Latest news with #Unnithan
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Medical emergencies & missed flights top travel claims: ACKO report dissects travel woes in 2025, ET TravelWorld
Advt Advt By , ETTravelWorld Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Download ETTravelWorld App Get Realtime updates Save your favourite articles Scan to download App As Indian outbound tourism hits new highs, a parallel trend is gaining momentum — travellers are becoming smarter, more informed, and better prepared for the unexpected. The latest edition of ACKO's travel report, 'Checked In: India's Year in Travel', backed by insights exclusively shared with ET Travel World from Brijesh Unnithan , Senior Vice President – Embedded Insurance at ACKO, paints a detailed picture of how Indian travel behaviours are evolving in 2024-25, not just in terms of destinations, but also in terms of planning, risk assessment, and insurance over 102,000 travellers insured by ACKO in 2024 and more than 49,000 travel policies issued, Indian globetrotters are clearly no longer taking chances. As Unnithan puts it, ' Travel insurance is no longer viewed as a mere add-on; it's becoming a non-negotiable part of the travel checklist.' This shift is driven by rising travel uncertainties—medical emergencies, delayed baggage, missed flights—and the increasing ease of digital-first insurance platforms that offer seamless, paperless digital nomads to bleisure travellers and students pursuing global education, ACKO's policyholder base has diversified. 'Digital nomads in the 26–35 age group and bleisure travellers aged 31–45 now represent close to three-fourths of all policies sold,' Unnithan said, noting the trend of merging business with Indians are going – and what goes wrong?Southeast Asia dominated Indian travel charts in 2024. Thailand led the way with 13% of total outbound travellers, followed by the UAE, USA, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Indian passports collected stamps from cultural capitals and coastal havens alike — from Bali and Phuket to Dubai and New destinations like Vietnam and the Caucasus—particularly Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan—saw a marked rise in popularity. 'These regions drew more interest than traditional favourites like Spain or Australia,' said Unnithan. Affordable visas, Instagram-worthy landscapes, and shorter flight times played a key role in their travel is rarely perfect. According to ACKO's claims data, 33% of all travel claims in 2024 were medical in nature, with outpatient medical issues leading the chart. 'Medical emergencies and trip cancellations were the most expensive claim types, with average medical claims at ₹27,000 and some hospitalisations exceeding ₹5 lakh,' Unnithan the UK topped the chart as the most expensive country for OPD-related claims (₹47,545 on average), followed by the USA at ₹30,396. But it was Southeast Asia—especially Thailand and Indonesia—that accounted for over half of all medical claims, proving high incidence even if costs were delays emerged as another major disruptor. About 25% of ACKO's settled claims in 2024 were for baggage delays, with an average compensation of ₹17,379. The worst offenders? The UK, Schengen countries, and the US — a trend echoed across major transit airports like Frankfurt and disruptions also surged. With a 20% year-on-year spike in claims, ACKO covered 266 cases involving trip rescheduling, missed connections, and cancellations. Some of the most expensive delays cost travellers over ₹70,000 per incident — sometimes more than the cost of the flight travellers are now prioritising bundled insurance plans. According to the report, 83% of policyholders opted for comprehensive coverage that includes medical, baggage, and trip disruptions. Notably, 99.48% chose medical cover — a clear reflection of rising health-consciousness post-pandemic.'Travel insurance is not just about recovering money; it is about peace of mind,' said Unnithan. 'Even a simple trip can get derailed by a delay or illness. A good policy ensures you're covered both financially and emotionally.'In an age of rising travel costs and increasingly complex itineraries, ACKO's data highlights the financial and emotional value of preparation. One traveller, the report notes, filed five claims on a single trip—ranging from hospital visits to flight delays. Fortunately, they had bundled further boost insurance accessibility, ACKO is rolling out several product innovations and strategic partnerships. 'We are actively working with OTAs and visa players to embed insurance at the point of booking,' Unnithan revealed. 'We are also launching a new 'Travel Pass' that offers protection across multiple domestic flights — ideal for frequent flyers.'Additionally, ACKO is developing niche offerings like CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) and visa rejection insurance, targeting travellers who need flexible, no-questions-asked coverage. A loyalty program is already live at Hyderabad Airport, with other airports set to join road ahead: Smart travel is safe travelOutbound travel from India is projected to surpass $55 billion by 2034. Indian travellers already spend up to $7,000 on international trips, with overseas spending reaching $31.7 billion in FY24 — a 25% YoY jump. ACKO's insights show that travellers from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities are increasingly joining the travel boom — and they're bringing a smarter, insurance-first mindset with Indian travel continues to rise, so do the stakes. 'Plan your dream holiday, but plan for the unexpected too,' Unnithan advised. 'Because the best trips are those where your insurance policy stays in your pocket.'
India Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Field Marshal Asim Munir the Mungeri Lal of Pakistan?
On May 20, the Pakistani government elevated General Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal, making him only the second person in Pakistan's history to hold this title -- after Ayub Khan in the late 1950s. Was this move just a symbolic honour, or an attempt at power consolidation?In an engaging discussion, spoke with veteran defence analyst and journalist Sandeep Unnithan, who sees the promotion as part of a larger narrative -- one of control, ego, and behind-the-scenes dominance in Pakistani politics. Unnithan termed it a "soft coup," where power is seized without overtly toppling the explained that while the Field Marshal title is technically honorary, Munir's move seems designed to extend his grip on the military indefinitely. With no new army chief announced yet, Munir continues as both the Chief of Army Staff and now Field Marshal, a combination without precedent even in Pakistan's coup-ridden history. Unnithan argued that this is less about honour and more about narrative-building. Despite Pakistan's setbacks in its recent skirmishes with India, Munir is casting himself as a victorious wartime leader. "It's a bit Walter Mitty-esque," Unnithan said, referring to James Thurber's fictional day-dreamer lost in fantasies of heroism. "This is Mungeri Lal for you."The discussion goes on to draw comparisons with Pakistan's past military rulers -- Ayub Khan, Zia-ul-Haq, and Pervez Musharraf -- all of whom believed they were "God's answer to Pakistan's problems". Munir, Unnithan argued, follows the same trajectory, though without assuming a formal political role. Instead, he appears to prefer wielding influence while letting civilian figures like Shehbaz Sharif absorb the public and international conversation took a lighter turn when asked about how Indian Army officers view such developments. Unnithan responded that Munir's self-promotion has become a "running joke" in military circles, underscoring how the Pakistani military's actions often stray far from professional norms. "It's not a professional army anymore," he said, pointing to its entanglement in business, politics, and covert the discussion in full here: Tune InMust Watch
India Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Pak confirms use of Chinese PL-15 missile after India struck its terror camps
The Pakistan Air Force on Friday admitted to using a Chinese PL-15 missile on Wednesday after India smashed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).This admission marks the first confirmed operational use of the PL-15 missile by any country, as the Chinese missile has not previously been tested in PL-15 is a radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile with an estimated range exceeding 200 kilometres, and is considered a significant threat to enemy The Pakistan Air Force's admission also validates the speculation that the missile debris recovered in Punjab's Hoshiarpur and Bathinda districts after Thursday's attempted attack likely belonged to a PL-15. India's robust air defence systems intercepted the missile PL-15, known for its beyond-visual-range capabilities and considered comparable to India's DRDO-developed Astra air-to-air missile, was recently supplied to Pakistan by China, Islamabad's close ally and biggest supplier of military equipment."That's a PL-15, a very long-range Chinese missile. It's rarely been seen in public. It has possibly been fired for the first time, and I can confirm that our scientists are looking at it very closely, they're examining its characteristics," Defence Analyst Sandeep Unnithan pointed out, speaking to India Today TV."This is a missile that has literally emerged from behind the bamboo curtain, and it has been supplied to Pakistan very recently, as tensions began ratcheting up," he to Unnithan, Indian scientists are studying the characteristics of this weapon to try and understand its characteristics and how it matches against the Astra missile."Chinese secrets are out in the open, and I can very well see the PL-15 being at the top of the agenda in the next round of India-US defence talks. The United States would want to examine these missiles, because, let's not forget, these are the kinds of missiles the US would face if a conflict were to break out,' he PL-15's range and performance have been a focus of interest for defence experts across the globe for years. A defence industry executive, who spoke to news agency Reuters about global militaries studying the India-Pakistan fighter jet battle, commented, 'The PL-15 is a big problem'. 'It is something that the US military pays a lot of attention to'.The United States is reportedly developing an AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile in response to the PL-15 and its beyond-visual-range InTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Pakistan
