There are many factors when it comes to choosing an aviation insurance broker. You want a broker that is knowledgeable in the market, well established, and someone that only focuses on aviation. If they are knowledgeable about the aircraft you own, and they have well established relationships with the underwriters, it will help you feel more at ease during your experience with them.
Referrals go a long way as well. Talk to your friends and read the forums to see who their brokers are and if they are happy with them.
When shopping for insurance, you should really only have to call one broker. The reason is, each insurance company will provide the same quote to every broker that approaches them. The broker has nothing to do with the rate or annual premium. Those are set by the insurance company.
If you have ever experienced getting different rates from different brokers, it is likely one of two things happened:
1. The information that was presented to the insurance company was not consistent with each broker
2. One of the brokers did not go to all available companies
As the client, when you receive your quotes, it is completely reasonable to ask your broker what other companies they went to and what the premiums were. If they do not have a wide variety of quotes or a sound explanation why there were a limited number of quotes, it may be time to consider another broker.
A question we often receive from potential clients is, ?Why should I choose you as my broker over another if you aren?t going to be able to get a lower premium??
The short answer is, ?We?re the best!? but if that isn?t convincing enough
here are some things you should consider when choosing a broker:
The broker should be an aviation specific broker
We are. Not only does our office only write aviation insurance, we only write light aircraft. Why is this important to you?
First and foremost, it allows us to know the markets and policies well. We are able to go to all the major markets and present you will all of the options out there with detailed information about each policy. That way you know what you are getting. Not all policies are apples to apples. The same is true with insurance companies. That is why we only offer quotes from A rated or better by AM Best.
Secondly, since our office only deals with small aircraft, our clients don?t have to worry about being the little fish in a big pond. You won?t ever feel like we do not have time for you because your broker is busy working on higher premium clients like Gulfstreams and FBO?s. Sure Gallagher Aviation handles those types of accounts but they are handled by a separate commercial office with commercial brokers. Our office was specifically set up to serve you!
Since we are so market specific we can make sure we are asking the right questions. We try to make sure we know what your plans are and put you with the right market for your needs.
Lastly, we have a specially trained in-house claims advisor with a long aviation background that works for you (not the insurance company) in the event of a claim. He is there to make sure you get taken care of in a fair and timely fashion.
The broker should be knowledgeable about your aircraft and particularly knowledgeable about the markets for your aircraft
We are. We have 3 ladies in our office that specialize in Vans Aircraft. We have over 2000 Vans Aircraft insured in our office. Everything from build policies to full flight policies. We know the aircraft, the markets that are good for each model and pilot combination, and we know which underwriters know and understand experimentals.
The broker should be involved in things that are important to you
We attend the Vans Homecoming every year, Sun N Fun, and Oshkosh. (We love sponsoring the RV Social at our tent and hanging out with all of you and the beer fairy!) We have even attended a few random fly-ins that you all have graciously invited us to. We enjoy being able to meet with our clients to find out what is important to them. We have successfully negotiated serval large policy changes with insurance companies based off of your feedback. Remember, the broker works for you!
The broker should provide excellent customer service
At Gallagher Aviation, you talk to the same broker every time. Our clients have our toll free numbers that ring straight to their brokers desk. They don?t have to worry about having to explain their situation to a new person every time they call. But, if one of us happens to be out, there is always another Vans Specialist around to take care of them.
Ultimately when looking for a broker you want outstanding personal service and the comfort of knowing you have a well-informed agent to help you. The brokers job is to work for you! Whether it is on training details, getting something unusual approved, or just helping you understand the (sometimes confusing) policy language.
Please feel free to reach out to one of us with any questions:
Jennifer Cummins
[email protected]
855-538-8267
Shanna Linton
[email protected]
877-577-8267
Leah Ringeisen
[email protected]
877-520-6247
Referrals go a long way as well. Talk to your friends and read the forums to see who their brokers are and if they are happy with them.
When shopping for insurance, you should really only have to call one broker. The reason is, each insurance company will provide the same quote to every broker that approaches them. The broker has nothing to do with the rate or annual premium. Those are set by the insurance company.
If you have ever experienced getting different rates from different brokers, it is likely one of two things happened:
1. The information that was presented to the insurance company was not consistent with each broker
2. One of the brokers did not go to all available companies
As the client, when you receive your quotes, it is completely reasonable to ask your broker what other companies they went to and what the premiums were. If they do not have a wide variety of quotes or a sound explanation why there were a limited number of quotes, it may be time to consider another broker.
A question we often receive from potential clients is, ?Why should I choose you as my broker over another if you aren?t going to be able to get a lower premium??
The short answer is, ?We?re the best!? but if that isn?t convincing enough
here are some things you should consider when choosing a broker:
The broker should be an aviation specific broker
We are. Not only does our office only write aviation insurance, we only write light aircraft. Why is this important to you?
First and foremost, it allows us to know the markets and policies well. We are able to go to all the major markets and present you will all of the options out there with detailed information about each policy. That way you know what you are getting. Not all policies are apples to apples. The same is true with insurance companies. That is why we only offer quotes from A rated or better by AM Best.
Secondly, since our office only deals with small aircraft, our clients don?t have to worry about being the little fish in a big pond. You won?t ever feel like we do not have time for you because your broker is busy working on higher premium clients like Gulfstreams and FBO?s. Sure Gallagher Aviation handles those types of accounts but they are handled by a separate commercial office with commercial brokers. Our office was specifically set up to serve you!
Since we are so market specific we can make sure we are asking the right questions. We try to make sure we know what your plans are and put you with the right market for your needs.
Lastly, we have a specially trained in-house claims advisor with a long aviation background that works for you (not the insurance company) in the event of a claim. He is there to make sure you get taken care of in a fair and timely fashion.
The broker should be knowledgeable about your aircraft and particularly knowledgeable about the markets for your aircraft
We are. We have 3 ladies in our office that specialize in Vans Aircraft. We have over 2000 Vans Aircraft insured in our office. Everything from build policies to full flight policies. We know the aircraft, the markets that are good for each model and pilot combination, and we know which underwriters know and understand experimentals.
The broker should be involved in things that are important to you
We attend the Vans Homecoming every year, Sun N Fun, and Oshkosh. (We love sponsoring the RV Social at our tent and hanging out with all of you and the beer fairy!) We have even attended a few random fly-ins that you all have graciously invited us to. We enjoy being able to meet with our clients to find out what is important to them. We have successfully negotiated serval large policy changes with insurance companies based off of your feedback. Remember, the broker works for you!
The broker should provide excellent customer service
At Gallagher Aviation, you talk to the same broker every time. Our clients have our toll free numbers that ring straight to their brokers desk. They don?t have to worry about having to explain their situation to a new person every time they call. But, if one of us happens to be out, there is always another Vans Specialist around to take care of them.
Ultimately when looking for a broker you want outstanding personal service and the comfort of knowing you have a well-informed agent to help you. The brokers job is to work for you! Whether it is on training details, getting something unusual approved, or just helping you understand the (sometimes confusing) policy language.
Please feel free to reach out to one of us with any questions:
Jennifer Cummins
[email protected]
855-538-8267
Shanna Linton
[email protected]
877-577-8267
Leah Ringeisen
[email protected]
877-520-6247
