Each Travel Trust Association Member provides total financial protection to both the Principal and consumer in all bookings. This is done in two stages:
1. Every TTA Member operates a trust account. This is an independent bank account to which an independent third party has been appointed Trustee. Members appoint either a Chartered or Certified Accountant, Solicitor or Banker as their Trustee. Funds are placed in this account for each consumers total financial protection.
2. The TTA Travel Protection Plan is a unique fidelity coverage that covers all clients booking with TTA Members up to £11,000 per passenger, should the funds the consumer placed with the TTA Member, not be in the Trust Account, or not been given to the Principal. You should always check that the travel company you are booking with is a current member of the Travel Trust Association, this can be done through the Consumer web pages at www.traveltrust.co.uk or contacting the Association directly on 0870-8890577.
ATOL (Air Travel Organiser's Licence) is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority to protect people traveling by air from the United Kingdom. Orbital Travel are licensed under this scheme License number T7143.
ATOL is a protection scheme for flights and air holidays, managed by the Civil Aviation Authority (“CAA”). Most firms who sell air travel in the UK are required by law to hold a license called an Air Travel Organiser’s License (“ATOL”).
If you've booked and contracted with a tour operator for a complete air holiday package or just a flight, ATOL protects you from losing money or being stranded abroad if the tour operator goes out of business. All licensed firms have to lodge bonds with the CAA so that if they go out of business, the CAA can give refunds to people who can’t travel and arrange for people abroad to finish their holidays and fly home. There's also a Government-backed fund called the Air Travel Trust that steps in if any ATOL bond isn’t enough to look after everyone affected by the failure.
You can check whether the tour operator you want to book with holds an ATOL license. You should check with the tour operator (or your travel agent) that all the holiday arrangements you are booking with them, such as flights and accommodation, are covered by their ATOL, and that you will receive a holiday invoice which confirms both this and the total price. Under the Package Travel Regulations, package organisers are responsible for all the items in the package they sell to you. This means if there's a problem with any of the suppliers involved with your holiday the organiser should sort it out. You also have recourse to the organiser (in the UK) if there are problems with your holiday arrangements, such as transport and accommodation and health and safety issues.
What this means to our clients, is that their holiday is protected, so in the event of an airline being unable to provide the service which has been agreed, our license will step in and secure your holiday booking. This means your holiday is safe with us from the moment we accept your booking. Further details of the ATOL license scheme and details of our membership can be found at www.atol.org.uk
ATOL News:
Channel 4 Highlights ATOL Protection Message
There has been a huge rise in the number of people booking "DIY Holidays", where the holidaymakers plan and put together their own packages with increasing on-line availability of flights, particularly on low cost carriers, and separate accommodation agents. However, despite what many air travellers believe, these holidays are not ATOL-protected in the same way as if you'd booked everything with a single tour operator.
Booking on-line with separate suppliers may seem the cheaper option, but if an airline stopped flying, you might have to pay considerably more to get another flight home and might even have to cut short your holiday. If you've yet to travel you could have difficulties getting to hotels or villas you've already paid for. Last minute alternative flights could be more expensive and fly at different times to the ones originally booked.
If you book everything with an ATOL tour operator you will be protected. And, because they are responsible for each component of the holiday, if there's a problem with one of them - before you go or when you're are away - they must sort it out and provide you with help and assistance.
If you want to book on-line there are ATOL tour operator's that let you build low cost and flexible holidays that are protected. Just look for the ATOL logo. Otherwise consider taking other financial protection measures, such as insurance policies against insolvency.
So beware of the potential risks and consider your options carefully.
