Japan Airlines Co. is offering a service to cover the expenses of its international passengers for their tests, treatment and quarantine if they have become infected with COVID-19 while overseas.
Travelers with tickets until June 30 are eligible to receive the service, which began in late December, for free. The service applies to travelers that test positive outside their country of residence within 31 days from the departure date of their first flight, JAL said. It is the first airline in Japan to launch such a program.
Through a tie-up with Allianz Group, a major German insurance company, JAL Covid-19 Cover can compensate passengers for up to €150,000 (about ¥19 million) for treatment and up to €100 per day in accommodation fees during quarantine for a maximum of 14 days.
For now, the service, which is strictly not an insurance policy, targets business people. JAL hopes the measure will also include tourists once travel restrictions are eased, according to its officials.
To receive such support, passengers must contact the airline via a 24-hour hotline before being tested.
JAL's subsidiary, low-cost carrier Zipair Tokyo Inc., will also provide the service for flights between Narita Airport, near Tokyo, and Honolulu until March 31.
Similar compensation programs are being offered by the Emirates Group in the United Arab Emirates and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. in Britain.