ATPL Airline Transport Pilot Insurance: Professional Pilot Insurance Plan Canada

Professional Pilot Insurance Plan (PPIP)

Eligibility

Available to pilots under the age of 65 who:

hold a valid and current Canadian Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) or Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL),
have a valid and current medical certificate (Category 1),
are residents of Canada, and
are covered under a provincial or territorial health insurance program.

Coverage Available

Optional Group Life Insurance

Available to both you and your spouse.
Can be purchased in units of $50,000 to a maximum of $500,000.
Includes a Living Benefit which pays 25% of the life insurance benefit ($50,000 maximum) to the insured if he/she is diagnosed with an illness and expected to live less than 12 months.
Coverage is available to age 70.
Coverage is effective 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Premiums for optional life insurance are based on gender, age, and smoker status of the person enrolling/applying, and on the amount of insurance. Premiums are paid monthly on the first of the month by pre-authorized debit (PAD).

Accidental Death, Disease, and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
(includes Critical Disease)

AD&D Insurance is available to pilots only (spouse excluded).
Pays an amount equal to the sum insured in the event of an accidental death.
Pays a portion of the death benefit for dismemberment, loss of use or paralysis due to an accident.
Optional life must be elected prior to having AD&D coverage.
AD&D coverage provides an amount equal to 25% of your Optional Group Life insurance for death/ accidental injuries occurring while the Plan Member is performing their duties of occupation as required by their employer to a maximum benefit of $75,000.
Coverage is available to age 70.

Dependent Life

This coverage is compulsory for pilots with eligible dependents. Each spouse and dependent child is insured for a $5,000 death benefit. Select "Family" on the Group Insurance Enrollment and Change form.

FAQ's

Please click any question below to view the answer.

Is a medical exam required?

No medical is required if the pilot holds a current and valid Canadian Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) or Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and a current medical certificate (CAT1).

What happens if I fail my Transport Canada medical exam or my medical lapses?

Your existing coverage remains in force as long as your monthly premiums are paid on time. Changes in medical status of you or your spouse or dependent children do not affect existing coverage.

I already have life insurance coverage through my place of employment and I don't think I need PPIP coverage.

Once you serve the waiting period for benefits typical of most employer programs, these sponsored plans do not provide sufficient coverage and if you leave your employment you lose your coverage. In addition, you must medically qualify or be underwritten to be approved for Optional Life Insurance.
Professional Pilot Insurance Plan is fully portable in that continued coverage is not tied to employment, career or medical status. After a Pilot or Spouse has been approved and enrolled, there are no ongoing requirements to retain this level of coverage as long as your monthly premiums are paid on time and you maintain your Canadian Residency.
Many members will simply use our plan as a low cost alternative to mortgage insurance or as top-up insurance to their coverage through work.

Can I change my coverage level as my personal circumstances change?

Yes. One of the great features of our plan is that you may adjust your coverage level at any time and at any age up to age 70. To increase or decrease coverage, simply re-enroll by using the PPIP application form.
Your spouse may also adjust his/her coverage level at any time and at any age up to age 70. To increase his/her coverage he/she must re-apply and go through medical underwriting again. To decrease coverage, he/she can simply mail in a new application indicating the reduction required.
NOTE: At age 60 your level of coverage decreases by 50% with a cap of 250,000. e.g. 300,000 becomes 150,000 maximum, 150,000 becomes 75,000 maximum.

If I die in an aircraft accident as an operating crew member does the life insurance portion of my coverage still pay out?

Yes. The optional life insurance coverage is in effect 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

I am not interested in the Accidental Death, Disease and Dismemberment coverage because it doesn't fully cover me at work. What's the point of having the coverage if it doesn't fully cover me when I'm flying?

The primary reason we agreed to the modified occupational exclusion was price. This coverage is less expensive if it includes an occupational exclusion. To put this in perspective, out of approximately 12,000 ATPLs in Canada, on average between one and four are killed per year while flying, so from a risk management and cost perspective, we felt it was far better value to take the coverage under these terms.
In addition, our AD&D coverage includes a unique Critical Disease Benefit which will pay out 10% of your covered amount if you are diagnosed with one of nine named Critical Diseases (see below) and are totally disabled for a period of nine months. Also, in our plan the benefit for paraplegia, hemiplegia or quadriplegia is 200% of the benefit.
Critical Diseases:
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Huntington's Chorea
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Necrotizing Fasciitis
- Parkinson's Disease
- Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Poliomyelitis
- Type 1 Diabetes (Insulin Dependent)
Overall, it is more advantageous to be covered for the 7,760 hours a year that you are not flying -assuming you fly 1,000 hours per year. This becomes especially important if you happen to be seriously injured and not killed. For example, if you were involved in an auto accident on the way to work and ended up in a wheelchair without the use of your legs, you could potentially collect a $600,000 benefit, and your life insurance would still be in place!

I'm confused about the Accidental Death, Disease and Dismemberment coverage. If I die accidentally how does this benefit pay out? Does my Optional Life Insurance pay out too?

The first thing to understand is that Optional Life coverage and AD&D coverage are two separate and distinct insurance products covering different risks.
The Optional Life Insurance coverage pays out for death caused by any reason except suicide in the first two years of coverage.
The AD&D has exclusions which are covered in detail in the benefits booklet which you will receive when your coverage is approved.
An easy way to understand this is with a few examples. If a pilot has $100,000 Optional Life Insurance coverage and $100,000 AD&D coverage:
- If the pilot is killed in an airplane and is acting as an operating crew member:
  Optional Life Insurance benefit: $100,000
  AD&D benefit payable: $75,000
- If the pilot is killed in an airplane accidentally and is deadheading to or from an assignment:
  Optional Life Insurance benefit: $100,000
  AD&D benefit payable: $100,000
- If the pilot is killed accidentally while doing the walk-around while on duty:
  Optional Life Insurance benefit: $100,000
  AD&D benefit payable: $75,000
- If the pilot is killed accidentally while driving to or from work:
  Optional Life Insurance benefit: $100,000
  AD&D benefit payable: $100,000
- If the pilot is involved in an accident on the way to work and loses the use of both legs permanently:
  Optional Life Insurance benefit: $0
  AD&D benefit payable: $200,000
The AD&D exclusion period for a member of the crew begins "from the moment the aircraft first moves under its own power for the purpose of taking off" and ends "the moment it comes to rest at the gate or designated disembarkment area at the end of the flight".

Why is the Dependent Life coverage compulsory? I'm not sure if I want this coverage. Can't I just get the Optional Life coverage?

The coverage is very inexpensive if it is made compulsory for the entire group. In our case, the coverage only costs one low monthly premium of $1.90 per family, which covers the member's spouse and all eligible dependent children for a benefit of $5,000 each.
Another advantage of compulsory coverage is that the one premium covers the spouse and all dependent children. With compulsory coverage there is no need to submit a list of dependents to be covered and therefore no requirement to keep this information up to date.
In the case of compulsory coverage no medical exam is required and all dependents are automatically covered regardless of health.
Coverage is effective 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

ATPL Airline Transport Pilot Insurance Canada: Profession Pilot Insurance Plan

Professional Pilot Insurance Plan – "Putting Pilots and their Families First"

Professional Pilot Insurance Plan (PPIP)

Eligibility

Coverage Available

Optional Group Life Insurance

Accidental Death, Disease, and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
(includes Critical Disease)

Dependent Life

FAQ's

PPIP Additional Resources:

ATPL Airline Transport Pilot Insurance Canada: Profession Pilot Insurance Plan

Professional Pilot Insurance Plan – "Putting Pilots and their Families First"

Professional Pilot Insurance Plan (PPIP)

Eligibility

Coverage Available

Optional Group Life Insurance

Accidental Death, Disease, and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance(includes Critical Disease)

Dependent Life

FAQ's

PPIP Additional Resources:

Accidental Death, Disease, and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
(includes Critical Disease)