street www.voyageur.co.ukBristol BS1 5AX Tel: +44 (0)117 927 3554UK Fax: +44 (0)117 925 5940

NORTH AMERICA

Air Ambulance Worldwide Inc. Mark Jones – President

35246 US Hwy 19 North mjones31@tampabay.rr.com#210 www.airambulanceworldwide.comPalm Harbor Tel: +1 727 781 1198Florida 34684 Fax: +1 727 786 0897USA

American Care Air Ambulance Joel Reynolds – General Manager

8775 Aero Drive americancareair@aol.comSuite 120 www.americancareairambulance.comSan Diego Tel: +1 858 627 0515CA 92123 Fax: +1 858 627 0534USA

11. MEDICAL PROVIDER

AMREF Flying Doctor Service Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director

Wilson Airport emergency@flydoc.orgLangata Road www.amref.orgPO Box 18617 Tel: +254 20 600 090Nairobi Fax: +254 20 344 170KENYA

Atlantic Assist Adriano Gouveia – Operations Manager

Rua da Alfandega 10-2.D info@atlanticassist.comPO Box 750 www.atlanticassist.com9000-056 Funchal Tel: +351 291 214 200Madeira Fax: +351 291 214 202PORTUGAL

12. MEDICAL SCREENING

Travel & Medical Insurance Services Michael J Turner – MD

1st Flr Suite, West House sales@travelandmedical.net46 High Street www.travelandmedical.netOrpington, Kent Tel: +44 845 058 8000BR6 0JQ Fax: +44 845 053 3000UK

Travel Screen Sandra Howell – General Manager

The Seedbed Centre info@travelscreen.co.ukVanguard Way www.travelscreen.co.ukShoeburyness Tel: +44 1702 587 007Essex SS3 9QY Fax: +44 1702 584 731UK

13. RE-INSURANCE

Crispin Speers & Partners ltd David Stirling – Marketing Manager

St Clare House david.stirling@cspinsurance.com30-33 Minories www.cspinsurance.comLondon EC3N 1PE Tel: +44 20 7977 5700UK Fax: +44 20 7702 9276

14. TRAVEL AGENTS

Voyageur Aeromedical Travel Marc Lucus – General Manager

Voyageur Buildings marc@voyageur.co.uk43 Colston Street www.voyageur.co.ukBristol BS1 5AX Tel: +44 (0)117 927 3554UK Fax: +44 (0)117 925 5940

9. HOSPITALS

ASIABangkok Medical Center Jane Bailey – Int Marketing Executive

International Medical Center jane@bgh.co.th2, Soi Soonvijai 7 www.bangkokhospital.comNew Petchburi Road Tel: +66 2310 3460Bangkok 10320 Fax: +66 2310 3367THAILAND

Privat Hospital Abhijeet Sachdev – Vice President

DLF City-ll sos@privathealthcaregroup.comM.G Road www.privathealthcaregroup.comNew Delhi Tel: +91 9899 198 198Gurgaon 122002 Fax: +91 124 235 3794INDIA

Wockhardt Hospitals Pradeep Thukral– Head International Marketing

Mulund Goregaon Link Road pthukral@wockhardt.com, wockhosp@gmail.comMumbai-400 078 www.wockhardthospitals.netINDIA Tel: +91 9819015749UK Toll Free No:0 808 234 6343 Tel: +91 22 26596502US Toll Free No: 1 800 730 6373 Fax: +91-22-55994242

EUROPE

Xanit Hospital de Benalmadena Dr. Juan Bosco Rodriguez Hurtado – Director

Camino de Gilabert s/n xanit@xanit.netBenalmadena www.xanit.net29630 Tel: +34 952 367 190Malaga Fax: +34 952 367 191SPAIN

NORTH AMERICA

Baptist Health International Center of Miami Yohandra Fuentes – Finance Manager

8940 North Kendall Drive international@baptisthealth.netSuite 601-E www.baptisthealth.net/internationalMiami, Fl 33176 Tel: +1 786 596 2373USA Fax: +1 786 596 5979

10. MEDICAL ESCORT ON COMMERCIAL AIRLINES

AFRICA

AMREF Flying Doctor Service Dr Bettina Vadera – Medical Director

Wilson Airport emergency@flydoc.orgLangata Road www.amref.orgPO Box 18617 Tel: +254 20 600 090Nairobi Fax: +254 20 344 170KENYA

AUSTRALASIA

CareFlight International Sue Robshaw – Co-ordinator

Westmead Hospital Campus international@careflight.orgPO Box 159 www.careflight.orgWestmead Tel: +61 1300 655 855NSW 2145 Fax: +61 2 4751 2995AUSTRALIA

Medical Wings Jarin Kiatfuengfoo – Director

222 Room 3602 m.w@medicalwings.comBangkok Int Airport www.medicalwings.comViphavadeo-Rangsit Rd Tel: +662 247 3392Sikan, Donmuang Fax: +662 535 4355Bangkok 10210 THAILAND

Mediflight Debra O’Brien – Operations Manager

Royal Adelaide Hospital info@mediflight.com.auNorth Terrace www.mediflight.com.auAdelaide Tel: +61 8 8223 6618SA 5000 Fax: +61 8 8223 6340AUSTRALIA

EUROPE

AeroMed 365 Paul Golder – Commercial Director

Worth Corner Business Centre paul.golder@aeromed365.comTurners Hill Road www.aeromed365.comPound Hill Tel: +44 8707 596 999Crawley RH10 7SL Fax: +44 8707 559599UK

CONTRIBUTORSDiana Bentley is a freelance journalist based inLondon, who has contributed to a wide number ofnewspapers and magazines, including The Times, TheSunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and the EveningStandard.

Miles Clarke is a Sydney-based writer and has adegree in Journalism. He has some 27 years' mediaexperience in newspapers, radio and for the past 14years as a freelance contributor to print and onlinepublications on business and travel matters aroundthe world.

Robin Gauldie is a freelance journalist specialising intravel, aviation and related sectors. A former editor ofthe pan-European travel industry newspaper TTGEuropa, he has also edited Destination ASEAN (theofficial publication of the Association of South EastAsian Nations), ABTA Magazine (the official publicationof the Association of British Travel Agents), and TravelAgent International. He contributes to The Times, TheSunday Telegraph, The Scotsman, The Sunday Mirror,and to numerous specialist magazines. He is also theauthor of more than 20 travel guidebooks todestinations from Dublin to Sri Lanka.

iJET Intelligent Risk Systems (www.ijet.com), thetravel risk management company, provides real-timetravel intelligence information through its award-winning Worldcue (copyright) technology platform fortracking and communicating with travellers. iJETservices are backed by regional and category specialistsfrom the fields of intelligence, security, travel andhealth, who staff an around-the-clock operationscentre in Annapolis, MD, US.

Milan Korcok is an award-winning freelance healthpolicy and economics writer who covers travelinsurance, public health, and medical education issuesin Canada and the US. He has been writing abouthealth financing and policy issues in these countriessince the 1960s and is a frequent contributor toleading North American professional journals andconsumer media. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Peter Moeller, born in Bonn, started his helicopterpilot career in the German Army’s aviation unit on theBell UH 1D. In 1983, he began work for Air Lloyd as ahelicopter pilot and instructor in Europe and Africa,later becoming head of training, and eventuallymanaging director of the company. He left in 2006 tostart a career with Luxembourg Air Rescue as chiefpilot in the helicopter department and crew-trainingmanager. He currently has a total of around 13,500flight hours.

Roger St Pierre is an avid traveller who has visited119 countries and rising. He writes and broadcastsextensively on the tourism industry, motoring, cyclingand music. He is also fascinated by how the globaleconomy works. At 15, he already had five regularnewspaper columns covering sport but also happens tobe a qualified associate of the Chartered InsuranceInstitute and writes regularly on business and financialmatters for a number if prestigious publications.

Ian Youngman ACII is a specialist freelance insurancewriter and researcher who writes for a wide range ofpublications. As well as researching and publishingspecialist management reports on insurance, he is aghostwriter for various companies and organisations.He previously had extensive industry experience withinsurers and brokers.

15-17 OctoberFinancial Service Forum

Palm Springs Renaissance HotelPalm Springs, US

www.fiancialpro.org

19-21 OctoberThe Adventure Travel World

SummitBell Harbour International

Conference CentreSeattle, Washington, US

31 October-3 NovemberInternational Travel

Insurance ConferenceHotel Intercontinental Praha

Prague, Czech Republicwww.itic.org.uk

8-9 NovemberUNEP FI Annual General

MeetingGeneva, Switzerland

www.unepfi.org

9-10 NovemberCentre for Asia Pacific

Aviation Strategy SummitPan Pacific International Hotel

Singaporewww.centreforaviation.com

11 NovemberBusiness Link Exhibitions &

ConferenceNorthamptonshire County

Cricket ClubUK

www.businesslink.com

14-15 NovemberMiddle East Insurance Forum

Dubai, UAE

15-17 November6th Annual Selling to Seniors

Adams Mark HotelSt Louis, US

www.lifeinsuranceselling.com

28-30 NovemberInsurance Success Seminars

Birmingham AIIA EducationFacility

Alabama, USwww.aiia.org

27-29 NovemberAssociation of British Travel

Agents Travel ConventionMarbella, Spainwww.abta.co.uk

1 DecemberE&O Seminars: Focus on

Digital RisksMonterey, California

www.insruanceskillscentre.com

6-8 DecemberProduct Management Skills

and Techniques SeminarMarriott Hotel, Scottsdale

Arizona, USwww.dormanconsulting.com

7-9 DecemberInsurance Law Institute

SeminarAustin, Texas, US

www.utcle.org

11-12 DecemberPricing and Rate Making in

Plain English SeminarMarriott Hotel, Scottsdale

Arizona, USwww.dormanconsulting.com

Diary dates

Published on behalf of Voyageur Publishing & Events Ltd,Voyageur Buildings, 43 Colston Street, Bristol BS15AX, UK

The information contained in this publication has been publishedin good faith and every effort has been made to ensure itsaccuracy. Neither the publisher nor Voyageur Ltd can accept anyresponsibility for any error or misinterpretation. All liability forloss, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused byreliance on the information contained in this publication, or in theevent of bankruptcy or liquidation or cessation of the trade ofany company, individual or firm mentioned, is hereby excluded.

Printed by Pensord Press

Copyright © Voyageur Publishing 2004. Materials in this publicationmay not be reproduced in any form without permission.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL INSURANCE JOURNAL ISSN 1743-1522

World AccesspromotionsTravel insurance and assistance provider World Accesshas announced several promotions and newrecruitments. Pamela Dufour has been named as seniorvice president of operations, and will run thecompany’s customer service and assistance centre ofmore than 300 people. She is also responsible formanaging the 24/7 multilingual customer supportoperations, including travel, concierge and medicalassistance services and claims management. Also newto the operations team are Susan Yates, vice presidentof assistance and concierge services, and Marlo Revely,director of performance and quality management. World Access has seen significant growth anddiversification over recent years, and is restructuring tobuild centres of excellence in product marketing andcommunications. Subsequently, Robert Cavaliere hasbeen named as vice president of product marketing, anew organisation responsible for product developmentand management across all lines of business, includingtravel, financial services and healthcare. He waspreviously vice president of emerging channels,responsible for new market opportunities. Emily Porterhas been named vice president of communications,running internal and external communications, creativeproduction and community outreach for the company.Ms Porter has previously held positions in marketing andcommunications for American Express, Applix and ASTA.

Lynch era overAfter 21 years, GeoffreyLynch has retired asChairman of the LondonMarket Political RisksBusiness Panel. The panelwas created in 1985 bythe Lloyd’s UnderwritersNon Marine Association,a former constituency ofthe present Lloyd’s

Market Association, as a representational platform forthe political risks market. Mr Lynch has beensucceeded as chairman by David Wright, PracticeLeader for War and Political Risks at XL Capital Group.

New head for CIIDavid Macintosh, a senior partner at Davies ArnoldCooper, is to become the next chairman of theProfessional Standards Board (PSB), the CharteredInsurance Institute (CII) has announced. He will besucceeding Rt Hon The Lord Hunt of Wirral, who willcomplete his two-year term as president later this year. CII president Peter Hales paid tribute to the outgoingchairman, and was quoted as saying: “David [Hunt] willbe a hard act to follow, but in David Macintosh I believewe have got exactly the right person to do so.” Amonghis other attributes, Mr Macintosh is a past president ofthe Law Society of England and Wales, and is highlyrespected in the industry. He is also a non-executivedirector of Markel Underwriting Agency, and hasconsiderable experience in commercial litigationincluding fraud investigation with internationaldimensions.

Fortis Insurance in the UK hasannounced that Bob Newton hasbeen appointed as non-executivedirector. Mr Newton has 35years of industry experience atAviva plc, and NFU MutualInsurance Society, and will nowtake an active role in working

with the board, bringing an independent perspectivethat, Fortis hopes, will challenge the seniormanagement team even further. Fortis chief executive,Barry Smith, comments: “We are delighted that Bobhas chosen to join the organisation. We believe Bob’sextensive knowledge and in-depth experience can pushthe boundaries even further by continuing to strengthenour proposition and development and delivery tocustomers in the broker and intermediate community.”Mr Newton joins Fortis from NFU Mutual, where heheld the position of deputy chief executive. Previous tothis, he held a director position at Aviva, was generalmanager of CGU Insurance, and enjoyed a 27-yearcareer at General Accident, where he ultimately led UKgeneral insurance.

AXA’s shiftsOlivier Mariée has joined AXA in the newly createdrole of group marketing director for the UK, reportingdirectly to the chief executive of AXA UK, NicolasMoreau. He has also become a member of the AXAUK Executive Committee. Olivier will now lead theoverall development and implementation of the UK’smarketing, customer care, brand and externalcommunication strategies.Before joining AXA UK, Mr Mariée was senior vicepresident and head of customer care and distribution atAXA SA in France, where he was responsible fordeveloping global customer and partner initiatives andbuilding best practice programmes for distribution andmarketing.Further afield, AXA has also appointed a new groupregional chief executive for Japan and Asia-Pacific.Phillipe Donet will take up his new post on 1 October,and is currently chairman of AXA Japan Holding, theJapanese subsidiary of AXA SA in Paris.In addition, Andrew Penn has been appointed as CEOof AXA Asia Pacific Holdings, succeeding Les Owen,who is retiring.

ACE USA namessenior vice presidentACE USA, the US-based retail operating division of theACE group of companies, has appointed Scott Lambertas senior vice president of ACE Global Solutions. Hewill have responsibility for leading the company’sInternational Advantage product and underwriting team,

including overseeing staffmanagement and itsoverall growth andprofitability. This unitprovides internationalinsurance products andservices for US-basedbusinesses.Mr Lambert has morethan 19 years’ experiencein the insurance industry,

and was most recently serving a senior vice president ofregional operations for ACE’s professional liability andmanagement liability product lines.He joined ACE USA from AIG, where he had spentten years, holding positions that included assistant vicepresident, and zone manager. He has extensiveunderwriting experience in professional liability, Internetand technology exposures.

Zurich creates newroleZurish Financial Services Grouphas announced theappointment of RoccoMaggiotto to the newly createdglobal function of director ofcustomer development,general insurance. He will bereporting to John Amore, CEO general insurance, andis located in the New York offices.

www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal

ONTHEMOVE 35

AAWIadds 21stmemberMark Jones (pictured),president of Air AmbulanceWorldwide Inc. (AAWI), is

pleased to announce the addition of a new flight nurseto the company’s team of medical staff, which nownumbers 21. Pamela Wheeler has been a critical carenurse for 17 years, and a flight nurse for five, managingto notch up 1,500 patient transfers, providing neonataland paediatric specialities. AAWI has also recentlypurchased a new 3,000-square-foot call centre inTarpon Springs, Florida, where its operations will bebased. The company was founded in 2004, and hasgrown into a worldwide supplier of medical escort, airambulance and commercial stretcher services.

Fortis boostsdecision-making