The 90-second clip gives a brief outline of the steps ATOL takes to protect passengers if their holiday company ceases to trade (assisting them to get home if they are already abroad or allowing them to make a claim for a refund if they are yet to travel).
It also outlines what the ATOL scheme cannot do for passengers, for example, assisting with cancellations and delays, and complaints about the trip, for example the accommodation and food.
ATOL stands for the Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing scheme and is run by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
More about ATOL
The first ever ATOL licences were issued in the summer of 1973 as the popularity of overseas trips grew, and over the last five decades, ATOL has also grown significantly to financially protect more than 29 million passengers a year.
This figure is projected to grow to almost 32 million in 2024. Last year, ATOL protected bookings made up almost £31 billion in sales and the scheme now covers around 1,600 travel companies.
How does it protect you?
If your travel company stops trading when you are abroad, the ATOL scheme helps you to continue your trip by:
- 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.
To find out more visit www.atol.org.
