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BOOKING CONDITIONS Your contract is with Independent Air Travel Ltd trading as Holiday Options
When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our confirmation invoice. This contract is made in the terms of these booking conditions which are governed by English law and the jurisdiction of the English courts. You may however choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you wish to do so. Please check your invoice carefully on receipt. Amendment or cancellation fees may become payable if you do not notify us of any discrepancies immediately.
Holiday Options is a member of ABTA (The Travel Association) with ABTA membership number W0980. ABTA, and ABTA members, help holidaymakers to get the most from their travel and assist them when things do not go according to plan. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. For further information about ABTA, the Code of Conduct and the arbitration scheme available to you if you have a complaint, you can contact ABTA at 68-71 Newman Street, London W1T 3AH. Tel 0207 637 2444 or visit www.abta.com. Holiday Options is also a member of AITO (the Association of Independent Tour Operators).
Book with complete confidence. We provide security for the monies that you pay for the holidays booked from this brochure and for your repatriation in the event of our insolvency by way of a bond held by the Civil Aviation Authority under ATOL number 3107.
We reserve the right to alter the prices of any holidays shown in our brochure. You will be advised of the current price of the holiday that you wish to book before your contract is confirmed. The price of your travel arrangements was calculated at an exchange rate of £1 Sterling to Euros 1.42. Changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. However there will be no change in price within 30 days of your departure. We will absorb, and you will not be charged, for any increase equivalent to up to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. You will be charged for any amount over and above that, plus an administration charge of £1.00 per person together with an amount to cover agents’ commission. If this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 10% of the price of your travel arrangements you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one (If this is of higher value you will not have to pay more but if it is of lower value you will be refunded the difference in price) or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any amendment charges. We will consider an appropriate refund of insurance premiums paid if you can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy. Should you decide to cancel for this reason you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on your final invoice. Should the price of your holiday go down due to the changes mentioned above by more than 2% of your holiday cost, any refund due will be paid to you. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.
If after our confirmation invoice has been issued you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, for example your chosen departure date or accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. Any request for changes must be made in writing from the person who made the booking or your travel agent. You will be asked to pay an administration fee of £40 and any further cost we incur in making this alteration. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. Certain arrangements (e.g. apex tickets) may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and an alteration or cancellation request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.
You, or any member of your party, may cancel your travel arrangements at any time. Written notification from the person who made the booking or your travel agent on your behalf must be received at our offices. Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges up to the maximum shown in this clause. Any party members who travel will receive a revised invoice based on the new party size. If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy you may be able to reclaim these charges. Amount of cancellation charge
It is unlikely that we will have to make changes to your travel arrangements but we do plan the arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally, we may have to make changes and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Most of these changes will be minor and we will advise you or your travel agent at the earliest possible date. Examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/ return flight departure time by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft types, changes of accommodation to another of the same standard. We reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your travel arrangements. For example, if the minimum number of clients required for a particular travel arrangement is not reached we may have to cancel it. However, we will not cancel your travel arrangements less than eight weeks before your departure date except for reasons of force majeure or failure by you to pay the final balance. In accordance with EU Regulation 2111/2005 we are required to advise you of the actual carrier operating your flight and connecting flight. Please refer to your confirmation/invoice and tickets for details. Any changes to the airline after you have received your tickets will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check-in or at the boarding gate. Such a change is deemed to be a minor change and gives you no right to cancellation or amendment. If we make a major change to your holiday, we will inform you or your travel agent as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure. You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of lower value) or cancelling your booked holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. In all cases, except where the major change arises due to reason of force majeure, we will pay compensation as detailed below:
Force majeure: This means that we will not pay compensation if we have to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way because of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These can include, for example, war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions.
In the event of a delay to your flight, Holiday Options or their representative will approach the relevant airline to request that appropriate standards of welfare and communication of information are provided. Individual airline policies will apply.
If you have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier (e.g. your hotelier) and our resort representative immediately who will endeavour to put things right. Please complete an Event Report while in resort and ask our representative to sign it. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were in resort and this may affect your rights under this contract. If your complaint is not resolved locally you should follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to our Quality Services Department at 49 The Martlets, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9NN, giving your booking reference number and all relevant information. Please note we do not write to clients when we receive Event Reports sent to us by our resort representatives. If a complaint arising from your holiday contract cannot be amicably resolved, clients can refer the matter to arbitration under a special scheme arranged by the Association of British Travel Agents and administered independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone. Full details can be provided on request or obtained from the ABTA website (www.abta.com.) The scheme does not apply to claims over £5,000 per person with a limit of £25,000 per booking and does not relate to claims which are solely in respect of physical injury or illness although the arbitrator can award up to £1,000 per person for minor injury and illness in respect of claims including an element of these. The application for arbitration and Statement of Claim must be received by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators within nine months of the date of return from the holiday. For injury and illness claims you may like to use the ABTA/Chartered Institute of Arbitrators mediation procedure. This is a voluntary scheme and requires us to agree for mediation to go ahead. The aim is to help you resolve your dispute in a quick and cost effective way. Details on request or from www.abta.com
We are delighted to give help and assistance to guests when planning their holiday. Please give us full details of your disability in writing at the time of booking and any special needs that you may have. We will then send you an appropriate form to complete. This procedure will help us to ensure that your needs are fulfilled while on holiday.
If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed by us or our suppliers we will pay you compensation if this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements. We monitor the performance of our suppliers and judge them against the standards and general practices of their own country. We will not be liable where any failure in the performance of the contract is due to you, or a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel arrangements shown on your invoice and which did not form part of your original package; or where the failure is unforeseeable and unavoidable; or unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or an event which we or our suppliers even with all due care could not foresee or forestall. Our liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness shall be limited to a maximum of two times the original cost of the travel arrangements. Our liability shall also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to
If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed as a result of failures attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services or as a result of failures due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised or an event which we or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not see or forestall, and you suffer an injury or other material loss, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is reasonable in the circumstances.
Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on holiday do not form part of your package holiday provided by us. For any excursion or tour that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.
a) Currently UK passport holders do not need visas for any of the destinations in this brochure but your specific passport and visa requirements and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant embassies and/or consulates. b) You must check what vaccinations are required for your selected destinations c) Airline regulations require women who are 28 weeks pregnant or more on the date of return travel to have a doctor’s certificate stating that they are fit to travel. All pregnant women should check the time limits for travel as most airlines do not accept passengers who are more than 34 weeks pregnant at the date of return travel. d) You should advise us if you have any form of disability or impairment which may restrict the enjoyment of your holiday.
We cannot accept responsibility for any extra expense you face as a result of your failure to comply with any of the above points. FCO (Foreign & Commonwealth Office) AdviceThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office produces up-to-date travel information to help British travellers make informed decisions about travelling abroad. For further information please visit www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo or telephone 0870 606 0290. Alternatively you can contact ABTA's Travel Information line on 0901 201 5050 (calls are charged at 50 pence per minute). Data Protection PolicyYour booking: In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we (and your Travel Agent) need to use the information you provide such as name, address, any special needs/dietary requirements etc. Please note that where information is also held by your travel agent, this is subject to your agent’s own data protection policy. We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information. We must pass the information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements such as airlines, hotels, transport companies etc. The information may also be provided to security or credit checking companies, public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or as required by law. Additionally, where your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will not however, pass any information onto any person not responsible for part of your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary/religious requirements. (If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we cannot provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons). Please note all telephone calls may be recorded for training purposes and quality control. Your data controller is The Operations Manager: You are entitled to a copy of your information held by us. If you would like to see this, please contact our Operations Manager. We may make a small charge for providing this to you. OTHER VITAL INFORMATION YOU MUST READ1. YOUR PRICE INCLUDES •Return flights from the UK. •Airport Taxes. •Air Passenger Duty - £10 per person for travel to and from EU countries, and £40 per person for non EU countries •Local accommodation taxes. •Baggage allowance as specified on your flight tickets. •Return transfer between overseas airport and holiday accommodation (except where stated otherwise). •Accommodation and meals as invoiced. •VAT on all holidays to EU countries. •Aviation Insurance and Security Charge. 2. NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE •Getting to and from the UK airport. •Holiday insurance. •Flight supplements where applicable. •Hotels may make a charge for amenities such as sun loungers, cots, meals for children, games and sports equipment and these should be paid for locally. Any charges for damage to or loss of equipment should be paid locally. •Tickets on Departure charges. We reserve the right to make a charge for delivering your tickets to the departure airport. 3. CHILDREN & YOUNG PERSON’S PRICES (2 yrs - under 12 yrs on the date of return travel) As indicated on the relevant page in our brochure or on our website, a child under 12 years of age qualifies for a child price on most of our holidays. Any child discounts are subject to the following conditions: • A deposit of £100 per person, or an agreed sum where flight seats are purchased at the time of booking, must be paid by all members in your party at the time of booking. • Children must be within the age range on the date of their return travel. Their ages and date of birth must be stated at the time of booking. Any changes made later will be subject to an amendment charge. • All children must be accompanied by two full fare paying passengers in order to qualify for child prices specified in the price panels. Child prices in the price panel refer only to children sharing a room with two adults, and subject to the availability of a three or four-bedded room. At a number of hotels, discounts may apply to children occupying a separate room when accompanied by one or two adults occupying their own room (single supplements apply). Please note that where children are occupying their own room at these hotels the children’s price in the panel does not apply. 4. UNACCOMPANIED PASSENGERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 We cannot usually accept bookings for unaccompanied children under the age of 16 and some airlines will not accept passengers under the age of 18 unless they are accompanied by an older person. Please check with us for details. Our reservations team will let you have details of any airlines accepting unaccompanied children under the age of 16 and any charges they make. We cannot provide any refunds where a single passenger under the age of 18 is denied boarding on the grounds of their age and where we have not been given the correct date of birth. 5. INFANTS (Under 2 years of age on date of return travel) Children under the age of 2 years on the date of return travel are classified as infants. An infant’s date of birth must be clearly stated at the time of booking. Infants must sit on an adult’s lap with a lap strap. There is no baggage allowance for infants, unless a separate seat is booked and paid for. A folding pushchair can be carried free of charge. No holiday deposit is required for an infant not occupying a seat, but there is a service charge of £60 payable to cover the cost of airport taxes and administration which will be added to your confirmation invoice. Cots (if available) must be requested and confirmed at the time of booking. There may be a local charge for this, and it is recommended that you provide your own cot linen, as that available locally may not be ideal. Experience has proved, that for peace of mind it is better to carry a compact ‘travel cot’ from the UK. IMPORTANT - Should you fail to correctly declare the date of birth of infants or children, and/or falsely claim reductions for children, the whole party may be refused permission to board the aircraft unless the proper holiday cost plus the appropriate amendment fee is paid. If the flight is full, a child who is found to be travelling as an infant will be refused permission to board the aircraft. We cannot accept responsibility for any alternative travel arrangements made for the party. 6. SINGLE TRAVELLERS AND UNDER OCCUPANCY Single travellers occupying accommodation with fewer people than the number shown on the price panel may feel that the cost per person of the holiday appears higher than it should be. There is a reason for this. Our contract with the owners is based on a price per room while our holidays are sold per person, including flights and other elements. Therefore the price per person for a lone traveller must include the total room cost. This also applies to self catering units where, for example, three people may want to occupy accommodation usually sold for four and priced accordingly. We do not make additional or excessive profits from these sales. The prices charged merely reflect the cost to us. In some hotels, there are rooms designed for single occupancy. In this case there will normally be a supplement but this is usually less than when a single person occupies a double room. Single rooms are often smaller and sometime less well-appointed. We do not know in advance which room you will be allocated as this is normally done by the hotel shortly before your arrival. 7. SPECIAL REQUESTS Please inform us of any special requests at the time of booking. Your request will be passed on to the relevant supplier and we will do our best to meet your requirements but NO GUARANTEE CAN BE GIVEN. 8. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS These will normally be forwarded to you at least 10 days before departure. For late bookings confirmed within 10 working days of your travel date, tickets should be collected from our representative at your departure airport. If we have to send your travel documents on a Ticket on Departure basis due to late payments of the balance due, we will apply an additional administration charge of £20 to your invoice total. This amount will also become due prior to departure. Infants should also hold a ticket. Please check that your flight details are correct. We have representative and / or agents in most resorts and their name and telephone numbers will be provided to you on arrival at your destination airport (package holiday clients only). It is your responsibility to ensure that you and all members of your party comply with all necessary passport, visa or other travel regulations by contacting the appropriate consulate of the country(ies) to which you are travelling. Long delays in obtaining passports can occur, and you are recommended to apply well in advance of your departure. If you have hired, or intend to hire a car whilst overseas you should ensure you take with you the driving licence of all persons intending to drive (copies will not be accepted). You will also be required to produce a credit card on hiring the vehicle. Before you travel you should obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Travellers can apply on-line at: www.dh.gov.uk/travellers or by phone to 0845 606 2030, or by collecting a form from a Post Office. The EHIC assists with the payment of medical bills in resorts in Europe. Your holiday insurance may be invalid if you do not hold the EHIC. 9. HEALTH & SAFETY All the hotels and apartments in this brochure are carefully selected, and we ensure that they offer acceptable standards of quality and safety. All properties comply with local and national fire and safety laws and regulations. Few countries however are as stringent as the UK in setting general standards for safety, hygiene and fire precautions, and the authorities in your host country may not have adequate power or resource to monitor and enforce standards. We suggest that you familiarise yourself with the layout of unfamiliar buildings and the means of escape in the event of an emergency. We also recommend that you check the depth and means of exit before using an unfamiliar swimming pool. In many countries, the standards of hygiene and the quality of service may differ from those in the UK. You should take care with your choice of food and drink as dietary changes can give rise to stomach upsets. A free leaflet T6 is available from the Department of Health by telephoning the Health Advice Line on 0800 555 777, or from your General Practitioner. If you have any health or safety concerns, please notify the hotel management and your Holiday Options representative immediately. We want you to have an enjoyable and safe holiday. 10. VACCINATIONS At the time of going to print, it is not a requirement for UK residents to have vaccinations for destinations featured in this brochure. Regulations do change and it is wise to contact your travel agent or your doctor to confirm whether any vaccinations are required. Residents of non-UK countries may need valid certificates of vaccination and they should seek advice before travel. It is very important to have adequate holiday insurance which provides comprehensive medical cover including repatriation in case of serious illness. 11. BAGGAGE Your baggage allowance is normally 44lbs (20kgs) per person (excluding infants). If the baggage allowance on your flight is different, details will appear on your tickets or will be advised with your travel documents. Special items such as wheelchairs, pushchairs can be carried, but you are advised to check with your airline prior to travel. Baggage in excess of the agreed allowance may not be carried or may be subject to an excess charge. Many airlines allow just one piece of hold luggage. Baggage restrictions vary so please always check your airline’s website before packing. 12. SPORTS EQUIPMENT & BICYCLES Each airline has its own policy relating to the carriage of surfboards, diving equipment, golf clubs and bicycles, and you should contact us at least 2 weeks prior to departure with details to allow time for arrangements to be made. A charge may be made for the carriage of these items. Due to the dimensions of windsurf boards, we cannot guarantee to carry them on our airport transfer coach to your accommodation. 13. AIRPORT CHECK-IN You must check-in at your UK departure airport, or the overseas departure airport, at least 2 hours before take-off time. Security checks take time and airlines insist that if passengers arrive late they may be refused permission to board the aircraft. If this happens we will make every effort to assist clients with alternative travel but all costs incurred will be the responsibility of the clients and paid in advance of travel. 14. TRANSFER INFORMATION We have indicated an approximate transfer time from your airport of arrival to your holiday accommodation. These times are based on direct transfers to the specified accommodation and they may be extended where the transfer includes more than one property. Times are given as a guide only and transfers may take a little longer than specified during the peak summer months of July and August. Transfer times to Croatian islands may be longer or shorter than those specified depending on whether they are operated by high speed transfer boat or ferry. On exceptional occasions such as late flight arrival, bad weather, or insufficient demand, you may be accommodated on your first night in an alternative hotel with a transfer to the island the morning after. 15. RESORT INFORMATION Resort information is given as a guide and we believe it was correct at the time this brochure went to print. Some advertised facilities may not be available or fully operational in the early or late part of the season for a variety of reasons such as the number of participating holiday-makers or weather conditions. In high season all resorts are at their busiest and one should accept that service might suffer a little. We have no control over any development work in resort. However, if we learn of any development near to the accommodation we feature which is likely to affect the enjoyment of your holiday, we will do our utmost to inform you if there is time prior to your departure. 16. ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES
Accommodation featured in our brochures and on our website has been selected by members of our staff and descriptions are based on the information available at the time the brochure goes to print. Descriptions show the type of accommodation and the facilities on which the basic holiday price is calculated. Any applicable supplementary charges are shown in the price panel. Additional charges may apply to listed facilities such as tennis, squash, gymnasium or sauna. It is possible that some facilities within a complex may become temporarily or permanently unavailable. Pools must be cleaned and maintained and we will inform you of any significant changes as soon as we are made aware of them. Air-conditioning, where mentioned, may only be operating at certain times of the day or year, at the hotelier’s discretion. Such situations are beyond our control. The grading of hotels is according to local standards and conditions and may vary from country to country. Please contact us if you require any more specific information about resort or accommodation facilities. 17. APARTMENT / ROOM ALLOCATION Where there is more than one unit of accommodation, we cannot confirm a specific room or an apartment within the complex. These are usually allocated on a first come first served basis. Booking early may help but we can never offer any guarantees. In most cases accommodation must be vacated by 09.30 am on the last day of your holiday to ensure that rooms are available to incoming clients. At the discretion of the management of your property, you may be allowed to keep your room, but they are entitled to make a charge. Some properties are not available for incoming clients until after 3.00pm. Some properties require a refundable security deposit to be paid locally; such cases are mentioned in the appropriate property description. 18. LEFT LUGGAGE When you are required to vacate your property long before your homeward departure time, we will endeavour wherever possible to provide storage for your luggage. However, any baggage that is left in storage or in our representative’s care, is left at the owner’s risk. 19. MEALS In the description of each property, the meal basis is clearly indicated. Full Board means three traditional meals per day. Half Board normally means continental breakfast and dinner, although some properties may, subject to agreement, allow lunch to be taken instead of dinner. Bon Appetit means a mixed board basis. Buffet-style meals are offered by many properties in full or in part, and these may be either hot or cold. Opening times of restaurants and whether waiter service or buffet style is provided may vary according to management discretion and seasonality. 20. SUBLETTING ACCOMMODATION The accommodation provided is only for the use of passengers listed on the invoice and any subletting or sharing of accommodation is strictly prohibited. We reserve the right to ask the whole party to vacate the property if it is misused in any way. 21. ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL In warm climates, insects and animals are attracted by food and rubbish which is improperly stored. Even the cleanest establishment can attract insects. 22. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM! Debris, including seaweed and jellyfish, can be deposited on seashores according to prevailing winds. There is no specific season when this may occur. Hotels generally clean their beach. 23. FELLOW TRAVELLERS Whilst we can appreciate that other hotel residents can on occasion not act entirely as we would wish, we regret we cannot be responsible for any inconvenience or loss incurred as a result of their behaviour. Some hotels may be accommodating group parties, or providing entertainment/facilities for private functions e.g. weddings or conferences during your holiday. |
