ATOL tips that can save you money

THE COST of a family holiday has risen by 20 percent in the past five years, with the average per person spend per trip up from £597 in 2011 to £694 in 2016, says ATOL, the consumer protection branch of the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority. This – along with the fact that two-fifths of consumers are booking flights and hotels independently – makes it more important than ever that travellers know how to best protect their holiday and make sure they won’t lose money if the worst happens and they are stranded abroad.

ATOL has five essential travel tips for booking a holiday:

• Think outside the box – package holidays can be personalised. There are plenty of ways to tailor a holiday for you and your family, so don’t be put off by the term ‘package holiday’. Buying a package where flights and accommodation are booked through one company means your holiday will be ATOL- protected and your money will be safe. If you book a hotel and flight with different suppliers, your whole trip will not be ATOL-protected, and you could lose your money if either company fails. 

• Do your research and check for ATOL protection. Some travel websites falsely display the 'ATOL Protected' logo, in order to lure and defraud customers. You can check that a company has ATOL protection. Write down the company name and/or the 4 or 5 digit ATOL number. Visit www.packpeaceofmind.co.uk and enter the details into the ‘Check an ATOL’ database, which has a list of all ATOL registered companies. 

• Think beyond the price. There are many foreign-based travel companies, which offer cheap and attractive package holidays, but these will not have ATOL protection. If booking with a non-UK travel company, find out what financial protection they provide and if this covers company failure and repatriation. If not, you might decide to take out additional travel insurance to include insolvency protection, which might mean you pay extra. 

• Take your ATOL certificate with you. You must receive an ATOL certificate as soon as you pay any money towards an ATOL-protected holiday. The certificate confirms what is protected, which company is responsible for your holiday booking (it may not be the company you are booking with directly), and what to do if the company ceases trading. Whether you print the certificate or have a digital version, it’s important to take your certificate with you. 

• Use a credit card and take out good medical and travel insurance. If you are booking your holiday through a number of travel operators, this will not be ATOL-protected, so remember to pay with a credit or debit card. These cards provide some protection if the goods and services you’ve booked are not delivered, for instance if one of the travel operators fails, but might not cover consequential losses. Make sure you have travel insurance, which will cover medical costs and other potential expenses such as damage or loss of any possessions you take with you. 

ATOL stands for Air Travel Organiser’s Licence and is the UK’s statutory holiday protection scheme run by the Civil Aviation Authority.  By law, every UK travel company which sells air holidays must hold an ATOL licence and issue an ATOL certificate as soon as a customer pays any money towards a trip. Booking an ATOL- protected holiday means passengers will get a refund if their travel operator collapses, or if they are already abroad, they will be flown home at no extra cost. 

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Travel fraud cost UK holidaymakers £11.5 million in 2015

THE ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH TRAVEL AGENTS (ABTA), the City of London Police, and Get Safe Online have joined forces to warn consumers about the dangers posed by holiday booking fraud. #Scams are more frequent due to the rise of online bookings 

Findings in a report by the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau reveal the scale of reported crime and expose tactics used by fraudsters who stole £11.5 million from holidaymakers and other travellers in 2015.

According to the report, there has been a rise of 425% in the amount reported lost to travel fraudsters – up to £11.5 million in 2015 from £2.2 million in 2014 – although part of the increase is likely to be due to crime previously going unreported.

The most common fraud type relates to the sale of airline tickets, but there has also been a large increase in the number of owner accounts being hacked into on popular sharing accommodation websites.

Losses for individuals can be substantial, with the average loss being almost £3,000. Almost half of victims (44%) said the fraud had also had a significant adverse impact on their health.

There are distinct spikes of reported fraud in the summer months and in December, indicating fraudsters are targeting holidaymakers and people booking last-minute flights home for Christmas. The majority of those who are defrauded pay by methods such as bank transfer or cash with no means of getting their money back.

The most common types are:

Holiday accommodation – Fraudsters are making full use of the internet to con holidaymakers by setting up fake websites, hacking into legitimate accounts and posting fake adverts on websites and social media.

Airline tickets – where a customer believes they are booking a flight and receives a fake ticket or pays for a ticket that never turns up. In 2015, flights to Nigeria, India, and Pakistan were particularly targeted.

Sports and religious trips – a popular target for fraud due to limited availability of tickets and consequently higher prices. It is anticipated that in 2016, both the European Football Championships in France and the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will attract fraudsters.

Timeshares and holiday clubs – The sums involved with this form of fraud are particularly high, with victims losing between £9,000 and £35,000 each.

The City of London Police, ABTA, and Get Safe Online have published advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of holiday booking fraud – and on how victims should go about reporting it. This advice includes:

Stay safe online:  Check that the web address is legitimate and has not been altered by slight changes to a domain name – such as going from .co.uk to .org

Do your research: Don’t rely on one review – do a thorough online search to check the company’s credentials. If a company is defrauding people there is a good chance that consumers will post details of their experiences, and warnings about the company.

Look for the logo: Check whether the company is a member of a recognized trade body such as ABTA. If you have any doubts, you can verify membership of ABTA online, at www.abta.com.

Pay safe: Never pay directly into an owner’s bank account. Paying by direct bank transfer is like paying by cash – the money is very difficult to trace and is not refundable. Wherever possible, pay by credit card (or a debit card that offers protection).

Check paperwork: Study receipts, invoices, and terms and conditions, and be very wary of any companies that don’t provide any at all. When booking through a holiday club or timeshare, get the contract vetted by a solicitor before signing up.

Use your instincts: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Report it: Victims should contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or register via www.actionfraud.police.uk.


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Post-Christmas campaign to boost consumer protection

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will run its annual ‘Pack Peace of Mind’ advertising campaign to promote Atol (Air Travel Organizer’s Licence) consumer protection to holidaymakers in January. 

The campaign will run for at least the first six months of 2016, with a focus on the peak-booking periods in January and at Easter.

The authority is urging the travel industry to back the campaign to ensure holidaymakers understand the importance of ATOL protection and look out for the ATOL certificate when booking.

CAA head of Atol Andy Cohen said: ‘We’ve been really pleased with the impact the Pack Peace of Mind campaign has had, with our research showing people feel more informed about Atol. But the risk of holidaymakers booking an unprotected trip and then losing out financially or being left stranded abroad is still very real. We want to make sure consumers fully understand why Atol is so important and how simple it is to check for protection.’

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