What all Monarch customers need to know…

ABOUT half of the 860,000 Monarch customers affected are protected by ATOL – the Civil Aviation Authority’s Air Travel Organiser’s Licence.

This ensures travellers do not get stranded abroad or lose their money.

Monarch holiday packages enjoyed ATOL but flight-only bookings with the airline generally did not.

Here is what Monarch customers need to know.

Do not attempt to fly out of the UK with Monarch – all its flights have been cancelled.

If already abroad you will be brought back at no extra cost (whether you had ATOL protection or not) by aircraft chartered by the CAA. Check monarch.caa.co.uk for details.

If you booked a package holiday through Monarch Holidays Ltd you will have ATOL protection.

If you booked a holiday with a travel firm with ATOL and were planning to fly with Monarch, you should get a refund.

These first two groups cover about half of the 300,000 future bookings.

If you booked flight-only before December 14 last year, you should be ATOL protected. After that date, Monarch Airlines dropped ATOL.

If you booked your Monarch Airlines flights with a credit card you should be entitled to a refund under the Consumer Credit Act if the flight cost more than £100.

If you booked with a debit card, try the chargeback system.

Check your travel insurance, though this rarely covers the collapse of an airline.

You can also call the CAA’s dedicated 24-hour helpline on 0300 303 2800 from the UK and Ireland and +44 1753 330 330 from overseas.