Know your HOLIDAY RIGHTS!
Now we’re able to travel again, we’re all looking forward to enjoying a summer break, but what can we do if things don’t go according to plan? Here’s everything you need to know…
PACKAGE HOLIDAYS
Whether you buy a package break or a DIY one (purchasing several elements of your trip via the same website, travel agent or call centre in one go) you’re entitled to a refund, a partial refund or compensation for the following:
LOSS OF VALUE
This is the difference between the cost paid for the holiday and the one received – if you booked a five-star hotel but got a four-star one instead, for example.
OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES
You can claim if you incurred reasonable costs as a result of breach of contract, such as having to pay for a taxi because promised transport wasn’t available.
LOSS OF ENJOYMENT
You’re entitled to compensation for the disappointment and distress caused by things going wrong, such as listed activities not being available. PERSONAL INJURY You can also claim compensation for any personal injury, such as a fall, caused by negligence on the part of the hotel.
If you’re unhappy with any part of your holiday, report it at the time to the travel organiser and get it resolved while still on holiday, if possible. Take photos and video clips as evidence and note the name of anyone you spoke to to try to resolve the issue. You can also complain to the tour operator when you arrive back at home. If the company is a member of ABTA, you can contact it to help resolve a complaint.
If you buy a Linked Travel Arrangement (two or more types of travel service from different providers put together by the travel organiser and purchased within a 24-hour period), you get more limited protection, but you can claim a refund from the travel organiser if either provider goes bust.
GOOD NEWS You may be entitled to up to £520 in compensation if your flight is cancelled*
FLIGHTS
Airlines must offer a refund or pay compensation for cancelled, heavily
delayed or overbooked flights.
If your flight is:
DELAYED You’re entitled to compensation if your flight arrives at its destination three or more hours late, or two hours late for flights of 1,500km and under. How much you get depends on how long the delay is and the flight length. The only exception is if the delay is caused by ‘extraordinary circumstances’, such as a severe weather event.
Regardless of whether the delay is within the airline’s control or not, it must provide food and drinks if you are delayed by more than two hours on short-haul flights, three hours on medium and four on long-haul. If delayed overnight, accommodation and travel to and from the airport must be provided.
If you’re delayed over five hours and no longer want to travel, you are entitled to a full refund (but no compensation).
CANCELLED The airline must offer an alternative flight or a full refund. You may also be entitled to compensation if the flight was cancelled fewer than 14 days before scheduled departure. If you are denied boarding or ‘bumped’ from a flight, the airline must offer an alternative flight or a refund, and you’re entitled to compensation, too.
HOTELS
If you’re holidaying in the UK, you are covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This means that services must be as described and provided with reasonable skill and care. If you have to move accommodation due to overbooking, you can claim the difference in cost between the accommodation you booked and new accommodation, citing breach of contract. The new accommodation should usually be of similar standard in the area, but if you can’t book due to late notice, then gather evidence (emails and replies, dates and details of phone calls, for example) that you tried to book similar accommodation and claim the difference. You can claim for extra travel expenses incurred due to the overbooking, too, so keep things like taxi receipts as evidence.
‘If you’re delayed over five hours, you are entitled to a full refund’
If you have booked directly with accommodation outside the UK, the consumer laws in that country usually apply. Ideally, complain at the time, but you can complain when you get home, too, if the manager wasn’t available or you weren’t happy with the response you were given at the time, for example.
For holiday lettings in the UK, your contract is with whoever you paid your money to.
So if your booking was with Airbnb, for example, you should contact Airbnb if something goes wrong. If you found the holiday letting through a listings site and paid the person letting the property directly, you would need to direct any complaints to them.