FINANCIAL PROTECTION

Every travel agent advertising on Holiday Holiday must be bonded with an approved form of financial protection such as ABTA/ATOL protection.

ABTA

The Travel Association - A trade organisation for travel agents and tour operators, ABTA now represents over 5,500 travel agencies and 900 tour operations, throughout the British Isles. All of them carry the ABTA logo, which means choice, value, and high levels of service. ABTA's main aims are to maintain high standards of trading practice for the benefit of its Members, the travel industry at large, and the consumers that they serve. The association offers an arbitration service when complaints are made against members. If an ABTA member becomes insolvent then the ABTA fund is used to refund the customer. All ABTA members have to abide by its code of conduct. www.abta.com

ATOL

A financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority ("CAA"). All holiday companies selling air holiday packages and flights in the UK are required by law to hold a licence called an Air Travel Organiser's Licence ("ATOL"), which is granted after the company has met the CAA's licensing requirements. Each ATOL holder is issued with a unique ATOL number, which can be checked on the ATOL website, and must contribute to a protection fund called the Air Travel Trust (ATT). In the event of an ATOL holder's failure, the ATOL Scheme ensures customers who booked and contracted with the ATOL holder for an air holiday package or a flight, do not lose the money paid over or are not stranded abroad. www.atol.org.uk

CRUISE HOLIDAYS
Please note when booking a cruise holiday if it does not include flights you may not be protected by the agent's ATOL/ABTA bonding. You will be protected by the protection scheme of each individual cruise line and should ask the agent when booking the holiday to clarify the protection involved.

For more information please visit the individual ABTA & ATOL websites.