| Sat 6 Aug 2011 |  Paul Lucas |
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Problems for the travel industry continue after Brighton-based Holidays 4 UK, which also traded as Aegean Flights, slipped into administration.
The tour operator had more than 12,000 holidaymakers abroad at the time of its collapse and sold packages and flights to Turkey. The Foreign Office and Civil Aviation Authority moved to ensure that all customers would be able to fly home as planned as long as they arrive at the airport to check in for the flights as normal. However, while these holidaymakers may not have any problems returning home, it does raise the question as to what action travellers can take to avoid the repercussions of a tour operator going out of business?
All in the package
| According to DirectGov, any companies that sell package holidays must offer protection if they or the airline you are flying with goes bust. They must hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the invoice from the tour operator should indicate that you are ATOL protected and will prevent you from losing money as well as helping with other problems. If you are abroad on a package holiday when your tour operator fails, you should be taken care of without any extra expense. |
Just remember to ensure that your trip counts as a package holiday. Some tour operators offer flight plus accommodation or flight plus car hire that includes package holiday protection. However, some airline websites simply link you directly to other websites from which you can book accommodation – and this is not counted as a package holiday.
Where you may run into more problems is if you book a flight directly with the airline. However, there is still protection available. You simply have to book through an agent that offers protection under ATOL or pay by credit card for sums in excess of £100 as you will be protected under section 75.
However, if the airline you book with goes bust then you will need a return flight from another airline. This may also involve booking into a hotel or doing some extra travelling. If that’s the case it’s worth seeing if the airline offers a repatriation fee – which is usually available around two hours after it goes bust; or failing that you can claim a refund.
Don’t forget insurance
It’s worth shopping around for a comprehensive travel insurance policy too. Some insurers will cover scheduled airline failure insurance as part of their policy although you should check the details carefully to ensure there are no exclusions. For real peace of mind however, it’s best to take out a package holiday and travel insurance – so use 5hop5.ie to search for holiday voucher codes.
