Booking Conditions

Your Holiday Contract

The contract is between The Freedom Travel Group Limited a member of ABTA and the Client being any person travelling or intending to travel on a tour operated by the Company. The contract, including all matters arising from it, is subject to English law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland and Northern Ireland if you wish to do so. No variation of these terms will be valid unless confirmed in writing by us. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our confirmation invoice. By making a booking, the lead passenger confirms that all persons names in the booking (and their personal representatives) have agreed to be bound by these conditions and the terms of its suppliers.

Your Financial Protection

The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 require us to provide security for the monies that you pay for the package holidays booked through our company and for your repatriation in the event of our insolvency. We provide this security by way of a bond held by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 6042. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad, and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk“Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL Scheme. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking”

ABTA

We are a member of ABTA, membership number W6417. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA's Code of Conduct. We can also offer you an arbitration scheme for the resolution of disputes arising out of, or in connection with this contract. Further information on the Code and arbitration can be found at www.abta.com

The arbitration scheme is arranged by ABTA and administered independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. It provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on you in respect of costs. Full details will be provided on request or can be obtained from the ABTA website.

The Scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £5,000 per person. There is also a limit of £25,000 per booking form. Neither does it apply to claims, which are solely in respect of physical injury or illness or their consequences. The Scheme can however deal with compensation claims that include an element of minor injury or illness subject to a limit of £1,000 on the amount the arbitrator can award per person in respect of this element.

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 outside this time limit arbitration under the Scheme may still be available if the company agrees, but the ABTA Code does not require such agreement.

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

Our Price Policy

The price of your holiday will be confirmed at the time of making the booking. When you make your booking you must pay a minimum deposit of £130 per person (excluding infants under two years of age at the date of return). Should your booking include scheduled flights, cruises or other special arrangements the deposit required may vary up to the full ticket price. You will be advised of the required amount at the time of booking. The balance of the price of your travel arrangements must be paid at least 12 weeks before your departure date. Balance due dates may vary where scheduled flights are included and where ticketing deadlines are unexpectedly brought forward this may result in a request for earlier payment. If the deposit and/or balance are not paid on time, we reserve the right to cancel your travel arrangements and retain your deposit. All monies you pay to the travel agent are held by him on our behalf at all times.

The price of your holiday may change after you have booked due to 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 at ports and airports and exchange rates. However there will be no change within 30 days of your departure.

We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. You will be charged for the 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, 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 costs, then 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 the contractual and other protection in place.

Prices on the website are changed regularly, however due to the varying price policy adapted by tour operators and airlines our prices are subject to availability.

If You Change Your Booking (excluding name changes)

If, after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your holiday in any way, for example your chosen 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. We will charge for any additional services, facilities or other items changed, at the price, which applies on the day the change is made. In addition, we will also charge an administration fee of £25 per person and any further cost we incur in making this alteration. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. Please note certain travel arrangements (eg Apex tickets) may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.

Name Changes Before Travel

Except for holidays including scheduled flights if we receive notification of a change within 8 weeks of departure, the charge will be £40 per name change. Any changes outside of 8 weeks will incur a charge of £30 per name change. For holidays including scheduled flights, please note that some scheduled airlines do not permit name changes for any reason. Such charges are likely to include the full costs of the flight and may be subject to space being available for a new reservation.

If You Cancel Your Booking

You, or any member of your party, may cancel your booking at any time. Written notification from the person who made the booking 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 the table below:

If We Change Or Cancel Your Booking

It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your travel arrangements, as we do plan the arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally we have to make changes and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Most of these changes are minor and we will advise you of them at the earliest possible date.

We also 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 12 weeks before your departure date, except for reasons of force majeure or failure by you to pay the final balance. If we are unable to provide the booked travel arrangements, you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value). If it is necessary to cancel your travel arrangements, we will pay to you compensation as set out in the table below.

In accordance with EU Directive – (EC) No.2111/2005, Article 9, we are required to bring your attention the existence of a 'community list', which contains details of air carriers that are subject to an operating ban within the EU Community. The Community list is available for inspection at www.air-ban.europa.eu

In accordance with EU regulations, we are required to advise you of the actual carrier operating your flight/connecting flights/transfer.
Any changes to the actual 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 change is deemed a minor change. Other examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights by up to 12 hours, dependant on duration of trip, changes to aircraft type, change of accommodation to another of the same standard.

When a major change occurs, we will inform you as soon as reasonably possible, if there is time before departure. You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer or alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a 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 reasons of force majeure, we will pay compensation as detailed below:

If You Have a Complaint

If you have a problem during your holiday it is of the utmost importance that you immediately bring it to the attention of the relevant person (for example the resort representative, hotel manager or transport agent) who will do their best to put things right. If your complaint is not resolved locally, you should contact us on 0800 983 9000 to advise us of the problem so that we may endeavour to resolve it. However, should a problem remain unresolved, a complaint should be made in writing within 28 days of your return home to: Customer Relations Department, The Freedom Travel Group Limited, Hamil Road, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 1AJ Please give your booking reference and all relevant information keeping your letter concise and to the point. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you.

It is strongly recommended that you communicate any complaint to the supplier of the services in question as well as any resort representative without delay and complete a report form whilst in resort. 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.

What Happens To Complaints?

We aim to resolve all complaints amicably, but if this is not possible, your complaint can be considered under a scheme arranged by the Association of British Travel Agents and administered by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Full details will be provided on request or obtained from the ABTA website www.abta.com.

Our Liability To You

If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed by us or our suppliers we will pay you an appropriate compensation if this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements. However, 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 and where the failure is 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 3 times the cost of your travel arrangements. Our liability will also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to:

a) The contractual terms of the companies that provide the transportation for your travel arrangements. These terms are incorporated into this contract; and
b) Any relevant international convention, for example the Montreal Convention in respect of travel by air, the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation, which limit the amount of compensation that you can claim for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage and delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitation of compensation contained in these or any conventions.

You can ask for copies of the transport companies' contractual terms, or the international conventions, from our offices: The Freedom Travel Group Limited, Hamil Road, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 1AJ.

Under EU law you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at EU airports and will also be available from airlines. However reimbursement in such cases is the responsibility of the airline and will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday cost from us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in these terms and conditions. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline will be deducted from this amount. If your airline does not comply with these rules you should complain to the Air Transport Users' Council on 0207 240 6061 or www.auc.org.uk.

Personal Injury Unconnected With Your Booked Travel Arrangements

If you, or any members of your party, suffer death, illness or injury whilst overseas arising out of an activity which does not form part of your package travel arrangements or an excursion arranged through us, we shall at our discretion, offer advise, guidance and assistance. Where legal action is contemplated and you want our assistance, you must obtain our written consent prior to commencement of proceedings. Our consent will be given subject to you undertaking to assign any costs, benefits received under any relevant insurance policy to ourselves. We limit the cost of our assistance to you or any member of your party to £5,000.

Passport, Visa, Immigration And Vaccination Requirements

A full British passport (valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of your holiday) is required for travel. 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. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements or if you are not in possession of the relevant vaccination certificates.

Transportation

It is your responsibility to ensure that you arrive in good time to board all flights or other methods of transportation. To assist you, we will notify you of the times by which you should arrive at all points of departure. If you miss a flight or other transportation we will try to arrange alternative transportation, but reserve the right to recover from you any costs we incur in making such arrangements.

Any rail, road and other departure times are supplied by the carriers. They are subject to, inter alia, air traffic control restrictions, weather conditions, the need for constant maintenance and the ability of passengers to check in on time. There is no guarantee that departures will take place at the times shown either in this brochure or on your tickets. The timings are estimates only. The Freedom Travel Group does not have any liability to you for any delays that may arise. Further, your dealings with all carriers are subject to the conditions of carriage of the carrier, some of which may limit or exclude liability. Where we are in a position to do so, we will give you information before you book concerning the airline on which you will fly, your airport of destination and type of aircraft on which you will travel. However, if any of these details change subsequently, and you choose to cancel as a result, our normal cancellation charges will apply. Any arrangements in the event of a delay will be at the sole discretion of the airline or other carrier involved.

Miscellaneous

Conditions of Travel: We reserve the right to require any passenger to produce medical evidence of their fitness to travel. Passengers with a disability which may require special treatment or assistance must advise The Freedom Travel Group Limited in writing of the condition so that appropriate advice and assistance can be given. NB Passengers may be refused passage where as a result of failing to notify The Freedom Travel Group Limited, appropriate arrangements cannot be made.

The Freedom Travel Group Limited has no control over the allocation of airline seats and cannot guarantee any seat requests. Baggage allowances will vary by destination – please check (with the airline used) for details. Passengers are advised that most airlines operate a non-smoking policy.

We reserve the right to determine the hotel, air carrier, flight routing (flights will not necessarily be direct or non stop) and airport, for all holidays advertised.

In accordance with EU regulations we are required to advise you of the actual carrier operating your flight/connecting flight/transfer. Any changes to the actual 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.

Special Requests: Where special requests for flight seats, room allocation, diet considerations etc are required we must be made aware of them at the time of booking. Whilst every effort will be made to ensure that these requests are fulfilled, they cannot be guaranteed. Furthermore, The Freedom Travel Group Limited will not be liable for claims for consequential loss where written advice of special needs and requirements has not been received in writing at the time of booking. Where special requests for flight seats are passed on by The Freedom Travel Group Limited to an airline, the confirmation of seat numbers is at the discretion of the airline.

Documents: It is your responsibility to ensure that passports, visas, vaccination certificates and all other necessary documents are in order and, where appropriate, in your possession. It is also your responsibility to arrange adequate insurance cover for your tour and to take relevant details of the policy with you.

Behaviour: You must not behave in a way that may cause distress or annoyance to others or which may create the risk of danger or damage to property. If you are subject to arrest, or are prevented from travelling at the discretion of an airline or other transport providers, or if you are evicted from a hotel at the discretion of the hotel management, The Freedom Travel Group Limited will not refund any portion of the cost of your holiday and, if The Freedom Travel Group Limited incurs any expense as a result of your behaviour, you will be obliged to compensate The Freedom Travel Group Limited for that expense.

Website accuracy

We endeavor to ensure that the details of all products, including prices, displayed on our websites are accurate. However, given the high volume of flights, hotels and other products offered it is inevitable that, in exceptional cases, mistakes will arise. We cannot accept liability for these errors. In cases where details other than price are materially incorrect we will offer you the choice of continuing with your booking or canceling with a full refund of money paid on that booking only. Where inaccuracies relate to the understatement of the price of a specific product you will be offered either a full refund of money paid on that booking only or the opportunity to maintain that booking on receipt of the additional payment which is necessary

These booking conditions are our responsibility, as your tour operator. They are not issued on behalf and do not commit any airline whose services are used in the course of your travel arrangements. Please note in accordance with Air Navigation Orders in order to qualify for infant status, a child must be under 2 years of age on the date of its return flight.

Data Protection Policy
Your booking:
In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we need to use the information you provide such as name, address, any special needs/dietary requirements etc.
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 your tour operator, airlines, hotels, transport companies etc. The information may also be provided to 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.)
Usually your tour operator or other principal will pass this information onto their suppliers once we have provided it to them. The tour operator or other principal's use of your information is subject to their policy, both in respect of your booking and any future marketing, and is their responsibility. Please ask either us or them for a copy of this if you would like to see it.
Your data controller is:Holiday City Superstore
You are entitled to a copy of your information held by us. If you would like to see this please ask us. [We may make a small charge for providing this to you].

Accessibility
Kwik Travel is committed to ensuring its website is accessible to all users. As our site is constantly reviewed we would welcome any comments you may have on accessibility issues. We recommend using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 1 or higher to provide you with the highest level of browser accessibility. If you are blind or visually impaired we recommend JAWS for Windows version 3.31 or later for the best speech synthesis.

Useful Links
Jaws - a screen reader for Windows. A time-limited, downloadable demo is available.
Lynx Browser - a free text-only web browser for blind users with refreshable Braille displays.
Links Browser - a free text-only web browser for visual users with low bandwidth.
Opera - a visual browser with many accessibility-related features. A free downloadable version is available. Compatible with Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and several other operating systems.

Although we continue to test and modify our Web sites for accessibility, there may be some legacy pages and pages developed by third-parties that are not fully compliant with our standards. If you would like further information about our accessibility statement or if you are experiencing problems accessing the website. Please contact us.