Latest news with #holidaycancellation
Times
17-07-2025
- Times
My wife's passport was stolen — can we get a holiday refund?
Q. Two weeks ago we were scheduled to go to Namibia for a fly-drive holiday. We were on our way to Heathrow when my wife had her passport stolen from her bag at Oxford Circus. We had to abandon our holiday as she would not have been able to board the flight. The whole experience was pretty traumatic. We thought that we would be covered by our travel insurance and reported the issue to Aviva straight away, but it has rejected our claim on the grounds that we had started our holiday and so cancellation cover does not apply. The policy appears to cover circumstances where a passport is lost or stolen in the seven days before travel, however, it states that the holiday commences the moment you leave home, so you cannot cancel after you have stepped out of the front door. I am not sure if this is an industry-wide standard. The insurance is a benefit that I get through my current account, so I am going to complain to my bank — the policy terms appear to have changed in the past 12 months and I think there would have been no issue previously. Do you have any advice that could help my claim?Paul, London As someone who obsessively checks his passport on the way to the airport, this letter struck a chord with me. But sadly, it's highly unlikely that your claim will succeed. Travel insurance covers a vast range of potential scenarios, from lost luggage to natural disasters, which is why policies can be so lengthy and convoluted. The amount of money you can claim depends on policy limits, the situation that has led to the claim and what the policy does (and doesn't) cover. Travel insurers will generally pay for costs that arise if you lose your passport on holiday. This may include replacing emergency travel documents, accommodation, the cost of making calls and flights. However, if your passport is lost or stolen in the run up to the holiday, you are usually only able to claim for the cost of replacing the passport, not the curtailment (to use the official term) of the holiday. Some policies may not even cover you for this. Aviva told me that some insurers may cover the costs associated with replacing a stolen, lost or damaged passport while abroad, although terms vary from policy to policy, so it was important for customers in doubt to contact their insurer directly. I've searched in vain for a travel policy that might pay out for a curtailed holiday as a result of a lost or stolen passport before travel. That's not to say one doesn't exist, because there are a lot of travel insurance policies out there, but it does seem highly unlikely, based on my research. • We nearly missed our daughter's wedding, with no flight compensation I understand why people might think that a claim made under these circumstances would succeed, but it's important to bear in mind that travel insurance doesn't cover you for everything that could go wrong with your trip — even if you are not at fault. For example, one of the more common disputes involves not being able to get to the airport on time as a result of traffic problems or cancelled trains. The situation is out of your hands, but is unlikely to be covered by your travel insurance. Passports are the only completely essential item required for a foreign holiday. If you lose yours, even after you have checked in at the airport, you will not be allowed to fly because you won't be granted entry to any other country. Nor will you be allowed to travel if your passport is nearing its expiry date or is damaged. The moral of the tale is: keep your passport close at all times. If you lose it, you can't travel. It's unlikely that routine annual changes to a travel insurance contract would have made a difference in this case. However, if you were unaware of the T&Cs around lost or stolen passports, you can sometimes argue that it should have been brought to your attention. However, while it's possible to make a complaint that 'key facts' in the contract were not made clear — and sometimes win compensation from the insurer or through making a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman — that is unlikely to help in this case. That's because the insurer can argue that if you had been aware of the clause, it wouldn't have made a difference to the incident: the theft of the passport. • 10-year passport rule: is yours valid for EU travel? Anyone reading this who is suddenly getting chills about where their passport is, or its expiry date, there are options available. The Passport Office has two emergency options for panicking travellers needing new documents: the fast-track application service that costs £178 and takes one week and the premium service, which costs £222 and takes one day. The usual charge for a passport is £94.50 for an online application or £107 by post. You'll need to report your passport lost or stolen, and then to book an appointment (this takes two days to confirm for the premium service and one day for the fast-track service. At peak times (ie now) these timescales may be longer. You will also need all your supporting documents and photographs — no smiles, no background — to hand. Martyn James is a consumer rights campaigner covering everything from energy bills to cancelled flights and pothole claims
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hundreds of Brits face summer holiday cancellations after travel company collapses
Hundreds of British travellers may have their summer holidays cancelled after a UK travel provider lost a key license on Friday. As of 13 June, operations by Great Little Escapes are no longer protected by an Air Travel Organiser's Licence (Atol). The company's Facebook page says the brand formerly offered 'holidays to the most iconic cities in the world'. A notice from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that the company based in Sandhurst, Berkshire, ceased trading as an Atol holder on 13 June 2025. The Air Travel Organisers' Licence is a financial protection scheme run by the CAA for package holidays sold by tour operators in the UK. Under the scheme, if a firm goes out of business, your booking will be refunded. According to Companies House, the travel provider has been operational since September 2002. Great Little Escapes also traded under the names Your Holidays, Great Little Escapes, Tunisia First and websites and said the CAA. It added: 'We are currently collating information from the company and will update this page as soon as possible.' Customers of Great Little Escapes are advised not to submit a claim before the CAA has finished gathering information. The closure comes just two months after operations by Balkan Holidays shut in the UK, with 'all forward holiday bookings' cancelled after almost 60 years of trading. The travel provider started operations in 1966 with summer holidays to Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and northern Cyprus, as well as winter ski trips, on offer to travellers. In March, Jetline Holidays ceased trading as an Atol holder, raising doubts on whether trip bookings – specifically cruises –would still be valid. Princess, Cunard and Holland America were among the affected cruise holidays, most of which were cancelled due to a 'breach of contract' with the former travel operator. The Carnival brand cruise lines said in a statement: 'We recognise how disappointing this news will be for affected guests and express our sincere apologies for the disruption caused. This decision was not made lightly.'
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Brits face cancelled holidays as travel company loses license
Hundreds of British travellers may have their summer holidays cancelled after a UK travel provider lost a key license on Friday. As of 13 June, operations by Great Little Escapes are no longer protected by an Air Travel Organiser's Licence (Atol). The company's Facebook page says the brand formerly offered 'holidays to the most iconic cities in the world'. A notice from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that the company based in Sandhurst, Berkshire, ceased trading as an Atol holder on 13 June 2025. The Air Travel Organisers' Licence is a financial protection scheme run by the CAA for package holidays sold by tour operators in the UK. Under the scheme, if a firm goes out of business, your booking will be refunded. According to Companies House, the travel provider has been operational since September 2002. Great Little Escapes also traded under the names Your Holidays, Great Little Escapes, Tunisia First and websites and said the CAA. It added: 'We are currently collating information from the company and will update this page as soon as possible.' Customers of Great Little Escapes are advised not to submit a claim before the CAA has finished gathering information. The closure comes just two months after operations by Balkan Holidays shut in the UK, with 'all forward holiday bookings' cancelled after almost 60 years of trading. The travel provider started operations in 1966 with summer holidays to Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and northern Cyprus, as well as winter ski trips, on offer to travellers. In March, Jetline Holidays ceased trading as an Atol holder, raising doubts on whether trip bookings – specifically cruises –would still be valid. Princess, Cunard and Holland America were among the affected cruise holidays, most of which were cancelled due to a 'breach of contract' with the former travel operator. The Carnival brand cruise lines said in a statement: 'We recognise how disappointing this news will be for affected guests and express our sincere apologies for the disruption caused. This decision was not made lightly.'
The Independent
16-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Brits face cancelled holidays as holiday company loses license
Hundreds of British travellers may have their summer holidays cancelled after a UK travel provider lost a key license on Friday. As of 13 June, operations by Great Little Escapes are no longer protected by an Air Travel Organiser's Licence (Atol). The company's Facebook page says the brand formerly offered 'holidays to the most iconic cities in the world'. A notice from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that the company based in Sandhurst, Berkshire, ceased trading as an Atol holder on 13 June 2025. The Air Travel Organisers' Licence is a financial protection scheme run by the CAA for package holidays sold by tour operators in the UK. Under the scheme, if a firm goes out of business, your booking will be refunded. According to Companies House, the travel provider has been operational since September 2002. Great Little Escapes also traded under the names Your Holidays, Great Little Escapes, Tunisia First and websites and said the CAA. It added: 'We are currently collating information from the company and will update this page as soon as possible.' Customers of Great Little Escapes are advised not to submit a claim before the CAA has finished gathering information. The closure comes just two months after operations by Balkan Holidays shut in the UK, with 'all forward holiday bookings' cancelled after almost 60 years of trading. The travel provider started operations in 1966 with summer holidays to Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and northern Cyprus, as well as winter ski trips, on offer to travellers. In March, Jetline Holidays ceased trading as an Atol holder, raising doubts on whether trip bookings – specifically cruises –would still be valid. Princess, Cunard and Holland America were among the affected cruise holidays, most of which were cancelled due to a 'breach of contract' with the former travel operator. The Carnival brand cruise lines said in a statement: 'We recognise how disappointing this news will be for affected guests and express our sincere apologies for the disruption caused. This decision was not made lightly.'
The Sun
16-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
UK travel firm goes bust with thousands of Brits facing cancelled holidays
A BRITISH-BASED travel company has gone bust, with thousands of customers facing cancelled holidays. Great Little Escapes, based in Berkshire, specialised in the "best cheap breaks in the UK". A notice from the Civil Aviation Authority said: 'The company based in Sandhurst, Berkshire traded under the names Your Holidays, Great Little Escapes, Tunisia First and websites and 'We are currently collating information from the company and will update this page as soon as possible.' It told customers: 'Whilst waiting for further information, please do not submit a claim as these will be rejected.' The CAA added: 'If you are a travel agent of Great Little Escapes LLP and you are currently holding consumer payments which you have not yet paid to Great Little Escapes LLP, you must not use these funds to refund consumers until you have received instructions from the Air Travel Trust. 'Travel agents will be individually contacted by the CAA with specific instructions for these bookings.' is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at @TheSun.
