All holidaymakers should heed this advice (Picture: Getty Images/Westend61)
Look, you may not be able to control the weather, or whether or not your flight is cancelled, but there is one simple thing travellers can do to *try* and make their summer holiday go as swimmingly as possible.
As Europe’s largest tour operator goes bust just as the holiday season kicks off, it’s perhaps no better time for holidaymakers to protect their hard-earned summer plans in advance.
To take the grunt work out of such an endeavour, the travel insurance experts at Quotezone.co.uk have taken a look at travel delays, cancellations and even provider collapses to help London holidaymakers get the upper hand on travel hiccups.
The short of it is, financial and legal protections for travellers differ greatly depending on what has been booked and where the purchase was made – so Quotezone has compiled reminders on the protections offered by Air Travel Organisers’ Licence (ATOL) and other relevant regulations.
Nine airlines filed for bankruptcy last year, as the travel industry still tries to find its feet (or, rather, wings) in the Covid aftermath – one of which was London favourite Flybe.
ATOL is a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK and is designed to protect consumers who’ve purchased package holidays or flights from UK-based travel companies in the event that the company ceases trading, or goes ‘bust’.
You want to make sure you make it here (Picture: Getty Images)
However, holidaymakers’ level of protection varies depending on whether they’ve booked a package holiday or made their own arrangements.
Flight delays and cancellations also play a major part in ruining holidays and, especially seeing as most travellers can probably relate, is something London holidaymakers must make sure they have protection for.
Of the London airports, 1,080 flight cancellations were reported in the latest data from the Civil Aviation Authority – the sample was taken during the month of April 2024 – with 434 flights reporting significant delays between 2-3 hours or more. At Heathrow alone, 643 flights were cancelled.
If the flight is cancelled, passengers legally have the right to request a full refund from the airline, or a replacement flight which will allow travellers to get to their final destination.
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For delays of three hours or more, travellers can also request compensation directly from the airline. However, the airline will rarely give out compensation if a delay was caused due to reasons beyond their control – such as adverse weather conditions.
Most standard travel insurance policies cover compensation for cancellation or curtailment if the traveller has to cancel or cut short the holiday for reasons out of their control.
It will also normally cover them for missed or …read more
Source:: Metro
