Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PLAY FARE » RED ALERT FOR TRAVELLERS ON HOLS » NHS app not ready for use as vaccine passport
Fears firms will fail to pay out for cancellations due to Covid-19
SUNSEEKERS have been warned some holiday firms may refuse to give refunds if a trip is cancelled because a country is added to the red list.
Watchdog Which? is urging people only to book with companies that guarantee money back in the event of Covid disruption, offer flexible booking and pledge to give refunds for cancellations within the 14-day legal limit. Its study found only two firms, Tui and Trailfinders, passed all of its tests.
The Government is this week due to rank countries green, amber or red, but has admitted the NHS app may not be ready for use as a vaccine passport if nonessential travel resumes on May 17 as planned. Ministers hoped to use the existing NHS app so passengers could show if they’d been vaccinated or received a negative coronavirus test.
But the Prime Minister’s spokesman said “another approach” may
Cases: have to be used. The app was being worked on “at pace” to get it ready. But he said: “There are other routes to achieving the same end goal.”
Portugal, the US, Malta, Gibraltar and Morocco are predicted to get the green light for UK travellers.
And the EU is holding talks about welcoming back tourists from nations with low Covid-19 rates, such as the UK, raising hopes that holidays in Spain and Greece could also be possible this summer.
But Which? urged travellers to be careful when buying holidays. Firms are not legally bound to pay refunds in cases of lockdowns, but Which? urged people to only book “with companies that have committed to paying out in this scenario”.
In its study, some travel firm agents gave misleading information on their cancellation policies to the Which? mystery shoppers.
Only Tui and Trailfinders passed the whole Which? test with flying colours, while Travelup gave assurances of a full refund in the event of a Government travel ban.
Love Holidays and On the Beach were found to be inconsistent with answers and failed to guarantee refunds within the legal 14-day limit
for cancellations. Love Holidays agents said in the event of cancellation it would have to wait for suppliers to hand back cash before it could reimburse customers.
An agent for Teletext Holidays said customers could expect a two-month delay for refunds as it would need to get money back from suppliers.
But by law, a customer whose package holiday is cancelled by the provider is entitled to a full refund within 14 days.
Love Holidays said “legal restrictions on the customers’ ability to go on holiday does not automatically entitle travellers to a full refund”.
Travelup said whether it was a package holiday or flight-only booking had “an impact on the solution and service Travelup can offer their customers”.
On the Beach said its “Covid Promise” meant if holidays could not go ahead due to Covid-19, then “a full cash refund will be provided within 14 days of an airline cancelling a flight”. Teletext Holidays declined to comment.
Which? travel editor Rory Boland said: “Holiday companies are quick to offer promises that you can book with confidence this summer. But many won’t be so quick to refund your money if coronavirus prevents you from travelling.
“Many of the companies that broke the law last year have suggested they may do so again. Travellers should only book with companies that guarantee they will get all of their money back if lockdowns, quarantine and other disruption strike.”
The Association of British Insurers said if a nation became red list, insurance was “likely to be invalidated” if travel went against Foreign Office advice.
ABTA spokeswoman Susan Deer said: “We recommend that you take out comprehensive travel insurance and book a package holiday, because it provides the best form of protection.”
Pictures at Gatwick showed it almost deserted yesterday. The airport had 45,000 passengers in April this year, compared to three million in April 2019. But aviation bosses warned of six-hour delays at Heathrow when travel reopens.
Henk van Klaveren, of the Airport Operators Association, told MPS the Government must tackle delays caused by Border Force document checking.