There are only four insurers that cover scheduled airline failure as standard, according to comparison website moneysupermarket.com.
The research was carried out after the demise of Zoom and XL and moneysupermarket is warning travellers about the risks of not being adequately insured. It revealed that Swiftcover offers scheduled airline cover as an add-on at a cost of £1. It is also provided by Ryanair for an extra £1 and easyJet carries it as standard when insurance is bought alongside the flight .
Peter Gerrard, head of insurance research at moneysupermarket.com, said the findings were "surprising" and advised travellers not to assume they would be protected.
When XL, the UK's third biggest holiday company, collapsed, the 50,000 Britons who had bought package holidays were protected under the Air Travel Organisers Licensing (ATOL) licence. However, those 25,000 who bought flights only were urged to contact the Civil Aviation Authority to make arrangements for their journey home.




