News

Kiosks offer last minute insurance to travelers

July 26, 2016

Passengers at Newcastle International Airport in the U.K. can now purchase travelers insurance from kiosks. Travel insurance provider Columbus Direct is rolling the service out to target travelers who normally would not purchase insurance, according to a report by Chronicle Live.

Currently, almost a quarter of all travelers do not buy insurance, according to the report. Only 69 percent of millennials purchase a policy. The kiosk offers these individuals the same travel insurance price quotes that they'll find online.

"Our customer insight has enabled us to identify a rise in the number of so-called 'last-minuters,' who know they require travel insurance but simply haven't got around to buying it in advance of departure," Alison Wilde, head of marketing at Columbus Direct, said in the report. "Travelers have long been buying foreign currency or picking up rental car at airports, so offering them the opportunity to purchase last-minute travel insurance just makes sense."

The company is currently deploying its kiosk at nine additional airports.