Booking Terms and Conditions (UK departures)

CANTERBURY TRAVEL (LONDON) LTD. herein after called the Company, give notice that

These Booking Conditions, together with our Privacy Policy and where your trip is booked via our website, our Website Terms of Use, together with any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, form the basis of your contract with Canterbury Travel (London) Limited (trading as Canterbury Travel), a company registered in England with company number 00995587 and registered office 42 High Street, Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 1BL (“we”, “us”, “our”). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Booking Conditions references to "you" and "your" include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.  

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

1. he/she has read these Booking Conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
2. he/she consents to our use of personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy 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);
3. he/she 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;
4. he/she accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking.

 

1. Booking & Paying For Your Arrangements

A booking is made with us when you pay us a deposit (or full payment if you are booking within 10 weeks of departure) and we issue you with a booking confirmation. We reserve the right to return your deposit and decline to issue a booking confirmation at our absolute discretion. A binding contract will come into existence between you and us as soon as we have issued you with a booking confirmation electronically or otherwise, that will confirm the details of your booking and will be sent to you or your travel agent. If your confirmed arrangements include a flight, we (or if you booked via an authorised agent of ours, that agent) will also issue you with an ATOL Certificate. Upon receipt, if you believe that any details on the ATOL Certificate or booking confirmation or any other document are wrong you must advise us immediately as changes cannot be made later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document within ten days of us sending it out, or within 24 hours if travel is within five days. 

The balance of the cost of your arrangements (including any applicable surcharge) is due not less than 70 days prior to scheduled departure. If we do not receive this balance in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you in which case we shall retain your deposit and any administration fee already applied to your booking. 

Any money paid to an authorised agent of ours in respect of a booking covered by our ATOL is held by that agent on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust at all times, but subject to the agent’s obligation to pay it to us for so long as we do not fail financially. If we do fail financially, any money held at that time by the agent or subsequently accepted from the consumer by the agent, is and continues to be held by that agent on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any obligation to pay that money to us.

Please note that deposits cannot be rolled over to a future year.

2. Accuracy                                                                                    

We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices both on our website 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 arrangements that you wish to book before you make your booking.

3. Insurance

Adequate travel insurance is a condition of your contract with us. You must be satisfied that your insurance fully covers all your personal requirements including pre-existing medical conditions, cancellation charges, medical expenses and repatriation in the event of accident or illness. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

4. Pricing

We reserve the right to amend the price of unsold trips at any time and correct errors in the prices of confirmed trips.

We also reserve the right to increase the price of confirmed trips solely to allow for increases which are a direct consequence of changes in:

1.  the price of the carriage of passengers resulting from the cost of fuel or other power sources;
2. the level of taxes or fees chargeable for services applicable to the trip imposed by third parties not directly involved in the performance of the trip, including tourist taxes, landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports; and
3. the exchange rates relevant to the package.

Such variations could include but are not limited to airline cost changes which are part of our contracts with airlines (and their agents), and any other transport providers.

We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes 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 price of your confirmed trip (excluding any amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements), you will have the option of accepting a change to another trip if we are able to offer one (if this 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 amendment charges and/or additional services or travel arrangements. Should you decide to cancel for this reason, you must exercise your right to do so within 7 days from the issue date printed on your final invoice.

Should the price of your trip go down due to the changes mentioned above, then any refund due will be paid to you less an administrative fee of £50. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.

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

Please note, where specified in our programme, half-price child places are offered on a subject to availability basis. To qualify, bookings must consist of a minimum of 4 passengers including 1 child between 2-11 years at the time of return travel. Minimum 4 persons excludes infants. If a half-price place is applicable it will be allocated to the youngest aged child. Should amendments occur to the booking resulting in a reduction in party numbers below the minimum requirement the half-price child place is forfeited and a revised invoice will be issued. Award of half-price child places is at our sole discretion and may be withdrawn or introduced at any time in accordance with management decision. Only 1 half-price child place will be granted, per booking. Promotional Offers cannot be combined.

 

5. Jurisdiction and Applicable Law

These Booking Conditions and any agreement to which they apply are governed in all respects by English law. We both agree that any dispute, claim or other matter which arises between us out of or in connection with your contract or booking will be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales only. You may however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you live in those places and if you wish to do so.

6. Cutting Your Trip Short

If you are forced to return home early, we cannot refund the cost of any travel arrangements you have not used. If you cut your trip short and return home early in circumstances where you have no reasonable cause for complaint about the standard of accommodation and services provided, we will not offer you any refund for that part of your trip not completed, or be liable for any associated costs you may incur. Depending on the circumstances, your travel insurance may offer cover for curtailment and we suggest that any claim is made directly with them.

7. If You Change Your Booking & Transfers of Bookings

If you wish to change any part of your booking after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you must inform us by email at [email protected] as soon as possible. This should be done by the first named person on the booking. Whilst we will do our best to assist, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your requested change. Please note the following terms apply:

Where we can meet a request, all changes within the same season and received prior to 70 days in advance of tour departure, will be subject to payment of an administration fee of £75 per person per change, as well as any costs and charges incurred by us and/or incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers in making this change which often include any costs incurred to airlines for cancelled air tickets and any additional cost incurred for new tickets at higher value (where scheduled airlines are concerned this will often be the total value of the original air ticket as a minimum). You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible.

Where we are unable to assist you and you do not wish to proceed with the original booking or where a change request is received by us within 70 days of departure, such requests will be treated as a complete cancellation of the holiday involved and cancellation fees set out in condition 8 below become applicable we will treat this as a cancellation by you. A cancellation fee will be payable in accordance with condition 8.

Transfer of Booking:

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

1. that person is introduced by you and satisfies all the conditions applicable to the trip;
2. we are notified not less than fourteen days before departure;
3. you pay any outstanding balance payment, an amendment fee of £75 per person transferring and a further charge of £50 for name changes made within 14 days, as well as any additional fees, charges or other costs arising from the transfer; and
4. the transferee agrees to these booking conditions and all other terms of the contract between us.

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 in condition 8 will apply in order to cover our estimated costs. Otherwise, no refunds will be given for passengers not travelling or for unused services.                           

Important Note:

• Certain arrangements may not be amended or transferred after they have been confirmed and any alteration could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.
• Any costs incurred to airlines for cancelled air tickets and any additional cost incurred for new tickets at higher value will be charged.
• Where scheduled airlines are concerned this will often be the total value of the original air ticket as a minimum    
• Deposits already made cannot be rolled over to a future year and amendments are only possible within the same season.                                   

8. If You Cancel Your Booking Before Departure

If you or any other member of your party decides to cancel your confirmed booking you must notify us by email at [email protected]. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect when it is received in writing by us at our offices and will be effective from the date on which we receive it. Cancellations will always be acknowledged by us in writing.

Should one or more member of a party cancel, it may increase the per person trip price of those still travelling and you will be liable to pay this increase.

Since we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, you will have to pay the cancellation charges as follows:

Period before departure within which written cancellation is received:

more than 70 days	29-70 days	15-28 days	0-14 on day of departure
Deposit	50%	75%	100% Total cost
Cancellation charges including (deposit paid) as % of total price

 

Please note that amendments charges are not refundable in any circumstances.

Important Note: Certain arrangements may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration or cancellation could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements in addition to the charge above.

If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.

Where possible, we will deduct the cancellation charge(s) from any monies you have already paid to us.

Cancellation by You due to Unavoidable & Extraordinary Circumstances: You have the right to cancel your confirmed trip before departure without paying a cancellation charge in the event of “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” occurring at your trip destination or its immediate vicinity and significantly affecting the performance of the trip or significantly affecting the transport arrangements 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 additional compensation.  Please note that your right to cancel in these circumstances will only apply where the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against travel to your destination or its immediate vicinity. For the purposes of this condition, “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” means 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 to the travel destination.

This condition 8 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.

9. If We Change or Cancel

As we plan your trip arrangements many months in advance we may occasionally have to make changes or cancel your booking and we reserve the right to do so at any time.

Changes: If we make a minor change to your trip, we will make reasonable efforts to inform you or your travel agent 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 (a) alteration of your outward/return flights by less than 12 hours; (b) changes to aircraft type or changes of carriers; (c) change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard; and (d) change from a direct to an indirect flight, save where this would amount to a significant change. Please note that carriers such as airlines mentioned in our marketing materials, website or elsewhere may be subject to change.

Arctic weather conditions: Activities throughout your holiday are undertaken in Arctic weather conditions. The organisers reserve the right to vary the tour content and duration of activity in accordance with local safety practice. Duration of outside activities will vary in accordance with conditions applicable on the day and times and schedules specified in the itinerary are those expected to apply but will be adjusted locally to fit with current conditions. Parents and guardians are responsible at all times for the supervision of children travelling within their party for the total duration of the tour. Structures featured within our tours, built from ice, snow etc., e.g. Snow Holes, Snow Igloos are dependent on satisfactory levels of snow and means of its compactability. Where inappropriate conditions exist such structures cannot be provided as they are dependent on specific Arctic weather conditions prevailing. Tours within our website operate in the Arctic. Most pictures in the website depict snowy conditions. Lack of snow however would not be an acceptable reason for cancellation or compensation. The programme would be adapted to fit with this situation. The tour would continue with the other or alternative elements provided and there would be no right of cancellation due to lack of snow.

Day Tours: In the event of an aircraft diversion or delay in departure our total liability to you will be as follows: a delay in departure exceeding 4 hours where the Clients have not boarded the aircraft will result in the tour being cancelled with a full refund of payments made. In the event of aircraft diversion the following procedures will be followed: where the new airport of arrival is within a 150 mile radius of the original airport by road, bus transportation will be provided to the original airport and the tour will operate in full. To comply with flight crew regulations this will inevitably mean the departure from Lapland in the early hours of the following morning. For arrivals at airports outside a 150 mile radius a Day Tour based on appropriate services available in the locality at short notice will be provided, which of course may vary greatly to that offered in the tour described. In all the years of operation of Day Tours, thirteen have been cancelled and only five diverted to an airport. By agreeing to our booking conditions you accept our total liability to you in the event of tour cancellation will be a full refund of tour cost. We cannot be responsible for other out of pocket expenses such as overnight hotels, petrol, taxi fees etc.

Occasionally we may have to make a significant change to your confirmed arrangements. Examples of “significant changes” include the following, when made before departure:

1. A change of accommodation area for the whole or a significant part of your time away.
2. A change of accommodation to that of a lower standard or classification for the whole or a significant part of your time away.
3. A change of outward departure time or overall length of your arrangements by more than 12 hours.
4. A change of UK departure airport except between:
   1. The London airports: Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, London City and Southend
   2. The South Coast airports: Southampton, Bournemouth and Exeter
   3. The South Western airports: Cardiff and Bristol
   4. The Midlands airports: Birmingham, East Midlands and Doncaster Sheffield
   5. The Northern airports: Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds Bradford
   6. The North Eastern airports: Newcastle and Teesside
   7. The Scottish airports: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Prestwick and Aberdeen

 

If we have to make a significant change or cancel, 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:

1. 8. (for significant changes) accepting the changed arrangements; or
   9. having a refund of all monies paid; or
   10. if available and where we offer one, accepting an offer of an alternative trip (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 booking arrangements.

Cancellation:

We reserve the right to cancel your trip up until 10 weeks prior to departure date for overnight tours, and 4 weeks prior to departure date for day trips, for reasons of:

• Force Majeure (please see condition 10 below);
• Failure by you to pay the final balance;
• If the minimum participation level equivalent to 80% of aircraft seating capacity number, is not reached.

In such cases, no compensation or out of pocket expenses will be paid.

10. Force Majeure

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 “Force Majeure”. For the purposes of these Booking Conditions, Force Majeure 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 or existence of serious disease at the travel destination (including the ongoing effects of Covid-19) 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 or any guidance issued by 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 beyond our or the supplier(s) concerned control.

11. 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 by email at [email protected] or telephone at +0044 01923 822388. Whilst every effort will be made by us to try and arrange your reasonable special requests, 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 is not confirmation that the request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part unless the request has been specifically confirmed by us.  We do not accept bookings that are conditional upon any special request being met.

12. Disabilities and Medical Problems

Whilst we are not a specialist provider of disabled holidays, 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 needs or disability which may affect your booking, please provide us with full details before you make your booking so that we can try to advise you as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate. Acting reasonably, if we are unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking or if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges when we become aware of these details.

13. Complaints

We make every effort to ensure that your trip arrangements run smoothly but if you do have a problem during your trip, please inform the Tour Manager through your Guide or via our Information Desk immediately, who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint is not resolved locally, please contact by email at [email protected] or telephone at +0044 01923 822388.

If the problem cannot be resolved and you wish to complain further, you must send an email to [email protected] of your complaint within 28 days of the end of your stay, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you. Failure to follow the procedure set out in this condition may affect ours and the applicable supplier’s ability to investigate your complaint, and will affect your rights under this contract.

We are a Member of ABTA, membership number V6364. 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 can’t 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.

14. Your Behaviour

All our customers are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and acceptable manner and not to disrupt the enjoyment of others. If in our opinion or in the opinion of any hotel manager or 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, we reserve the right to terminate your booking with us immediately. In the event of such termination our liability to you and/or your party will cease and you and/or your party will be required to leave your accommodation or other arrangements immediately. We will have no further obligations to you and/or your party. No refunds for lost accommodation or any other arrangements will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of termination. You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and we will hold you and each member of your party jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the hotel manager or other supplier prior to departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result 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.

15. Our Responsibilities

 

1. We will accept responsibility for the arrangements we agree to provide or arrange for you as an “organiser” under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, as amended, as set out below and as such, we are responsible for the proper provision of the travel services specifically included in your package, as set out in your confirmation invoice and the information we provided to you regarding the services prior to booking including but not limited to, pre booking information and emails from ourselves. 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 including but not limited to, pre booking information and emails from ourselves.

 

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:

1. the acts and/or omissions of the person affected; or
2. the acts and/or omissions of a third party unconnected with the provision of the services contracted for and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable; or
3. Force Majeure (as defined in condition 10).

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

1. 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.

2. 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.
3. Claims in respect of international travel by air, sea and rail, or any stay in a hotel:

1. 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 Berne/Cotif Convention (with respect to rail travel) and The Paris Convention (with respect to hotel 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 contract 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 contract.
2. 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 under our contract with you, 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.
3. 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 our suppliers negligently perform or arrange those services set out in the confirmation invoice and the information we provided to you regarding the services prior to booking including but not limited to, pre booking information and emails from ourselves, and we don’t remedy or resolve your complaint within a reasonable period of time, and this has affected the enjoyment of your package trip 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 trip. 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 condition that you notify any claim to us and our supplier(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 us 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:

1. 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 if we breached our contract with you;
2. relate to any business;
3. indirect or consequential loss of any kind.

9. We will not accept responsibility for services or facilities which do not form part of our agreement or where they are not advertised in written advertising materials. 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 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 trip. For the purposes of this condition, “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 (does not include the contracting of COVID-19 during your stay at the destination) or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely back to your departure point.

 

16. Excursions

Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on trip are not part of your contracted arrangements with us. For any excursion or other tour that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.

17. Insolvency Protection - Flights

We provide financial security for flight-inclusive packages by way of  our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 0739 issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR, UK, telephone 0333 103 6350, email: [email protected].

When you buy an ATOL protected product from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate.  This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.  For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk.  The price of our flight inclusive arrangements includes the amount of £2.50 per person as part of the ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) we pay to the CAA (including for any half-place child places). This charge is included in our advertised prices. Not all trip or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL Scheme. ATOL protection extends primarily to customers who book and pay in the United Kingdom.

We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL Scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).

If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

18. Entry, Passport, Visa and Immigration Requirements & Health Formalities

It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the entry, passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. If you or any member of your party is 16 or over and haven’t yet got a passport, our recommendation is that you should apply for one at least 16 weeks before your arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. You must check requirements for your own specific circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates and your own doctor as applicable. Requirements do change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure.

 

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.

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 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, visit https://www.gov.uk/travelaware.  or call the 24-hour phone line 0845 850 2829 ; calls cost 4p per minute with BT; other network prices may vary.

 

Non British passport holders, including other EU nationals, should obtain up to date advice on entry, passport, visa, health and immigration 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. We recommend that you consult your GP or a specialist vaccination centre at least 12 weeks before departure for details of the measures you will need to take prior to departure.

 

You acknowledge that the suppliers providing your trip, including, airlines and other carriers, hotels and excursion providers, will need to comply with national and/or local guidance and requirements relating to Covid-19, and have implemented certain measures as a result. This may include specific requirements regarding personal protective equipment, such as use of face-masks by staff (and you may be required to wear a face-mask as well), social distancing, maximum number restrictions on the use of certain facilities, designated alternative entrance and exit routes, mandatory hand sanitisation, limited entertainment options and limited food/drink availability. We do not expect these measures to have a significant impact on your enjoyment of the trip and all measures will be taken with the purpose of securing your safety and those around you.

 

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 validly requirements. The UK Government passport checker can be found here https://www.gov.uk/check-a-passport-travel-europe.

 

19. Conditions of Suppliers

Many of the services which make up your trip are provided by independent suppliers.  Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which will form part of your contract with us.  Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions.  Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from us or the supplier concerned.

Please note, images used within the brochure and/or website of Santa and his elves are purely representative of the standards that are provided on our tours. Actual Santa and elves may vary in accordance with location visited.

20. Prompt Assistance

If, whilst you are on trip, you find yourself in difficulty for any reason, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is appropriate in the circumstances. In particular, we will provide you with appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and assistance with distance communications and finding alternative travel arrangements. Where you require assistance which 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, 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.  

21. 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 trip price from us. 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 condition 10 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 travel documents which will be emailed to you approximately two weeks before departure.  You should check your travel documents very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times.  If flight times change after travel documents have been emailed 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.

22. 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. Data can be collected in advance of your departure date or at the airport. Where the data is collected in advance of your departure date, you are advised to provide such information as soon as it is requested, as failure to do so may result in denied boarding. Where data is collected at the airport, we recommend allowing extra time to check in for your flight. Where we collect this data, we will treat it in accordance with our privacy policy.

23. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Advice

You are responsible for making yourself aware of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling and to make your decisions accordingly. Advice from the FCDO to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute Force Majeure. (See condition 10).

 

Published October 19, 2022.