What has changed since the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble was shelved
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HONG Kong carrier Cathay Pacific has upped its game with free Covid insurance in a competitive industry where airlines are fighting for the limited number of travellers taking to the skies.
This could tip the scale in the airline's favour as travellers who are already burdened with extra costs for testing and higher airfares might opt for the free insurance coverage.
The freebie, however, is available for trips that commence by May 31. The carrier could extend the offer if it wants, especially with the quarantine-free air travel bubble (ATB) with Singapore slated to take off on May 26.
Singapore Airlines (SIA), one of the two designated airlines besides Cathay Pacific for the bilateral travel arrangement, has been offering Covid insurance to be tagged on flight ticket purchase - but for a fee.
An ATB condition is that travellers on short-term visit from the Chinese city must have travel insurance with a minimum coverage of S$30,000 for Covid-related treatment costs.
A check by The Business Times of the three suggested insurers on Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority's website showed that Chubb Insurance Singapore charges under S$20 for a basic coverage for a five-day trip while the other two, AIG Asia Pacific Insurance does not list Hong Kong among its departing places for selection, and HL Assurance's does not offer coverage beyond May 16 for travellers from Hong Kong.
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Cathay Pacific had previously not made available any Covid insurance for purchase or free-of-charge when the ATB was first scheduled to launch, but aborted at the last minute last November.
The landscape has changed since - the two aviation hubs have rolled out vaccination programmes, and over 90 per cent of SIA's cabin crew has been inoculated. How many of Cathay Pacific's inflight employees have been jabbed is unknown.
Besides this change, there is also the additional requirement for Hongkongers to be fully vaccinated for the ATB, which has drastically cut off over 90 per cent of its population to about 440,000 as at now.
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