Tag Archives: travel insurance

Paraglider Achieves Guinness World Record

Those of you who enjoy paragliding will no doubt be interested to read that an estate agent by the name of James Du Pavey from Market Drayton has featured in the Guinness World Records for the “Fastest journey from Land’s End to John-O’- Groats by powered paraglider”. His airborne trip took place from the 8^th to the 9^th July 2019 and took 1 day 12 hours and 19 minutes.

He actually took off from John O’Groats on the 8^th July 2019 at 3.30am completing the trip in just over 36 hours. During the epic journey in the paraglider he reached a height of 10,000 feet. Unfortunately, he had to make three emergency landings but was unharmed. Obviously he needed to stop on a number of occasions to refuel during the 870 mile trip. No doubt somewhat concerningly, his engine ceased to function when he was a mere six miles from Land’s End but he still made it. He was ably supported by a two man ground crew during the lengthy trip.

You will be pleased to read that James Du Pavey has raised more than £12,000 for the Donna Louise Hospice for children and young people that is located in Stoke on Trent as a result of this paragliding world record breaking journey. Those monies will obviously be put to extremely good use by the hospice.

We are sure that our paragliding clients will no doubt like to join the staff here at AIB Insurance in congratulating James Du Pavey for such a wonderful achievement. He must have been absolutely exhausted by the time he eventually came down to land for the final occasion at the end of the journey.

If you are looking to get into paragliding for the first time or are a veteran, why not get in touch with us here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 and one of our experienced team will be pleased to discuss your insurance needs in relation to this airborne activity and obtain a competitive quotation for your perusal without any obligation.

94 Year Old War Veteran To Parachute Over Normandy

Those of you who have parachuted from 10,000 feet from a plane will be aware of the dangers of the activity. A number of things can potentially go wrong but the majority of parachutists make a safe landing suffering no injuries and thoroughly enjoy the experience.

However, there are very few people in their 90s who would dare take to the skies in a plane, jump from it at several thousand feet, free fall for a considerable distance before parachuting to the ground. Well that is exactly what a 94 year old second world war veteran intends to do on the 6th June 2019 to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing.

Harry Read is a very brave gentleman. Back on the 6th June 1944, whilst the Second World War was in progress, he was a young wireless operator. On that day which was the day of the D-Day landing he took to the skies and was parachuted into Normandy in France. Unlike many of his colleagues, he survived not only the landing but also the war. He later went on to head up the Salvation Army for a period of time.

Last year, in preparation for his forthcoming jump, he parachuted from several thousand feet here in the UK raising money for the Salvation Army.

All of use here at AIB Insurance wish Harry Read good fortune on the 6th June when he makes his parachute descent and hope that he makes a safe landing.

If you take part in parachuting on a regular basis then you may be interested to read that we specialise in arranging suitable cover. In this respect, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a member of our team who will be happy to discuss your requirements and arrange a competitive quotation without any obligation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Almost 3,000 UK Citizens A Week Claim On Travel Insurance For Medical Treatment Abroad

It is that time of year when people are looking forward to a much needed holiday abroad whether that is a week or two across the English Channel in France or Spain or further afield to the likes of the USA or Mexico. Unfortunately, not everyone bothers to arrange travel insurance that includes medical cover but having read the following statistics published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) we are sure you will agree it would be sensible to do so.

According to the ABI, in 2018 there were 153,000 people who claimed successfully on their travel insurance policy for overseas medical treatment. That is not far off 3,000 people a week – a significant number.

The average amount paid out per medical claim reached a record level – £1,368. That is almost twice what it was 10 years ago when the figure was £768. That equates to around £209 million.

In total, £400 million was paid out last year relating to all sorts of travel insurance claims with an average amount of around £800 per claim with this being a record.

The amount paid out in 2018 for cancellation of holidays amounted to a huge £145 million. This was made up of 167,000 successful claims with the average amount paid per claim reaching a record level of £869.

£17 million was paid out to 79,000 people who had lost money or baggage with the average amount of a claim being paid out totaling £214.

In some cases, claims can run into tens of thousands of pounds so it is important that travellers have suitable cover in place. In one case, a couple on holiday in America were seriously injured having been hit by a drunk driver and the medical bill amounted to £587,000.

So, what has happened to premiums for travel insurance in 2018? Well, you would have thought they had increased but this is not the case as the average cost of travel insurance has fallen by £38 per annum.

You will be pleased to read that, if you are shortly to embark on an overseas trip, either on your own, with your partner or your family here at AIB Insurance we have many years experience in helping arrange suitable, quality, competitive overseas travel insurance to most countries around the world. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a knowledgeable, friendly member of our team who will discuss your requirements and obtain a quotation without any obligation.

Kangaroo Attacks Paraglider In Australia

Those of you who are keen paragliders no doubt love the thrill and excitement of taking to the air and pitting yourself against the elements in the sky. Once airborne, you are faced with many challenges but this is just one of the many attractions of the sport.

Having spent some time travelling many miles paragliding, you are then faced with the danger of having to make a safe landing. Most paragliders land without a problem but some suffer broken limbs if they mis-judge their landing perhaps due to a sudden gust of wind putting them of course and leaving them stranded in the branches of a large oak tree.

It is no doubt a great sense of relief having put two feet safely on the earth without suffering any mishap. Surely nothing untoward can then happen?

Well, this was not the case for a 35-year-old paraglider over in Australia. Apparently, the man in question had enjoyed a wonderful couple of hours paragliding. He descended and both feet safely touched the ground at the Orroral Valley Space Tracking Station near Canberra. However, even before he had had the opportunity to gather his parachute and get out of his gear he saw a kangaroo skipping hastily towards him. Having then warmly greeted the approaching kangaroo the marsupial then proceeded to attack him not once but twice by punching him.

Fortunately, he did not suffer any serious injury and hopefully the unexpected experience will not have put him off paragliding in the future although he will no doubt be on the look out for any kangaroos in the vicinity of where he next plans to land.

Fortunately, coming face to face with a kangaroo is not something that paragliders taking to the air here in the UK are likely to encounter when landing although no doubt some people have probably come down in a field of cattle and felt a little uneasy.

Covea Added To Our Insurance Panel

Here at AIB Insurance, we are pleased to announce that Covea Insurance plc has recently been added to our carefully vetted panel of insurers. It provides a variety of personal and commercial lines insurance products including cover for the likes of private car, home, motor breakdown, motor trade, motor fleet, shops, offices, surgeries, property owners, tradesmen and professionals as well as cover for high net worth clients.

Covea Insurance plc can trace its history going as far back as 1958 when Norman Insurance was established that was renamed MMA Insurance in 2000. Covea Insurance was launched in 2012 following the merger of MMA Insurance with Provident Insurance. It has won a number of awards including the Gold Accreditation for Investors in People in October 2014 and the Insurance Times Awards – Customer Champion of the Year and Training, Excellence and Impact (Insurer) in December 2014. It has 7 offices in the UK at which it employs about 1,500 staff. It has in excess of 1.9 million policyholders that, in 2017, produced premiums of £739 million. It has a Standard and Poor’s “A+ Stable” rating signifying its financial strength.

We have been most impressed with the range and quality of tailor made products offered by Covea whether it is to insure an executive five bedroomed detached property on an exclusive estate, a luxury apartment in a desirable area of London or a terraced property on the edge of a town, a family car or a top of the range high-powered sports car or an office for one of our professional clients. The level of service provided by the extremely knowledgeable staff at Covea is exceptional with no request being too much trouble.

Should you be in the unfortunate position of needing to make a claim, their dedicated UK based team is available 24 hours a day throughout the year including bank holidays. They pride themselves on their speed of response, calmness, support and attention to detail throughout the claims process being very conscious that it is, potentially, a stressful time in your life.

AIB Insurance looks forward to working closely with Covea and building on what has quickly become an effective partnership that can only be beneficial for all parties concerned including our highly valued clients both existing and new.

If you would like to find out more about Covea Insurance plc then why not visit their website at www.coveainsurance.co.uk

Aviva Private Clients Division Joins Our Panel Of Insurers

AIB Insurance is very pleased to inform our high net worth clients that the Aviva Private Clients division has recently been added to our select panel of insurance companies. Its Distinct Home, Distinct Motor and Distinct Travel products provide bespoke cover for the discerning individual whether it is to insure an Edwardian country mansion, a penthouse in Mayfair, a Rolls-Royce Phantom or provide cover for a luxury holiday.

Aviva is the largest insurance company in the UK having in excess of 15,000 million customers. Its history goes back as far as 1696 when the Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society was established. In 2000 Norwich Union and CGU PLC merged as CGNU and in 2002 it became known as Aviva. It has offices in numerous countries around the world employing about 30,000 people and has a worldwide customer portfolio of over 33 million. The company deals with over 10 million calls a year and in 2017 paid out more than £34 billion in benefits and claims.

Aviva Distinct Home insurance provides outstanding, tailor made cover with a level of service that is second to none at every stage of the process from initial enquiry, setting up the policy to making a claim with a dedicated home claims adviser dealing with the latter to provide you with complete peace of mind. There are numerous benefits including worldwide, warranty free, all risks cover, access to a number of specialist suppliers, cover for student and visitors belongings and guaranteed building reinstatement.

Aviva Distinct Motor insurance provides bespoke cover that aims to exceed what is expected by our clients. Some of the benefits include new for old replacement if your car is under three years of age, choice of repairer, £4,000 to hire a car or a Mercedes-Benz C class whilst your car is being repaired and your no claims discount is not affected if an uninsured driver collides with your vehicle and you are not at fault.

Aviva Distinct Travel insurance provides an exceptional level of cover to give you complete peace of mind wherever you are travelling around the world. For instance, you have £10 million of medical emergencies and associated expenses cover worldwide, a UK based experienced claims team who are available 24 hours a day, up to £15,000 of cancellation cover and winter sports cover included in the policy.

Let us all hope that you do not need to make a claim for either say a fire in your home, a motoring accident or for medical treatment whilst on holiday but, if you do, you can be assured that your claim will be dealt with promptly with support every step of the way. We very much look forward to being of assistance.

If you would like to find out more about the insurance products offered by the Aviva Private Clients division the why not visit their website at www.aviva.co.uk/aviva-private-clients/

IT’S COMPETITION TIME!

That’s right folks, it’s competition time again and this year we are giving away a state of the art Go Pro!

It’s easy to enter. All you have to do is call us for a quotation between now and the 17th December and you will automatically be entered into our prize draw. Obtaining the quotation couldn’t be easier, just call 02380 268351 or visit www.aib.co.uk and one of our friendly insurance consultants will call you back.

Here at AIB, we pride ourselves on providing competitive insurance to suit all your specialist needs. We have particular schemes with our insurer partners to provide you with a price and cover that you simply can’t get on the comparison websites.

Below are some of the policies we can offer you:

Once the winner has been drawn in December we will contact you via telephone to organise delivery – good luck!

Paraglider Flies Amongst Thousands Of Birds

Apparently, until recently, no person has ever been fortunate enough to fly within a flock of birds. Well, that all changed quite recently when a paraglider by the name of Horacio Llorens who just happens to be a world champion in this exiting aviation sport was able to fulfill one of his ambitions and took to the skies to fly amongst a flock of starlings.

He was able to do this in Denmark where each year thousands of starlings gather and fly through the air in huge flocks. It is known as the “Black Sun” and it is a spectacular sight.

Mr Llorens who is 35 years of age and is from Spain has been paragliding for 17 years and has always wanted to experience flying with birds. In order to do so, he was able to gain the permission of the Ministry of the Environment in Denmark.

Of course there are no doubt many paragliders who have been able to fly in close proximity to a small number of birds but it is believed that nobody has been able to fly amongst thousands of birds. He must have felt like he was one of them as he flew his electric powered paraglider as dusk was happening.

The starlings fly from Norway to Denmark where the climate is warmer and where, when they fly around in a flock, there are so many of them that they make the sky darker. There are no doubt many people who make special trips to witness the “Black Sun” from the ground. However, those people were probably very envious of Mr Llorens as he flew amongst the starlings. There was even an ornithologist present to make sure that the starlings were safe when Mr Llorens took to the sky.

Congratulations to this paraglider for achieving one of his life-long ambitions.

If you are in need of airsports insurance why not give us a call at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 and speak with a member of our friendly staff who will happily arrange a quotation.

Chelsea Pensioner Skydives

There has always been something rather special about Chelsea Pensioners who are frequently seen in their red coats proudly displaying their medals attending numerous ceremonies and events around the UK. As you will probably be aware, they are war veterans from the British army so are not unaccustomed to danger.

Well, recently a Chelsea Pensioner took to the skies to skydive. Mike Smith who is 68 years of age actually completed his 100th skydive. However, there had been quite a period of time since he last skydived as it was some 23 years ago since he last did such a thing.

As if that was not interesting enough, also taking part in the same skydiving event were two world war veterans who are both 91 years of age. They were actually fortunate to complete their jump at the Red Devils Parachute Team’s base that is at Old Sarum Airfield near Salisbury in Wiltshire. The jump was made for the benefit of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans that was no doubt pleased to receive financial support.

We are pleased to hear that all three landed safely on the day and no doubt enjoyed a thrilling experience that they will no doubt never forget. Well done to the three gentlemen.

Here at AIB Insurance, we are able to arrange cover for a wide range of airborne sports including skydiving. With an extensive panel of insurers at our disposal we are often in the position of arranging quality insurance at very competitive premiums. So, if you are looking to arrange suitable insurance to cover you whilst skydiving, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable members of staff who will be happy to discuss your individual requirements and arrange a quotation without any obligation on your part. We look forward to hearing from you.

Not The Best Location To Land Your Hot Air Balloon

Taking to the air in a hot air balloon is a wonderful adventure enjoyed by many enthusiasts around the world. Once airborne and the desired height has been reached a peaceful flight is normally had by all who cannot fail but to enjoy the spectacular scenery.

Of course, finding a suitable landing spot does not always go according to plan especially if the weather changes whilst airborne. However, even if the scheduled landing spot is missed it is usually possible to find somewhere else that is equally as safe to land. For instance, there is normally a farmer’s field to land your hot air balloon in perhaps with the offer of a bottle of whisky or wine as a thank you to the landowner.

Well, you may be interested to read that the landing of a hot air balloon in Florida, USA did not quite go according to plan. Unfortunately, the wind meant that the pilot was unable to land exactly where he had hoped to. Instead, to avoid, power lines, the pilot landed the hot air balloon in a pond resulting in the 16 passengers and the pilot getting rather wet.

Fortunately, the basket landed the right way up in the water but as it drifted towards the bankside the basket turned over. Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured which is perhaps rather lucky as in the pond were a number of alligators but they paid no attention to the hot air balloon or the passengers.

The pilot received a lot of praise for his skill at avoiding the power lines. Apparently, he is an experienced hot air balloon pilot with in excess of 2,000 hours in the sky. Let us hope that his next trip is less traumatic.