EUjet - a reminder
This is not an original thought - plenty of travel editors and organisations with an interest, like AITO & ABTA, have been saying it in recent days - but the collapse of the low-cost carrier EUjet a week ago, leaving thousands stranded, is a reminder that financial protection for holiday-makers is not automatic, as many people assume.
If you book your holiday through a tour operator or bonded travel agent (eg ABTA) you will be rebooked, refunded or repatriated at no extra cost if your airline goes bust.
DIY travellers are on their own.
If you are thinking: "that's no prob because I used my credit card to book", think again.
Firstly, your ticket must have cost more than £100. Then, normally it is only the credit card holder who is protected - not the rest of the family/friends booked in the same transaction. Nor will the credit card company refund payments made outside the UK, so you won't be covered for the extra accommodation & tickets needed to sort yourselves out and get home. And, if the airline was not based in the UK you may not be covered anyway.
That's why the 'local' lists on Travel Lists warn: 'You may not enjoy the same level of financial security and protection if things go wrong when you book directly with an overseas company'.
If you book your holiday through a tour operator or bonded travel agent (eg ABTA) you will be rebooked, refunded or repatriated at no extra cost if your airline goes bust.
DIY travellers are on their own.
If you are thinking: "that's no prob because I used my credit card to book", think again.
Firstly, your ticket must have cost more than £100. Then, normally it is only the credit card holder who is protected - not the rest of the family/friends booked in the same transaction. Nor will the credit card company refund payments made outside the UK, so you won't be covered for the extra accommodation & tickets needed to sort yourselves out and get home. And, if the airline was not based in the UK you may not be covered anyway.
That's why the 'local' lists on Travel Lists warn: 'You may not enjoy the same level of financial security and protection if things go wrong when you book directly with an overseas company'.
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