Booking Conditions

The following Booking Conditions together with our privacy policy and any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking govern your booking with Travelbugz Limited, a company registered in England with company no: 04714191 and registered office address of The Boathouse Business Centre, Harbour Square, Wisbech, England, PE13 3BH (“we” “us” and “our”) trading as The Wedding Travel Company. Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. References to "you" and "your" in these Booking Conditions mean all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date) or any of them.

References to “Travel Arrangement(s)” in these Booking Conditions are to the accommodation, flights, transport, activities, excursions and other services we feature on our website. References to “Supplier/Principal” means the third party supplier of the Travel Arrangements including but not limited to accommodation providers, transfer providers, car hire companies, airlines, tour operators and attraction providers.

By making a booking, the first named person on the booking agrees on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that he/she:

a.  has read these Booking Conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
b.  consents to our use of personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy here and is authorised on behalf of all persons named on the booking to disclose their personal details to us, including where applicable, special categories of data (such as information on health conditions or disabilities and dietary requirements);
c.  is over 18 years of age and resident in the United Kingdom and where placing an order for services with age restrictions declares that he/she and all members of the party are of the
     appropriate age to purchase those services;
d.  accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking.

Please Note: We act only as an agent in respect of all bookings we take and/or make on your behalf.

However, where you make a booking of multiple Travel Arrangements in such a way as to create a package holiday, we will accept responsibility for that as a “Multi-Contract Package” in accordance with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (please see clause 2 below for further information as to the circumstances in which we will be acting as a Package Organiser).

As a result of the above, our obligations to you may vary depending upon which Travel Arrangements you book with us, and whether you book a “Single Component Booking” or a “Multi-Contract Package” and we have tried to set them out below as clearly as possible:

(A)  Section A contains the conditions that will apply to all bookings you make with us;
(B)  Section B sets out the additional terms and conditions that will apply when you make a booking with us for a Multi-Contract Package.

SECTION A – APPLICABLE TO ALL BOOKINGS

 

1. Your Contract

When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the applicable Supplier/Principal of the Travel Arrangements, as specified on your confirmation invoice. Your booking with us is subject to these Booking Conditions and the specific terms and conditions of the relevant Supplier/Principal(s) you contract with and you we advise you to read both carefully prior to booking. The Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions may limit and/or exclude the Supplier/Principal's liability to you.

Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions:

Terms and conditions including tours operators, airlines and all other locals suppliers available upon request. Please speak to one of agents to request this.

Your booking is confirmed and a contract between you and the Supplier/Principal will exist when we send you confirmation on their behalf.

By clicking to book and entering both your personal and payment details on-line, you are requesting that we make a booking on your behalf with the relevant Supplier/ Principal for your chosen Travel Arrangements. You will be bound by both our booking conditions and the relevant booking conditions of the Supplier/ Principal, and so we advise you to read these very carefully prior to booking.

It is important to note that your payment at the time of making your booking does not in itself mean that your booking is confirmed, as all bookings are subject to availability, and we do not guarantee that any of the Travel Arrangements advertised will still be available at the time of booking

In order to confirm your booking we have to make live reservations with the Supplier/Principals, and as such we have to have the security that we have the appropriate payment from you. Hence your initial payment to us acts as your authority for us to make your booking with the Supplier/Principal.

We will inform you within 48 hours of placing an order, if, for any reason, in the short time between your payment to us and us seeking to confirm your booking with the Supplier/Principal, the Travel Arrangements that you requested for us to book on your behalf become unavailable.

If we cannot obtain an alternative that is acceptable to you, you will of course receive a full refund for the money that you have paid for those Travel Arrangements.

The initial email that is sent with a summary of your order attached is not the contractual acceptance of the Travel Supplier’s ability to provide the requested travel arrangement, this acts purely as an acknowledgement that we have received your order. If all of the Travel Arrangements are available as detailed on our website, then you will be issued with a booking confirmation with the full terms and conditions attached, for both us and the Supplier/Principal. Once you have received this booking confirmation, then you have entered into a legally binding contract for these Travel Arrangements, subject to both the Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions and our booking conditions.

As an agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the Supplier/Principal or for the Travel Arrangements provided by the Supplier/Principal, unless we have sold those Travel Arrangements in such a way as to create a Multi-Contract Package (please see clause 2 for further information), in which case we will accept responsibility for those Travel Arrangements in accordance with Section B of these Booking Conditions.

2. Multi-Contract Package Bookings

Where your booking is for a Multi-Contract Package, as defined below, we will act as a “Package Organiser” and you will receive the rights and benefits under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (“PTRs”), as outlined in Section B of these Booking Conditions.

A “Multi-Contract Package” exists if you book a combination of at least two different types of the following individual travel services, for the purpose of the same trip or holiday:

(a) transport; or
(b) accommodation; or
(c) rental of cars, motor vehicles or motorcycles (in certain circumstances); and
(d) any other tourist service not intrinsically part of one of the above travel services,

provided that those travel services are purchased together from a single visit to our website and selected by you before you agree to pay; or are advertised, sold or charged at an inclusive or total price; or advertised or sold under the term “package” or a similar term.

This is called a Multi-Contract Package as you still have contracts with each of the individual Supplier/Principals providing the Travel Arrangements, however we, Travelbugz Limited, will accept responsibility for this booking as a Package Organiser.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that where you have made a booking which consists of not more than one type of travel service as listed at (a) – (c) above, combined with one or more tourist services as listed at (d) above, this will not create a Multi-Contract Package where the tourist services:

- do not account for 25% of the value of the combination and are not advertised as, and do not otherwise represent, an essential feature of the package; or

- are selected and purchased after the performance of the transport, accommodation or car rental has started.

These bookings will be treated as “Single Component” bookings and will not be afforded the benefit of the rights under the PTRs.

Where you have booked a Multi-Contract Package, we still act as agent on behalf of the Supplier/Principals of your chosen Travel Arrangements but we will comply with our legal obligations under the PTRs as your Package Organiser and these are outlined in Section B of these Booking Conditions. This does not prejudice or otherwise affect our agency status with Supplier/Principals.

3.Booking

When you make a booking, you will have the opportunity to review/confirm all the details of the booking before making payment. Once you have reviewed and confirmed these details and made payment, we will proceed to make the booking with the Supplier/Principal.

Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately. Any changes to these details will incur the charges stated below. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport. The booking information that you provide to us will be passed on only to the relevant Supplier/Principal of your Travel Arrangements or other persons necessary for the provision of your Travel Arrangements. The information may be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. This applies to any special category (sensitive) information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary and religious requirements. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. If you are travelling to the United States, the US Customs and Border Protection will receive this information for the purposes of preventing and combating terrorism and other transnational serious crimes. If you travel outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. If we cannot pass this information to the relevant Supplier/Principals, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to provide your booking. Please click here for full details of our privacy policy here

4. Payment

In order to book your chosen Travel Arrangements, you must pay a deposit as required by the Supplier/Principal of the Travel Arrangements (or full payment if booking within 12 weeks of departure or as requested by the Supplier/Principal). You must also pay all applicable insurance premiums and booking fees.

If you have paid a deposit, you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will inform the Supplier/Principal(s) who may cancel your booking and charge the applicable cancellation fees (as set out in the Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions),and you will also be required to pay an administration charge to us of £30 per person.

Payment methods that are accepted for new bookings and balances are debit or credit cards.

Bank transfers can also be made. Please call  01708 412 144for further details. Please use the lead surname and booking reference when making the transfer. If payment is made via this method your payment cannot be tracked unless the Administration Department is notified of the transaction.

Except where otherwise advised or stated in the terms and conditions of the Supplier/Principal concerned, all monies you pay to us for Travel Arrangements will be held on behalf of the Supplier/Principal concerned, with the exception of bookings covered by an ATOL. Any money paid to us in respect of a booking covered by an ATOL is held by us on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust at all times, but subject to our obligation to pay it to the ATOL Holder for so long as the ATOL Holder does not fail financially. If the ATOL Holder does fail financially, any money held at that time by us or subsequently accepted from the consumer by us, is and continues to be held by us on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any obligation to pay that money to the ATOL Holder.

Instalment Payments

On certain applicable bookings you can pay for your Travel Arrangements in instalments. We will tell you at the time of booking how many instalments there will be, the amount of each instalment, and the payment due dates. This will be confirmed on your booking paperwork.

We will endeavour to automatically clear the stipulated funds on the agreed dates as detailed on your paperwork. Please ensure that adequate funds are available on these dates as if the scheduled payment fails for any reason, then the remainder of the payment plan will be void, and our standard terms and conditions will preside, and we will notify you of the new balance due date that we must receive total cleared funds by. If the collecting of an instalment was unsuccessful for any reason, then your booking will also be subject to an increased administration fee of £10.00, which must be paid along with the remaining balance.

Failure to pay on the agreed dates may result in the cancellation of your booking. If you choose to cancel a booking that is subject to instalment payments, then additional fees may be payable. You will be advised of these costs at the time of cancellation.

Should you wish to pay for your Travel Arrangements in part or in full at any time after an instalment plan is entered into, then you are entitled to do so, and the remainder of your instalment plan will be adjusted accordingly to reflect this.

Should you want to make a change to your booking that means that you need to pay an amendment fee, then the amendment fee must be paid at the time that you make the change, and this fee cannot be included in your instalment payments.

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6. Accuracy

We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices both on our website and in any advertising material that we publish are accurate, however, occasionally changes and errors occur and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the Travel Arrangements that you wish to book before you make your booking.

7. Prices

We reserve the right to amend advertised prices at any time. We also reserve the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices.
Special note: changes and errors sometimes occur. You must check the price of your chosen Travel Arrangements at the time of booking.

Where you have booked a Multi-Contract Package, additional terms and conditions apply, please see clause 26 for further information.

8. Insurance

Many Supplier/Principals require you to take out travel insurance as a condition of booking with them. In any event, we strongly advise that you take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses, as well as ensuring you have cover for any activities you have booked, including additional cover for skiing/extreme sports/adventure travel and all other activities you have booked.

If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, neither the Supplier/Principal nor we will be liable to you for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

9. Special Requests

Any special requests must be advised to us at the time of booking e.g. diet, room location, a particular facility at a hotel etc. You should then confirm your requests in writing. We will pass your request on to the Supplier/Principal but we cannot guarantee that they will be fulfilled. The fact that a special request has been noted on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation or that it has been passed on to the Supplier/Principal is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on neither our part nor the part of the Supplier/Principal unless we have specifically confirmed the request.

10. Fitness to Travel and Medical Conditions

We are not a specialist disabled holiday company but we will do our utmost to cater for any special requirements you may have. If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your trip, please provide us with full details before we confirm your booking so that we can try to advise you as to the suitability of your chosen Travel Arrangements. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate in your chosen tour.

Acting reasonably, if the Supplier/Principal is unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking on the Supplier/Principal’s behalf or, if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will inform the Supplier/Principal who may cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges, when we become aware of these details.

11. Changes and Cancellations by You

Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing, by email, and will take effect at the time we receive it. Please ensure that you have received written confirmation of any changes to your booking prior to travel. Whilst we will try to assist, we cannot guarantee that the Supplier/Principal will meet such requests. Amendments and cancellations can only be accepted in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Supplier/Principal of your Travel Arrangements. The Supplier/Principal may charge the cancellation or amendment charges shown in their booking conditions (which may be as much as 100% of the cost of the Travel Arrangements and will normally increase closer to the date of departure). In addition, you must pay us an administration fee of up to £100.00 per person for any amendments to bookings and an administration fee of £100 for cancellations or as otherwise set out in the Service Charges table below. We will notify you of the exact charges at the time of amendment or cancellation.

Please note: some Supplier/Principals do not allow changes and therefore full cancellation charges will apply.

12. Changes and Cancellations by the Supplier/Principal

We will inform you as soon as reasonably possible if the Supplier/Principal needs to make a significant change to your confirmed Travel Arrangements or to cancel them. We will also liaise between you and the Supplier/Principal in relation to any alternative travel arrangements offered by the Supplier/Principal but we will have no further liability to you.

Where you have booked a Multi-Contract Package, additional terms and conditions apply to your booking, please see clause 29 for further details.

13. Our Service Charges

In certain circumstances we apply a service charge for the agency service we provide, in addition to any charge levied by the Supplier/Principal, as follows:

SERVICE

CHARGE

Cancellation or amendment

Principal’s charge + £100 per person

Special requests after booking has been confirmed          

Principal’s charge + £30 per person

Pre-booking airline seats after confirmed booking           

Principal’s charge + £30 per person

Tickets despatched by courier

Cost of courier + £30 per booking

Tickets despatched by post

£20 per despatch

 

14. Complaints

As the contract for your Travel Arrangements is between you and the Supplier/Principal, any queries or concerns about your Travel Arrangements should be addressed to them in the first instance. If you have a problem with your Travel Arrangements whilst using them, this must be reported to the Supplier/Principal immediately. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity for the Supplier/Principal to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may therefore be reduced or extinguished as a result.

If you wish to complain when you return home, write to the Supplier/Principal. You will see their name and contact details in any confirmation documents we send you.

If you remain unsatisfied, you can inform us, via admin@theweddingtravelcompany.com as soon as possible and, in any event, within 28 days of your return to the UK whereby we will endeavour to assist in our capacity as an agent by liaising with the Supplier/Principal on your behalf. 

We will of course assist you with this if you wish - please contact Customer Services. If the matter cannot be resolved and it involves us or another ABTA Member then you have the option to use ABTA’s ADR scheme, approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, see www.abta.com.

If you wish to complain about any service we have provided to you (i.e. our booking service) then please contact us directly.

15. Our Responsibility for your Booking

Your contract is with the Supplier/Principal and its booking conditions apply. As agent, we accept no responsibility for the actual provision of the Travel Arrangements. Our responsibilities are limited to making the booking in accordance with your instructions. We accept no responsibility for any information about the Travel Arrangements that we pass on to you in good faith. However, in the event that we are found liable to you on any basis whatsoever, our maximum liability to you is limited to twice the cost of the commission we earn on your booking (or the appropriate proportion of this if not everyone on the booking is affected).

We do not exclude or limit any liability for death or personal injury that arises as a result of our negligence or that of any of our employees whilst acting in the course of their employment.

Please Note: Where you have booked a Multi-Contract Package we will accept responsibility for that Multi-Contract Package as a package organiser and additional terms and condition apply. Please see clause 30 for further information.

16. Events Beyond Our Control

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by “Events Beyond Our Control”. For the purposes of these Booking Conditions, Events Beyond Our Control means any event beyond our or our supplier’s control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Examples include warfare and acts of terrorism (and threat thereof), civil strife, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the travel destination or remain at the travel destination, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, labour strikes, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, unavoidable technical problems with transport and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) concerned’s control.

Brexit Implications: please note that certain Travel Arrangements may be affected as a result of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union. This could include an unavailability of certain flight routes, access to certain ports and airports and changes to the visa requirements of British citizens travelling to, within or through the EU. Please rest assured that this is something we will continue to monitor and will advise our customers as soon as possible if we become aware of any confirmed bookings that will be affected. However, since this is something which is completely unprecedented and outside our control, we would treat any such changes as Events Beyond Our Control, and whilst we will endeavour to provide suitable alternative arrangements or refunds where possible, we will not be liable to pay you any compensation.

17. Visa, Passport and Health Requirements

It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the entry, passport, visa, immigration requirements, safety and health formalities applicable to your itinerary. We can only provide general information about this. You must check requirements for your own specific circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (‘FCDO’) and your own doctor as applicable. Requirements and the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling to, do change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure in order to make your decisions accordingly.

Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. If your passport is in its final year, you should check with the Embassy of the country you are visiting. For further information contact the Passport Office on 0870 5210410 or visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/passports.
 

Special conditions apply for travel to the USA, and all passengers must have individual machine readable passports. Please check https://uk.usembassy.gov.

For European travel you should obtain a UK Global Health Insurance Card (UK GHIC) prior to departure unless you are able to rely upon an existing European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

For travel to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, UK GHIC and EHIC can not be used for medical treatment. Passengers to these destinations should obtain comprehensive medical insurance prior to departure, including cover for emergency medical treatment and associated costs.

Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the FCDO, visit https://www.gov.uk/travelaware.

Non British passport holders, including other EU nationals, should obtain up to date advice on passport and visa requirements from the Embassy, High Commission or Consulate of your destination or country(ies) through which you are travelling.

We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel, or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any entry, passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities. You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses, which we incur as a result of your failure to comply with any entry, passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities.

Please note: The impacts of Brexit may change your visa, ticket and health requirements. Third country nationals may require an airport transit visa when passing through EU Member States. There is the potential for disruption at borders when travelling between the UK and EU Member States and you should allow sufficient time for this when planning any onward travel. You should check any impacts of Brexit on your travel, in advance of your departure, to ensure that you fulfil the requirements post-Brexit, including any passport validity requirements.

18. Law and Jurisdiction

These Booking Conditions are governed by English law and we both agree that the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute, claim or other matter which may arise between us (unless you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, in which case you can bring proceedings in your local court under Scottish or Northern Irish law, as applicable).

19. Accommodation Ratings and Standards

All ratings are as provided by the relevant Supplier/Principal. These are intended to give a guide to the services and facilities you should expect from your accommodation. Standards and ratings may vary between countries, as well as between suppliers. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of any ratings given.

20. Documentation & Information

All descriptions and content on our website or otherwise issued by us is done so on behalf of the Supplier/Principal in question are intended to present a general idea of the services provided by the Supplier/Principal. Not all details of the relevant services can be included on our website. All services shown are subject to availability. If you require any further details, in respect of any Travel Arrangements or any other services please contact us.

 

21. Your Behaviour

You are expected to conduct yourself in an orderly and acceptable manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of others. If in the Supplier/Principal’s opinion or in the opinion of any other person in authority, your behaviour or that of any member of your party is causing or is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any other customers or any third party, or damage to property, or to cause a delay or diversion to transportation, the Supplier/Principal reserves the right to terminate your booking immediately with no further liability to you. You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and you and each member of your party will be jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the Supplier/Principal prior to departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us because of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you.

We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.

 

22. Delays, Missed Transport Arrangements and other Travel Information

If you or any member of your party misses your flight or other transport arrangement, it is cancelled or you are subject to a delay of over 3 hours for any reason, you must contact us and the airline or other transport supplier concerned immediately.

Under UK Law, you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from the airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at UK airports and will also be available from airlines. If the airline does not comply with these rules, you should complain to the Civil Aviation Authority at www.caa.co.uk/passengers. Reimbursement in such cases is the responsibility of the airline and will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday price. . If, for any reason, you do not claim against the airline and make a claim for compensation from us, you must, at the time of payment of any compensation to you, make a complete assignment to us of the rights you have against the airline in relation to the claim that gives rise to that compensation payment. A delay or cancellation to your flight does not automatically entitle you to cancel any other arrangements even where those arrangements have been made in conjunction with your flight.  

We cannot accept liability for any delay, which is due to any of the reasons set out in clause 16 of these Booking Conditions (which includes the behaviour of any passenger(s) on any flight who, for example, fails to check in or board on time). 

The carrier(s), flight timings and types of aircraft shown on our website and detailed on your confirmation invoice are for guidance only and are subject to alteration and confirmation. We shall inform you of the identity of the actual carrier(s) as soon as we become aware of it.  The latest flight timings will be shown on your tickets, which will be despatched to you approximately two weeks before departure.  You should check your tickets very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times.  If flight times change after tickets have been dispatched we will contact you as soon as we can to let you know.

Please note the existence of a “UK Air Safety list” (available for inspection at https://www.caa.co.uk/commercial-industry/airlines/licensing/requirements-and-guidance/third-country-operator-certificates/) detailing air carriers that are subject to an operating ban within the UK. 

The website is our responsibility, as your agent. It is not issued on behalf of, and does not commit the airlines mentioned herein or any airline whose services are used in the course of your travel arrangements.

23. Cruise Bookings

It is the customer’s responsibility to settle all of their on board accounts. Children under the age of 18 will not be carried unless accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 at the time of boarding, who accepts responsibility for their welfare, conduct and behaviour. Infants younger than 6 months at point of boarding may not be accepted on some ships, full details are provided at booking stage and we accept no liability for incorrect information that may have been provided by you. Please refer to the Supplier/Principal’s full Terms and Conditions.

24. Advance Passenger Information

A number of Governments are introducing new requirements for air carriers to provide personal information about all travellers on their aircraft to the Authorities before the aircraft leaves the UK. The data will be collected either at the airport when you check in or in some circumstances when, or after you make your booking. Accordingly, you are advised to allow extra time to check in for your flight. Where we collect this data, we will treat it in accordance with our privacy policy.

25. ABTA

We are a Member of ABTA, membership number P6628. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes, which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we cannot resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com.

 

SECTION B: MULTI-CONTRACT PACKAGE BOOKINGS

This section only applies to Multi-Contract Packages (please see clause 2 for further information) and should be read in conjunction with Section A of these Booking Conditions.

 

26. Pricing

Where you have booked a Multi-Contract Package, we reserve the right to increase the price of confirmed Travel Arrangements within that Multi-Contract Package solely to allow for increases which are a direct consequence of changes in:

(i)   the price of the carriage of passengers resulting from the cost of fuel or other power sources;
(ii)  the level of taxes or fees applicable to the Travel Arrangements imposed by third parties not directly involved in the performance of the Travel Arrangements, including tourist taxes, landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports; and
(iii) the exchange rates relevant to the Travel Arrangements.

We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements. You will be charged for the amount over and above that.

However, if this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 8% of the total price of the confirmed Multi-Contract Package (excluding any amendment charges and/or additional services), you will have the option of accepting the price increase and paying the requested amount, accepting a change to another Multi-Contract Package if we are able to offer one (if this is of equivalent or higher quality you will not have to pay more but if it is of lower quality you will be refunded the difference in price), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid to us, except for any insurance premiums and any amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements not forming part of your Multi-Contract Package. Should you decide to cancel for this reason, you must exercise your right to do so within 7 days from the issue date on your confirmation.

Should the price of your Multi-Contract Package go down due to the changes mentioned above then any refund due will be paid to you, less an administration fee of £30 per person. However, please note that Travel Arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes may have no impact on the price of your Multi-Contract Package due to contractual and other protection in place.

There will be no change made to the price of your confirmed Multi-Contract Package within 20 days of your departure nor will refunds be paid during this period.

27. Transferring Your Multi-Contract Package Booking

If any member of your party is prevented from travelling on their Multi-Contract Package, that person(s) may transfer their place to someone else, subject to the following conditions:

- that person is introduced by you and satisfies all the conditions applicable to the Travel Arrangements making up the Multi-Contract Package;

- we are notified not less than 7 days before departure;

- you pay any outstanding balance payment, an administration fee of £25 per person transferring as well as any additional fees, charges or other costs arising from the transfer; and

- the transferee agrees to these Booking Conditions, the Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions and all other requirements applicable to the Travel Arrangements making up the
  Multi-Contract Package.

- You and the transferee remain jointly and severally liable for payment of all sums.

If you are unable to find a replacement, cancellation charges as set out will apply in accordance with clause 11. Otherwise, no refunds will be given for passengers not travelling or for unused services.

28. If You Cancel your Multi-Contract Package due to Unavoidable & Extraordinary Circumstances

If you have booked a Multi-Contract Package, you have the right to cancel your confirmed Multi-Contract Package before departure without paying a cancellation charge in the event of “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” occurring at your holiday destination or its immediate vicinity and significantly affecting the performance of the Multi-Contract Package or significantly affecting transport to the destination. In these circumstances, we shall provide you with a full refund of the monies you have paid but we will not be liable to pay you any compensation. You must be able to show at the time you wish to cancel that there is no reasonable possibility of your trip going ahead, in order to rely on this clause.

For the purposes of this clause, “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” may include warfare, other serious security problems such as terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination, or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions, which significantly affect travel to the travel destination as agreed in the package travel contract.

This clause 28 outlines the rights you have if you wish to cancel your booking. Please note that there is no automatic statutory right of cancellation under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

29. If the Supplier/Principal Changes or Cancels your Multi-Contract Package

Where you have booked a Multi-Contract Package and the Supplier/Principal makes a significant change to or cancels the Travel Arrangements which form your Multi-Contract Package, the provisions of this clause 29 will apply.

Changes: If the Supplier/Principal makes a minor change to your Travel Arrangements, we will make reasonable efforts to inform you as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure but we will have no liability to you. Examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type, change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard, changes of carriers. Please note that carriers such as airlines used in the brochure may be subject to change.

Occasionally the Supplier/Principal may have to make a significant change to your confirmed Travel Arrangements. Examples of “significant changes” include the following, when made before departure:

- A change of accommodation area for the whole or a significant part of your time away.

- A change of accommodation to that of a lower standard or classification for the whole or a significant part of your time away.

- A change of outward departure time or overall length of your Travel Arrangements by more than 12 hours.

- A change of UK departure airport except between:
        o The London airports: Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, London City and Southend
        o The South Coast airports: Southampton, Bournemouth and Exeter
        o The South Western airports: Cardiff and Bristol
        o The Midlands airports: Birmingham, East Midlands and Doncaster Sheffield
        o The Northern airports: Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds Bradford
        o The North Eastern airports: Newcastle and Teesside
        o The Scottish airports: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Prestwick and Aberdeen.

- A significant change to your itinerary, missing out one or more destination entirely.

If the Supplier/Principal has to make a significant change or cancel your Travel Arrangements, we will tell you as soon as possible and if there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of:

i (for significant changes) accepting the changed Travel Arrangements; or

ii having a refund of all monies paid; or

iii if available and where we offer one, accepting an offer of an alternative holiday (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value)

You must notify us of your choice within 7 days of our offer. If we do not hear from you within 7 days, we will contact you again to request notification of your choice. If you fail to respond again we will assume that you have chosen to accept the change or alternative travel arrangements.

Insurance: If the Supplier/Principal cancels or makes a significant change and you accept a refund, we will provide a full refund of your travel insurance premiums if you paid them to us and can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy.

Compensation

In addition to a full refund of all monies paid by you, we will pay you compensation as detailed below, in the following circumstances:

- If, where the Supplier/Principal makes a significant change, you do not accept the changed Travel Arrangements and cancel your booking;

- If the Supplier/Principal cancels your booking and no alternative travel arrangements are available.

The compensation that we offer does not exclude you from claiming more if you are entitled to do so.

Period before departure in which we notify you   

Amount you will receive from us per person*

29 days more

£Nil

28 – 15 days

£10

14 – 8 days

£20

7 days or less

£30

 

*IMPORTANT NOTE: We will not pay you compensation in the following circumstances:

- where the Supplier/Principal makes a minor change;

- where the Supplier/Principal makes a significant change or cancels your Travel Arrangements more than 60 days before departure/start date;

- where the Supplier/Principal makes a significant change and you accept those changed Travel Arrangements or you accept an offer of alternative Travel Arrangements;

- where the Supplier/Principal has to cancel your Travel Arrangements as a result of your failure to make full payment on time;

- where the change or cancellation by the Supplier/Principal arises out of alterations to the confirmed booking requested by you;

- where the Supplier/Principal is forced to cancel or change your Travel Arrangements due to Events Beyond Our Control (see clause 16).

If the Supplier/Principal becomes unable to provide a significant proportion of the Multi-Contract Package that you have booked after you have departed, we will, if possible, make alternative Travel Arrangements for you at no extra charge and where those alternative Travel Arrangements are of a lower standard, provide you with an appropriate price reduction.

30. Our Responsibilities in Respect of Multi-Contract Packages

(1) Where you have booked a Multi-Contract Package where we are acting as a Package Organiser, although we still act as agent for the Supplier/Principals of your chosen Travel Arrangements and your contract will be with the Supplier/Principals, we will accept responsibility for the Travel Arrangements making up your Multi-Contract Package as an “organiser” under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 as set out below. As such, we are responsible for the proper provision of the Travel Arrangements specifically included in your Multi-Contract Package, as set out on your confirmation invoice. Please note that we shall not be responsible for any additional services provided to you, whether provided by the travel service providers or otherwise, which are not set out in your confirmation invoice and the information we provided to you regarding the services prior to booking.

(2) We will not be responsible or pay you compensation for any personal injury or death unless you are able to prove that it was caused by our negligence or the negligence of our suppliers.

 (3) We will not be responsible or pay you compensation for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description if it results from:
(a) the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected; or
(b) the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party unconnected with the provision of the services forming part of your Multi-Contract Package and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable ; or
(c) Events Beyond Our Control (as defined in clause 16).

(4) We limit the amount of compensation we may have to pay you if we are found liable under this clause:

(a) loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions and money,

The maximum amount we will have to pay you in respect of these claims is an amount equivalent to the excess on your insurance policy which applies to this type of loss per person in total because you are required to have adequate insurance in place to cover any losses of this kind.

(b) Claims not falling under (a) above and which don’t involve injury, illness or death

The maximum amount we will have to pay you in respect of these claims is up to three times the price paid by or on behalf of the person(s) affected in total. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything has gone wrong and you or your party has not received any benefit at all from your booking.

(c) Claims in respect of international travel by air, sea and rail, or any stay in a hotel

i) The extent of our liability will in all cases be limited as if we were carriers under the appropriate Conventions, which include The Warsaw/Montreal Convention (international travel by air); The Athens Convention (with respect to sea travel); The Berne/Cotif Convention (with respect to rail travel) and The Paris Convention (with respect to hotel Travel Arrangements). You can ask for copies of these Conventions from our offices. Please contact us. In addition, you agree that the operating carrier or transport company's own 'Conditions of Carriage' will apply to you on that journey. When arranging transportation for you, we rely on the terms and conditions contained within these international conventions and those 'Conditions of Carriage'. You acknowledge that all of the terms and conditions contained in those 'Conditions of Carriage' form part of your Multi-Contract Package booking with us, as well as with the transport company and that those 'Conditions of Carriage' shall be deemed to be included by reference into this Multi-Contract Package booking.

ii) In any circumstances in which a carrier is liable to you by virtue of EC 261/2004 (denied boarding and flight disruption) any liability we may have to you arising out of your Multi-Contract Package booking, arising out of the same facts, is limited to the remedies provided under the Regulation as if (for this purpose only) we were a carrier.

iii) When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money which you have received or are entitled to receive from the transport provider or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question.

(5) Subject to these Booking Conditions, if we or the Supplier/Principals negligently perform or arrange those Travel Arrangements set out in the confirmation invoice and the information we provided to you regarding the services prior to booking and we don’t remedy or resolve your complaint within a reasonable period of time, and this has affected the enjoyment of your Multi-Contract Package you may be entitled to an appropriate price reduction or compensation or both. You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services included in this package. The level of any such price reduction or compensation in respect of any claim for damages or compensation whatsoever will be calculated taking into consideration all relevant factors such as but not limited to: following the complaints procedure as described in these Booking Conditions and the extent to which ours or our employees’ or suppliers’ negligence affected the overall enjoyment of your holiday. Please note that it is your responsibility to show that we or our supplier(s) have been negligent if you wish to make a claim against us.

 

(6) It is a condition of our acceptance of liability under this clause that you notify any claim to ourselves and our Supplier/Principal(s) strictly in accordance with the complaints procedure set out in these conditions.

(7) Where any payment is made, the person(s) receiving it (and their parent or guardian if under 18 years) must also assign to ourselves or our insurers any rights they may have to pursue any third party and must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require.

(8) Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss or expense or other sum(s) of any description: (a) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur;  (b) relate to any business, (c) indirect or consequential loss of any kind.

(9) We will not accept responsibility for services or facilities which were not included on your booking confirmation or where they are not advertised in our brochure / on our website. For example any excursion you book whilst away, or any service or facility which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you.

(10) Where it is impossible for you to return to your departure point as per the agreed return date of your Multi-Contract Package, due to “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances”, we shall provide you with any necessary accommodation (where possible, of a comparable standard) for a period not exceeding three nights per person. Please note that the 3-night cap does not apply to persons with reduced mobility, pregnant women or unaccompanied minors, nor to persons needing specific medical assistance, provided we have been notified of these particular needs at least 48 hours before the start of your Multi-Contract Package. For the purposes of this clause, “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” mean warfare, acts of terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely back to your departure point.

31. Insolvency Protection for Multi-Contract Package Payments

We provide full financial protection for our Multi-Contract package holidays which don’t include flights, by way of a policy of financial failure insurance with AVS – Atlas Voyage Secure – see https://asua.co.uk/commercial-financial-protection/  for more details. If you book Travel Arrangements that don’t form part of a Multi-Contract Package your monies will not be financially protected. Please ask us for further details.

32. Prompt Assistance for Multi-Contract Packages

If you have booked a Multi-Contract Package and whilst you are on holiday, you find yourself in difficulty for any reason we will offer you such prompt assistance as is appropriate in the circumstances. We provide a 24 hour assistance line and so if you require this please contact us on 01708 411 127. In particular, we will provide you with appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and with distance communications and finding alternative Travel Arrangements. Where you require assistance that is not owing to any failure by us, our employees or sub-contractors, we will not be liable for the costs of any alternative Travel Arrangements or other such assistance you require. Any Supplier/Principal, airline or other transport supplier may however pay for or provide refreshments and/or appropriate accommodation and you should make a claim directly to them. Subject to the other terms of these Booking Conditions, we will not be liable for any costs, fees or charges you incur in the above circumstances, if you fail to obtain our prior authorisation before making your own Travel Arrangements. Furthermore, we reserve the right to charge you a fee for our assistance in the event that the difficulty is caused intentionally by you or a member of your party, or otherwise through your or your party’s negligence.