ATOL reform confirmed

People booking a holiday abroad are set to benefit from a revised protection scheme after the Government confirmed it would press ahead with reforms to ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licence).  These will see the scheme undergo the biggest overhaul for more than a decade.  Around 6m more holidays will receive protection.

In a statement to Parliament, the Aviation Minister, Theresa Villiers, outlined the changes which the Government aims to implement by the end of the year in order to beat the main holiday booking period from January onwards.  A charge of £2.50 per passenger is envisaged.

Perhaps the most important gesture is to extend protection to include 'flight plus' holidays.  This would cover trips including a flight where the various elements are purchased within a specified short period, possibly 24 hours – essentially looking like a package holiday but falling outside the existing legal definition.  She says she is trying to stop holiday firms from misleading consumers about their level of protection and wants to make it obligatory to provide customers with clear and honest information. 

Hopefully when it is all sorted out the CAA will again provide a campaign emphasizing that the ATOL way is the only way to take a travel related holiday. www.atol.org.uk

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