Open Insurance – best-known for its artificial intelligence-driven brand Huddle – has created a travel insurance offer for the Australian market.

The Sydney-based group has not sold travel locally since the covid shutdowns, and this launch involves a new product built with Australian travellers in mind, a spokesperson told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

Chief Commercial and Insurance Officer UK Sam Hoppe says the “frictionless tech-driven journey” travellers expect from airlines should extend to insurance.

“That hasn’t been the case until now and is where we are aiming to lead the way,” she said. “There are some exciting developments on the horizon for 2024 as we look to expand more travel features further down the line, including instant claims and cash settlements, and a pay-with-points feature.”

The product uses Open’s Instant Claims technology and features Smart Flight Delay, which automatically provides lounge passes to customers and up to four companions when facing flight disruptions of 60 minutes or more, under a partnership with Collinson.

It provides tailored complementary covers for banking, telecommunications and payment card partners, and emergency assistance is provided by Charles Taylor.

Hollard-backed Open, which also sells car, home and landlords’ cover, launched in 2016. It provides embedded insurance for brands such as Telstra, ahm, and Bupa, and has more than 130,000 customers in Australia, New Zealand and Britain.