What Is Atol Protection?

What does Atol protection cover you for?

What is ATOL and how does it protect you? – ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licence) is a scheme that protects travellers and their money if the travel operator they booked with ceases trading, before, or whilst they’re on holiday. This means you will be able to claim your money back or continue your holiday and be repatriated.

The majority of ATOL protected trips are package holidays – when you book multiple travel elements, such as flights and a hotel, for a single price through a tour operator, or travel agent (either online or in person). Any package holiday sold in the UK must be ATOL protected. The scheme was introduced in 1973, following a series of high-profile business failures, and ATOL now protects millions of travellers each year.

ATOL holders pay £2.50 per traveller into a trust fund, which is used to repatriate, refund, or reimburse travellers if their travel operator ceases trading.

Do I need Atol protection for flights?

Are flight-only bookings covered by ATOL? – Generally speaking, no. ATOL protection only tends to cover package or adventure holidays (flights + accommodation, flights + car hire or a combination of all three). Some flights may be covered, such as charter flights or flights where you pay in instalments (i.e., you don’t receive a ticket immediately after booking – some OTAs work in this manner by default).

1. In all cases, read the small print on your airline’s T&Cs.
2. To quote the small print from Ryanair’s T&Cs page, flights booked directly from an airline are not ATOL protected, even if you book accommodation through a link from the airline’s website.
3. They do, however, state that booking a flight using a credit card can offer you a degree of financial protection, so consider using one to book your flights, especially more expensive long-haul flights.

Be sure to also check your credit card company’s T&Cs as well as those of your online travel agent should you book via one. On the other hand, while BA does not provide ATOL protection for flights alone, you’ll be fully covered if you combine them with accommodation as a part of your booking, so company policy can vary.

Is Atol protection worth it?

ATOL is a great safety net for your holiday if things go wrong and you need to claim back money you’ve paid out. But it doesn’t apply to every kind of holiday you book. All package holiday trips should be ATOL protected, in the UK at least. However, flights booked directly with airlines are not protected.

Does Atol protected mean you get your money back?

If you are currently abroad –

If you were given an ATOL Certificate when you booked, read it carefully – it explains who is protecting your trip and what to do. We will provide support to minimise the disruption to your holiday. Information explaining what arrangements will be made to allow you to complete your trip and fly home will be published on our website and via social media sites, details can be found on our ‘Latest ATOL Holder Failures’ page. Please select the relevant failed ATOL holder for further details. If you have any difficulties while abroad, make sure you call us on +44 (0) 333 103 6350. We will explain the situation and discuss your options. If you incur costs due to replacing items for your ATOL protected trip. You will be required to complete a claim form. We will require a completed claim form, evidence of the booking, so include all documentation issued to you, and evidence of payment for the replacement items, include bank statements, you may blank out any transactions not associated with the payments to the failed ATOL holder. The information we publish about the failed ATOL holder will explain what information we need.

Does Atol protection cover non UK residents?

ATOL-protection only applies to UK residents.

Does ATOL cover non UK residents?

easyJet flights and car hire – When you choose to book a flight and car at the same time, your package is protected under ATOL number 11446 by easyJet Airline Company Limited.

Does ATOL cover missed flights?

If you book an ATOL protected trip or package holiday with a single travel firm, everything you’ve booked will be covered, including: Flights and accommodation, including cruise ships. Flights with car hire. Some flight-only bookings.

Who pays for Atol protection?

Is APC a charge on consumers? No, the APC is a per passenger charge payable by ATOL holders to the Air Travel Trust, not individual passengers. This means it should not appear as an additional passenger charge or ‘tax’ in brochures, websites or on ATOL Certificates.

Is Atol protection worldwide?

ATOL PROTECTION – WHAT’S COVERED AND WHAT’S NOT COVERED – ATOL Protection applies to most overseas air holidays which are booked in the UK. The fly cruises shown on this website are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 3448 You won’t be ATOL Protected if you book a Holiday with no flights.

• All non-fly cruises sold in the UK are not protected by ATOL.
• Please see our booking conditions for more information and if in doubt ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking.
• If you book part of your holiday at different times, you may not be protected.
• You should book your travel arrangements within a day of each other to receive ATOL protection.

Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you receive an ATOL Certificate but some of the travel arrangements are not listed, those will not be ATOL protected.

Is Ryanair covered by ATOL?

Could you be a bit clearer about what the question is, please? Ryanair doesn’t issue ATOL certificates, what with not selling package holidays and not being a UK registered company. UK-based tour companies might put together a package including Ryanair flights (though Ryanair discourages this) with an ATOL certificate, but it is the responsibility of the tour company to either find you alternative flights or give you all the money back if the flights are cancelled.

ATOL would only be involved if the tour operator went bust (as Monarch Holidays has done). There are lots and lots of insurance companies, and each one has several different types of policies, at different prices, covering different things. Some would cover the consequential losses of flight cancellations where alternative flights don’t exist or can’t work (prepaid or non-cancellable hotel rooms, prepaid transfers, prepaid car parking and so on).

As Ryanair hasn’t gone out of business, unlike Monarch Airlines, they’re obliged to give you the fare you paid back if they cancel the flight and you don’t take an alternative flight, So the insurers won’t pay you this as well. Double-dipping is not allowed.

Does atol cover luggage?

What does ATOL protection cover? – ATOL protection usually covers you:

Package holidays that include flights, car hire and accommodation Holidays that include flights and accommodation

Some flight-only holidays have ATOL protection, but not always. It’s best to check with the provider before you commit to booking. If your holiday booking doesn’t include flights, these aren’t covered by ATOL. ATOL protection acts as a safety net for your holiday provider if they go out of business:

If the company goes bust before you travel, you can claim for a refund on the holiday If the company goes bust while you’re on holiday, the scheme ensures you can return to the UK.

It’s not a replacement for your travel insurance policy, though. ATOL only covers you if your holiday provider goes bust – travel insurance is there if you need medical attention abroad, or if you lose your luggage.

How much is the Atol fee?

Making an application

Does atol protect against cancellation?

Everything you need to know about ATOL – ATOL stands for Air Travel Organiser’s Licence. ATOL protection covers people taking a package holiday with a flight involved. The scheme was set up back in 1973 to cover people flying abroad from being cut off if their holiday firm failed. It promises holidaymakers a refund or replacement trip if a holiday tour firm fails before their trip starts. If a package holiday company goes bust during a trip, ATOL protection pays for accommodation and can handle refunds for things like car hire and flights home. >> I’ve been waiting THREE YEARS to get my money back for a Thomas Cook holiday – is there any hope?

Why are easyJet flights not covered by atol?

ATOL is a protection scheme that does not apply when you make a flight-only booking directly with an airline. We do not have an ABTA number, but the ABTA number for easyJet holidays is Y6633. If you book your flight or holiday via a travel agent or other third party, please ask them for their ATOL or ABTA numbers.

Who is Atol backed by?

ATOL (which stands for Air Travel Organisers License) is backed by the UK Government. It is the UK’s financial protection scheme and protects you when you book an ATOL protected trip with an ATOL holder. It will provide support so that you are not at a financial loss or without assistance abroad if your ATOL holder stops trading.

What is not covered by Atol?

ATOL membership is a legal requirement for all UK companies selling package holidays, but it does not cover companies based overseas. Holidays that are covered by ATOL include flights booked with accommodation and/or car hire as part of a package. Occasionally, it may also cover some, but not all, flight-only deals.

Who needs an ATOL certificate?

 All consumers who book an ATOL licensable product must be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. An ATOL Certificate is a consumer’s proof that the trip or flight is protected by ATOL. It tells them what protection they have and what to do if the ATOL holder or supplier fails.

There are three different versions of the ATOL Certificate depending upon whether it is a Package (Single-contract or Multi-contract) or Flight-Only. Each must be issued in the form and content published in the Official Record Series 3. An ATOL Certificate must be issued immediately to the consumer upon taking any payment either by the ATOL holder or its authorised agent.

ATOL holders need to ensure that their agents have the ability to issue an ATOL Certificate if they cannot create one using the ATOL holders own booking systems. The CAA has published industry Guidance on Completion and Supply of an ATOL Certificate,

There are form field PDF versions of the ATOL Certificate available, designed to enable you to in fill relevant passenger and booking details. Please email your ATOL name and number to [email protected] to request this version at no additional cost. The CAA has published some of the Frequently Asked Questions, that have been asked in the first six months of the introduction of the ATOL Certificate.

In addition, the guide published prior to the ATOL Certificate’s introduction is still available The ATOL Certificate is coming – Are you ready? this summarises the key points of the ATOL Certificate.

What is the difference between ABTA and ATOL protection?

What is the difference between ABTA and ATOL? – ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing) sits alongside ABTA but is specifically designed to cover people who fly. Whereas ABTA covers rail, road, or sea travel holidays. Many ABTA tour operators also provide bonds to the Civil Aviation Authority under the ATOL scheme.

Is Atol a protection insurance?

The ATOL scheme (which stands for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) is financial protection that protects you when you book a package trip that includes a flight. It is separate to travel insurance. It also includes some Flight-Only bookings sold by UK travel companies when they stop trading as an ATOL holder.

Assisting you to stay in your holiday accommodation, if possible Reimbursing you for any money you spent to replace ATOL protected parts of your trip, e.g car hire, transfers Arranging flights home, depending on the circumstances.

ATOL protection covers you before and during your trip. When you purchase a trip that is ATOL protected, you will receive an ATOL Certificate, It will show you who and what is covered, as well as provide guidance on what to do if your travel company stops trading as an ATOL holder.

How many Atol holders are there in the UK?

More than 1600 ATOL licences confirmed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority

• A total of 1,619 businesses in the travel sector are licensed under the ATOL scheme according to new figures released by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
• The regulator, which oversees the financial protection scheme, has published the figures following its completion of the March 2023 ATOL licence renewal process.
• Of the 660 ATOL licences that expired on 31 March 2023, 522 have been renewed, with a further 17 still in the application process or yet to meet licence conditions.

Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays, On the Beach and Booking.com make up the current top five licence holders. The latest is available on the UK Civil Aviation Authority website.

1. Michael Budge, Head of ATOL at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:
2. “Companies renewing their licence in March have revealed they anticipate passenger demand will continue to grow over the next 12 months and our latest figures seem to indicate that the travel sector is slowly moving in the right direction again.
3. “Household budgets will continue to feel the squeeze in the coming months, which means it is more important than ever for consumers to protect their package holiday by booking with an ATOL licensed tour operator.”
4. The UK Civil Aviation Authority reminds travel businesses that they should apply to renew their ATOL well in advance of the deadline because of the time required to analyse and process applications, and for the applicant to put any required conditions in place.
5. Businesses that fail to allow reasonable time to apply by the deadline risk being unable to take ATOL protected bookings.
6. Notes to editor
7. Travel companies with ATOLs must renew their licences each year, either in September or March.

: More than 1600 ATOL licences confirmed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Is Atol a protection insurance?

The ATOL scheme (which stands for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) is financial protection that protects you when you book a package trip that includes a flight. It is separate to travel insurance. It also includes some Flight-Only bookings sold by UK travel companies when they stop trading as an ATOL holder.

Assisting you to stay in your holiday accommodation, if possible Reimbursing you for any money you spent to replace ATOL protected parts of your trip, e.g car hire, transfers Arranging flights home, depending on the circumstances.

ATOL protection covers you before and during your trip. When you purchase a trip that is ATOL protected, you will receive an ATOL Certificate, It will show you who and what is covered, as well as provide guidance on what to do if your travel company stops trading as an ATOL holder.

Does ATOL cover missed flights?

If you book an ATOL protected trip or package holiday with a single travel firm, everything you’ve booked will be covered, including: Flights and accommodation, including cruise ships. Flights with car hire. Some flight-only bookings.

Is my flight covered by ATOL?

Search ATOL holders Look for the ATOL logo in your travel company’s brochures, adverts and websites to make sure your holiday is protected. Your travel company should also be able to tell you if ATOL protection applies. Use our search facility below to check the ATOL details of your travel company.

What is the difference between ABTA and ATOL protection?

What is the difference between ABTA and ATOL? – ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing) sits alongside ABTA but is specifically designed to cover people who fly. Whereas ABTA covers rail, road, or sea travel holidays. Many ABTA tour operators also provide bonds to the Civil Aviation Authority under the ATOL scheme.

Jordan McKenzie