Ignorance is bliss.

The sheer lack of knowledge is breathtaking. Forget for a moment the regulatory environment, no business can afford to refund a customer if it’s supplier has not refunded them.

ABTA has proven to be a complete irrelevance, and has failed to serve its members in the worst of times. TUI and Jet2 will be the next to realise that they simply don’t need to be members and within two years maximum the organisation will cease to exist.

ABTA may not be the lawmaker BUT the UK Government IS!!

In my recent communications with my MP, he stated that Holiday Travel Providers must legally refund ALL elements of a package when asked to do so, even if the customer cancels due to FCO advice and the flight still goes ahead. UK & International Airlines have also been told this!!

I cancelled weeks ahead of my scheduled holiday with OTB - hotel costs refunded but NO Flight costs (Ryanair). THE FIGHT GOES ON!

We have recently lost £1200 to itv and Ryanair as the refused to refund any element of holiday even though fco advised against non essential travel. My husbands 40th not essential then I asked to change it to next year a thre day holiday costing £1800 for 6 people they then wanted £2900 for three day six people absolutely disgusting that we had to make decision to cancel and lose £1200 as otherwise was expected to pay last £668 for a holiday that should never have been still going. Ryanair response when spoken to direct the flight is still going ahead people want to fly home to Spain. The additional cost is for each fly there and back so 12 flights at anything from £35-£65 for change of dates they asked for £832 to change flights to next year orb was only charging £20 admin but at these extortionate prices for fight changes it wasn’t financially viable and so we were forced to cut our losses

We had our holiday booked with OTB i've been trying for months to try and get our package holiday moved to a different date and all I got was an answer of "we cannot change details at this moment they we're dealing with holidays in date order and they we're at our date" then last week they contacted us and gave us the choice go or loose most of your money because our flights weren't any of those cancelled by RYANAIR we were ABTA covered what can we do out of 6 people going 3 were of high risk Disabilities Diabetes Asthma so when Spain came into their 2nd spike I started chasing them message after message I'm sure they were computerised message returns so no one had read my continuous messages to get things changed as you could never get through on the phone I'd booked with OTB a lot of times an I thought they were a company you could trust how wrong can we be got no thoughtfulness of others definitely not helpful so bad under pressure

Loveholiday sent us an e-mail to say our holiday on the 19th March was cancelled. We received the hotel money back. We are still waiting on Ryanair. RYANAIR told us that they flew on the 19th March so we are not entitled to a refund for the outgoing flight only the incoming flight. Surely if you book a package holiday, it is the travel agents responsibility to make the refund as the contract was with them

you didn't book a package. You booked two (or more) seperate elements, with Love being your agent. As the supplier (Ryanair) has not refunded Love, love has taken the stance that they have no legal obligation to refund you.

You can try the following:-

a) Claim back on your credit card, for services not provided.

b) Issue a county courts claim again Love for breach of contract.

Good luck.

Are you talking Flight Plus again?

Airlines done good job of deflecting the issue off them: FCO says don’t travel, so why can airlines get away with not offering free cancellation? Yet everyone here is focusing on the travel agent - who’s just paid my money to the airline for my ticket.
What excuse have airlines got for not refunding???

the airline flew. You didn't get on the plane. 100% loss.

The issue Julie, is not my refund, but why OTAs are expected refund customers when FCO advice changes (but the flight and hotel are still available), but airlines get away with it?
If FCO give advice, that advice should apply to both OTAs and airlines.
Seems to me we’re in this mess ONLY because airlines won’t follow FCO advice, not OTAs - note OTB willing to refund hotel etc, just not flights unless airline refund them.

FCO Advice is simply that, advice.

It was cheaper for Ryanair (and others) to simply fly either empty aircraft, or planes with only a few passengers, because their tickets are 'NON REFUNDABLE' therefore if they fly, they will use less fuel and make extra profit.

Remember, they have already been paid for the seat in advance.

Missing the point again Julie - WHY can airline ignore FCO advice (agreed, for profit etc), but OTA/Travel Agent (who do not have the flight money) are some how required to refund customers?
Like I said, all this would go away if CAA had forced airlines to offer customers refunds when FCO advice changed.

I will reply in word's that I hope you understand.

1) FCO Advice is simply ADVICE. It is NOT LAW

2) OTA's and Agents that are NOT ABTA MEMBERS have zero legal liability to refund if the flight is still operating and the hotel (or a suitable alternative) is available.

3) ABTA's code of conduct states that if the FCO advice is against travel, the ABTA member must refund in full.

OTB and LH (and many more soon) have resigned from ABTA, therefore ABTA's code no longer applies to them.

DID YOU UNDERSTAND THAT ?

Not surprised to hear Sunshine ducking out of refunds. My son had a horrible accident on a Sunshine holiday and they couldn't have given a toss about it.
Stay clear I hope they go under....

We have had 3holidays with on the beach and have 2more booked for 2021 which we booked way before the virus. They still owe us £500 from canceled holiday in June you can't speak to anyone and they do not respond to any emails. The government should have been more tougher with Ryan Air and stopped them flying. Will not book ever again with on the beach as their attitude is up there with Ryan Air

They take a few days to respond to messages but I agree it's nigh on impossible to speak to someone. It's designed to prevent you speaking to any human and I would think twice about booking with these again.

We waited from middle of March to end of May 2020 before receiving a refund, and even then that was only the hotel. The flight we had to wait until June with a bulls**t message that they had to wait for easyJet, even though the flights were cancelled in March 2020.

Not surprised by On the Beaches decision the whole company is corrupt the call centre staff are nasty bullies who drive people out the ammendments team just pluck figures out of thin air and charge exactly what they want. The place should be closed down

Once again it seems the key issue behind all this is not being addressed. The fact is that Ryanair, BA and other airlines have carried on flying during the periods when the FCO advice changed. This also needs to be taken in to account.

Spot on. If the airlines also followed the same FCO advice, we would not be in this situation. It’s not as if the OTAs have the flight money in their pockets. Bring in Trust Accounts for all airlines - they only get the money when the flight is completed on time and as scheduled. That would get rid of need for EU/261 as well - only get full refund of fare, not comp on top too.

ABTA might not give regulatory protection, but this is doing nothing but reputational damage to OTB and the travel industry in general. Maybe the executives in these companies should think long and hard about the customer and not the minutiae of a regulation, as the only way they are going to recover is through customer confidence,

I wonder if Major Travel Plc will also be resigning their membership because they to have a policy of ignoring government and ABTA advice.

Many OTA's are flouting ABTA rules and a number will resign from ABTA in the comng weeks.

The biggest issue will be which OTA's will NOT renew their ATOL, or be REFUSED an ATOL renewal.

So does this mean that I can get a refund for my flights as I only cancelled due to restrictions? Or are OTB still refusing? Can ABTA force them to pay. We lost over £2k in flights and would lo e to get it back

Did you read the article? They have quit ABTA, so how are they going to help?

Check your facts, how can a business with the healthiest balance sheet in UK travel go bust due to leaving Abta? I thought this publication was for travel professionals not a bunch of Karen's on Facebook?

Erm. They posted a 36M loss.

They have taken on revolving credit to the tune of 75M, including Gvmt Corona Virus loans.

Healthy balance sheet due to illegally withholding customers refund.

They took a GVMT loan and issues additional shares.

Its actually the airlines withholding the money as they continued to fly to destinations that the government deemed unsafe to travel to.

If the flight is still going ahead, then you are wrong to say the airline is withholding money.

You chose not to travel. The airline flew. 100% loss.

Have you ever thrown a quiche at a window? Kind regards, Karen x

Low Cost Holidays take 2

Jumped before pushed? Seems like ABTA membership an optional extra for refund refusers, accelerating their own demise

And prepare for OTB’s funeral. Their decision puts many nails in their coffin as a totally irresponsible bunch of cowboys with scant regard for customer service

ABTA means nothing. They don’t offer protection, they are not a regulator with any powers and they cannot force a company to do anything. Basically they are just a club that companies join for no real benefit.
Most customers are not bothered about ABTA these days and know that the important thing is to book on a credit card to get financial protection from card issuer.
So by leaving ABTA it is not the end of OTB. Customers will continue to book with them in their droves for the competitive prices they offer, whilst OTB save the money they would have spent on membership fees.

That’s all well and good if you have a credit card, not everyone has one 😢

issue county court proceedings. Works 99% of the time.
You paid for a package holiday. You didn't get a package holiday.

Get one then.

As I predicted on 19 August. LH next.

ATOL renewals will be tight this time around.

Expect a number to NOT renew their ATOL.

Nooooo 😢