Travel insurance will generally cover issues arriving from air turbulence, as we recently reported. But what if passengers have ignored the seatbelt warning light flashing above their head, and advice from the pilot? If they have been advised to put their seatbelt on because of turbulence, but don’t, who is liable? Our story prompted reader Ainslee Ashton to ask this specific question. “Does this negate the insurance policy in the event of injury by air turbulence?” they ask.
“My thoughts are that you have not taken the action recommended for your safety so the policy is not responsible.” Natalie Ball, managing director of comparetravelinsurance.com.
au, advises: “In accordance with most travel insurance policies, travellers are expected to take personal responsibility and act with reasonable caution to avoid filing a claim. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. “However, in the event of airline turbulence and the need to submit an insurance claim, each case would be assessed individually, taking into account specific circumstances.
“For instance, someone ignoring the seatbelt light warning while watching a movie during flight turbulence, could be viewed as disregarding safety precautions as opposed to someone attending to an upset child or retrieving an item from the overhead locker. “Having said that, a passenger not wearing a seatbelt during a flight is unlikely to be seen as intentionally putting themselves .
