Zareena Mistry, a 34-year-old Mumbai-based lawyer and her group of six friends were on their way to their hotel in Paris for a two-day halt before returning to India. That’s when Zareena realised that she had forgotten her bag at the airport.
Back at the airport, the missing bag had caused the authorities to panic. Paris was on red-alert at that time; the security personnel assumed that it was a threat. They just blew apart the bag. They didn’t even open it.
Despite having a travel insurance cover, Zareena had to silently bear the loss.
Why? Because her insurance policy covers her loss of baggage only while it is in the airline’s possession. If the baggage is lost elsewhere, travel policies wouldn’t make good the loss.
Though the glossy brochures feature attractive sales pitches using words such as ‘Secure your Trip,’ ‘Loss of Baggage,’ ‘Emergency sickness,’ ‘Trip Delay/Cancellation,’ the coverage reality is different.
As Pallavi Roy, Head – Products, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance Company states, “The insurance policy covers the damage or loss of checked-in baggage with the same airline/carrier in which the insured is travelling. Any unattended baggage left at the airport or any other place by the negligence of the insured is outside the purview of policy coverage.”