Southampton airline Flybe is offering free insurance to its customers, enabling them to get a full refund if they lose their jobs, it was announced today.

Under the group’s “book with confidence guarantee”, people who book flights, car hire and hotels in January and are travelling before October 24 will receive a full refund if they have to cancel their trip because they or a member of their party has been made redundant.

The free insurance policy is available to anyone who has been in continuous employment with the same employer for at least two years.

The group, which flies from Southampton Airport, said it was providing the cover in response to the current economic pressures people faced and the high levels of job insecurity, which is likely to be a crucial issue for people’s travel plans in 2009.

Mike Rutter, chief commercial officer at Flybe, said: “These are unprecedented times and we at Flybe want to do our bit to keep the economy moving.”