The following detailed booking conditions govern all bookings with Travel Business First Ltd
(indicated “we”, “us” or “our” throughout these Terms and Conditions) and whose trading office
is at 344-348 High Road, Ilford, Essex. IG11QP. The relevance of the booking conditions that
apply to you will be dependent on whether you have booked a ‘package’ or ‘other travel
arrangements’.
1.Packaged Holiday Contract
A packaged holiday is one where you have booked a minimum of two of the following:
a) transport ie flight, cruise etc
b) accommodation
c) another tourist service
Such booking must be booked for all combinations must be made at the same time, all
inclusive and with full payment at the time of booking.
Where you have booked just flights, flights and accommodation separately and at
different times, or a cruise, such elements are considered other travel arrangements.
A package contract will assumed to be in place once you have completed the booking, read
and understood the terms and conditions of the booking as provided herein, or made the
appropriate payment to us and we have issued our confirmation invoice. Where you have booked
other travel arrangements, we act merely as a booking agent and your contract is with the
supplier(s) (e.g. the airline or hotel supplier or cruise or tour operator) concerned. The
booking conditions of that other company will also apply to you.
All contracts with us and all matters arising from them are subject to English law and
to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
The person who makes the booking must be aged 18 or over, accepts these conditions on
behalf of all members of the party and is responsible for all payment due from the party.
2.ATOL Protection
All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the
ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and
check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it.
Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about
financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to:
www.caa.co.uk Our ATOL Number is 10713.
At the time of booking you must pay a deposit, the amount of which varies from £100 per person
up to the total holiday cost, depending on the type of booking, and pay any balance of the cost
of the holiday no later than 8 weeks before departure. If you book inside 8 weeks of departure
full payment is required at time of booking. If you do not make the payments at the required
time, your booking will be cancelled and your deposit will be non-refundable.
Most payments on flights are payable in full; in line with advance purchase restrictions on
certain airfares. Your agent will make you aware of payment deadlines at the time of booking;
which will also be reflected on your confirmation invoice.
Note that on deposit payments for flights, fares are not guaranteed until full payment is taken.
The airline and agent reserves the right to pass on any increases in taxes, fuel or airfares at
the time of balance payment, in the unlikely event there are any increases. The airline and
agent also reserve the right to cancel bookings where balance payment is not made as agreed;
which will result in admin fees or in some cases loss of deposit.
Payment can be made by all major credit and debit cards. We levy a charge of 2% of the
holiday cost when you use MasterCard or Visa, and a charge of 3% for American Express. There is
no charge for payments made through debit cards unless a debit card is registered outside the EU
in which case we levy a charge of 2% of the holiday cost.
3. Your travel documents
We aim to send out your documents 14 days prior to departure by e-mail if not sooner. In most
cases travel documents are electronic, and e-mailed to you. We cannot be held responsible for
documents lost in the post. Special, Recorded or Registered post can be arranged at an
additional charge. We would also like to draw your attention to the purchases by credit or debit
cards where payment does not take place in person. In accordance with mail order regulations,
all documents will be posted to the billing address of the credit/debit card holder and not the
address of the passenger (unless they are one and the same).
4. Alterations by you
If after booking you wish to change your travel arrangements; we will do our best to meet your
new requirements. You will need to confirm your instructions in writing and pay an amendment fee
per booking. Also you must pay any costs we incur in making the amendment, including any charges
that may be levied by suppliers (e.g. airlines, hotels). Please note that some travel
arrangements (e.g. 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.
5. Transferring your booking if you are prevented from travelling (packages
only)
If you are prevented from travelling, you have the right to transfer your booking to another
person subject to both the original client(s) and the transferee(s) paying all costs
incurred by us in doing so. However the arrangements must remain exactly the same. We will
use our best endeavours to facilitate the transfer and in cases where a transfer is made an
additional administration charge per person must be paid. Such charge will be advised by
your Travel Consultant.
Note that air tickets, once issued are non-transfereable.
6. Cancellation by you
You may cancel your booking at any time providing that the cancellation is made by the
person making the booking and is communicated to us in writing. As we incur costs when you
cancel, we will retain your deposit and additional cancellation charges may apply.
These charges vary between different suppliers that we use, and these terms and
conditions will be communicated to you.
You may cancel your booking at any time providing that the cancellation is
made by the person making the booking and is communicated to us in writing. As we incur
costs when you cancel, we will retain your deposit and additional cancellation charges
may apply.
These charges vary between different suppliers that we use, and these terms and
conditions will be communicated to you.
Packages
The effect of cancelling a package is dependent on the date of original booking and the date
of travel.
Period before departure within which
notice of cancellation is received by us
Cancellation charge
More than 56 days
Deposit only
Between 28 and 56 days
60% of total holiday cost or full cost of deposit whichever is the
higher
Between 27 and 7 days
90% of total holiday cost
Less than seven days
100% of total holiday cost
Other travel arrangements
Most discounted airline tickets carry a 100% cancellation charge. Please check at time of
booking for the charges which apply to your ticket. Where you wish to cancel an air ticket
that has a refund value, you will need to inform us and we will pass the request to the
airline. When we receive a refund it will be paid to you. This usually takes 8-12 weeks but
in some cases may take considerably longer. Please ensure that any tickets or travel
documents returned to the company are sent by registered post.
7. Alterations by us
We reserve the right to change the description of any flight and/or ground service before
you book, in which case you will be told before a confirmation invoice is issued.
Packages
It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your travel arrangements, but we do
plan the arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally we and/or suppliers 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 of them at the earliest possible date. If there is a major
change to your holiday, we will inform you as soon as reasonably possible if there is time
before your departure. You will have the choice of accepting the amendment as notified,
purchasing another holiday from us with the price difference payable/refundable as
appropriate, or cancelling the arrangement(s) and receiving a full refund of all monies
paid.
Force majeure
This means that we will not pay you 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 condition.
Other travel arrangements
We are obliged and will endeavour to notify all changes before departure if it is possible
to do so (please see clause 16. Flights). No compensation is payable by us in such cases. We
will endeavour to find you a suitable alternative if appropriate.
8. Cancellation by us
Packages
We and/or suppliers reserve the right to cancel your holiday in certain circumstances. For
example, if the minimum number of clients required for a particular holiday is not reached,
we may have to cancel it. However we will not cancel your travel arrangements less than 8
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 have
the choice of purchasing another arrangement from us, if available, with the price
difference payable/refundable as appropriate, or of receiving a full refund of all monies
paid to us (except insurance premium).
Other travel arrangements
In the unlikely event that a booking has to be cancelled, for any reason other than
non-payment by you, we will offer you alternative travel arrangements if these are
available. Or, you can have a full and prompt refund of all monies paid to us less any
insurance premiums and amendment fees. No compensation is payable.
9. Pricing policy
All of our travel arrangements and fares are subject to availability. Once a confirmation
invoice has been issued the price shown on that invoice may only vary as outlined below or
if you amend your booking (see clauses 4 and 5).
Once your airfare or holiday package has been confirmed with tickets issued, we
cannot be held liable for any special offers that may be released from the date of issue to
the date of departure. The price you pay at the time of booking is the current price that
you pay, and the price that is due to us or the supplier at the time of booking.
Packages
The price of your travel arrangements can vary due to changes in transportation costs (e.g.
airfares and cost of fuel), changes in dues and taxes (including VAT) or fees payable for
services (e.g. landing taxes or embarkation/disembarkation fees at ports and airports) or to
reflect fluctuations in exchange rates. In the case of any small variation an amount
equivalent to 2% of the invoice price (excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges)
will be absorbed or retained. For larger variations this 2% will still be absorbed for
increases but not retained from refunds. If this means that you have to pay an increase of
more than 10% of the invoice price you will be entitled to cancel the booking and receive a
full refund of all monies paid (excluding 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. If you decide to cancel in these circumstances you must do so
within 14 days of the issue date on the surcharge invoice.
Other travel arrangements
For air tickets, after we have received full payment in cleared funds we will not increase
the price. For all other situations, we reserve the right to pass on any cost increase
levied by the suppliers.
10. Applications for products and services
Prices, and details, of products and services (and any offers) posted online are subject to
change without notice. Offers of any kind may also be subject to certain terms and
conditions. All products, services and offers are subject to availability and we and our
partners give no guarantee with regard to this point. The provision for details of products
and services or offers on this website are not, and should not be construed as an offer to
sell or buy such products or services by the relevant company. The company advertising the
products and services concerned may accept or reject your offer at its sole discretion.
Seat reservations with airlines
Whilst we offer the service to facilitate passengers with seat requests, we cannot guarantee
seat reservations. This is due to aircraft type changing for operational reasons, or
migration problems between reservation systems.
11. Commercial use
This website is for both commercial (e.g. travel agencies, airlines, car hire companies and
hotel operators etc.) and non-commercial (personal) use only. The products and services
contained on this website may be supplied on a commercial basis on the basis that the
commercial user clearly identifies all the Terms and Conditions upon which we trade to our
customers and by using this site the commercial user warrants their client consents to the
relevant Terms and Conditions (in so far as that “client” provides personal data which, by
using this website the commercial user consents to our processing such data in accordance
with these Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy and Security Statement).
In the event that you use any of the products or services contained on this website for
commercial use, then we shall be entitled to charge you at our rates from time to time in
force and previously notified to you in respect of such commercial use. However and for the
avoidance of doubt, we are under no obligation to previously notify you in respect of such
commercial use.
12. Our liability
In consideration of the fact that we act only as a booking agent, we have no liability
whatsoever for any aspect of the arrangements and, in particular, no liability for any loss,
personal injury or death however incurred, except where caused by our own proven negligence.
13. Complaints
If a problem occurs whilst you are abroad, you must inform the relevant supplier (e.g.
hotel, tour operator, car rental company, airline) immediately so that the matter can be put
right. If the supplier cannot resolve the problem to your satisfaction, at the time, you
must also contact us immediately by telephoning
020 3737 6323so that we are given the
opportunity to help. In the event that a complaint cannot be resolved at the time, you must
write to us within 28 days of your return, quoting your original invoice number, booking
reference and giving all relevant information. Failure to take these steps will hinder our
ability to resolve the problem and/or investigate it fully and in consequence, any right to
compensation you may have may be extinguished or reduced.
14. Passport, visa and health requirements
Please ensure that you are aware of all passport, visa and health requirements and that you
allow adequate time to obtain them. You must check applicable requirements with the relevant
Embassy, Consulate or Passport Agency. Please note that many countries require that your
passport is valid for six months beyond the period of your stay. Requirements can change and
it is your responsibility to ensure that you comply with applicable passport, visa and
health requirements and take all necessary documents with you to gain access to any country
or region to which you make travel arrangements or transit through. We cannot accept any
responsibility for customers who do not possess the correct documents and if you fail to do
so, you will be solely responsible for any cost, loss or damage that you incur as a result
of your failure. Helpful information can be found on the websites
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice and www.doh.gov.uk.
15. Suppliers’ conditions
Please note that, as between you and any of the suppliers whose services form part of your
booking, the suppliers’ standard terms and conditions will apply. The suppliers’ standard
conditions may limit or exclude liability, often in accordance with international
conventions. Copies of these conditions may be requested in writing.
16. Flights
Please note that a flight described as “direct” will not necessarily be non-stop. All
departure/arrival times are provided by the airlines concerned and are estimates only. They
may change due to air traffic control restrictions, weather conditions,
operational/maintenance requirements and the requirement for passengers to check in on time.
We will endeavour to advise if there is any change to a departure/arrival time previously
given to you or shown on your ticket but you are also h3ly advised to reconfirm your
flights, including departure times, with the airline, 72 hours prior to departure. We are
unable to make any special arrangements for you if you are delayed; these matters are at the
sole discretion of the airline concerned.
17. Special requests
If you have any special requests, these will be passed on to the relevant supplier but
cannot be guaranteed by us.
18. Your financial protection
When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive
an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information
on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.
We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the
services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where
neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL
holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no
extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL
holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid
by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in
some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you
will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where
applicable).
If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the
services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise)
for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or
confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment
or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have
arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against
us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any
such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have
claimed under the ATOL scheme.
19. Travel insurance
We highly recommend that you take out travel insurance for your whole journey.
20. Copyright
The copyright in the material contained in this website belongs to us, our partners or our
licensed source. For the purposes of a transaction any person may copy any part of this
material, subject to the following conditions:
- The material may not be used for any commercial purposes.
- The copies must retain any copyrights or other intellectual property notices contained
in the original material.
- The products and technology or processes described in this website may be subject to
other intellectual property rights reserved by us or other third parties (and no licence
is granted in respect of those intellectual property rights).
- Images and logos on this website are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced or
appropriated in any manner without the written permission of their respective owner(s).
21. Changes to terms and records of agreement
We and our partners reserve the right to change these terms and conditions at any time by
posting changes on this or our partners’ website(s). It is your responsibility to review the
website terms and conditions regularly to ensure you are aware of the same. Your use of this
website after a change has been posted will be deemed to signify your acceptance of the
modified terms and conditions. We recommend that you print off and retain for your records a
copy of these terms and conditions from time to time and a copy of any terms and conditions
relating to any product or service which you apply for online, together with any related
application and/or proposal form duly completed and submitted to us or our partners (and
received by us or our partners). Any amendment to any terms and conditions must be agreed in
writing by us or by the relevant company with whom you contract.
22. Disclaimers
Whilst we have taken care in the preparation of the contents of this website, the website
and information, names, images, pictures, logos and icons regarding or relating to us or our
partners, or the products and services of the same (or to third party products and services
or those of our carefully selected partners), are provided on an “as existing” basis without
any representation or endorsement being made and without any warranty of any kind, whether
express or implied, including but not limited to, any implied warranties of satisfactory
quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security and
accuracy. To the extent permitted by law, all such terms and warranties are hereby excluded.
In no event will we or our partners be liable (whether in contract or tort, including
negligence or breach of statutory duty or otherwise) for any losses sustained and arising
out of or in connection with use of this website including, without limitation, indirect or
consequential losses, loss of profit, loss of data or special loss.
We do not make claim that the information contained in this website is accurate,
comprehensive, verified or complete, and shall accept no liability for the accuracy or
completeness of the information contained in the website or for any reliance placed by any
person or party (including but not limited to any third party) on the information contained
herein. Furthermore and for the avoidance of doubt, should a manual input “pricing” or
“description” error occur, or the fare is increased by the airline before the balance has
been paid in full by you, we reserve the right to inform you, cancel your booking for “nil”
cost and give you the option to re-book at the higher price or lower price (as dictated at
the time).
We do not warrant that the functions or materials accessible from or contained in
this website will be uninterrupted or error free, that defects will be corrected or that
this website or the server that makes it available are virus or bug free or represent the
full functionality, accuracy or reliability of the materials.
If any of these Terms and Conditions (or any terms and conditions relating to a
product or service referred to in this or any of our partners website should be determined
to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable by reason of the laws of any state or
country in which such terms and conditions are intended to be effective, then to the extent
of such illegality, invalidity or unenforceability, and in relation to such state or country
only, such terms or condition shall be deleted and severed from the rest of the relevant
terms and conditions and the remaining terms and conditions shall survive, remain in full
force and effect and continue to be binding and enforceable. Nothing in these terms and
conditions shall exclude our liability for death or personal injury resulting from our
negligence.
23. Headings
Headings used in these terms and conditions are for convenience only and shall not affect
their interpretation.
24. Jurisdiction and law
Unless otherwise specified, the products and services described in this website are
available only to UK residents (excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man). The
information on this website is not directed at anyone other than UK residents and
applications from others will, unless otherwise stated, not be accepted. We make no
representation that any product or service referred to on this or our partners’ website is
appropriate for use or available in other locations. The information and other materials
contained in this website may not satisfy the laws of any other country and those who choose
to access this site from other locations are responsible for compliance with local laws if
and to the extent local laws are applicable. The phone numbers provided only apply to phone
calls made from within the UK.
These Terms and Conditions and any terms and conditions relating to products or services
described in this website shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of
England and Wales. Disputes arising in relation to the same shall, unless otherwise
expressly agreed, be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and
Wales.
25. Links to other websites
Certain (hypertext) links may lead you to websites that are not under the control of us or
our carefully selected partners. When you activate any of these links, you will leave our
website and we have no control over and will accept no responsibility or liability in
respect of the material on any such other website. By allowing links with third party
websites we do not intend to solicit business or offer any security to any person in any
country, directly or indirectly.
26. Monitoring of phone calls/e-mails
Entirely subject to our Privacy Policy, telephone calls using the telephone numbers provided
on this website and e-mail correspondence with us at the e-mail addresses accessible
through, or discernible from, this website may be recorded or monitored. By using such
communication methods you are consenting to the recording or monitoring of the same.
27. Product terms and conditions
If you apply for any product or service detailed on this website, these Terms and Conditions
should be read in conjunction with any other terms and conditions which relate to any such
product or service, i.e. booking terms & conditions (in particular those of our
carefully selected partners e.g. airlines, car hire companies and hotel operators) and, in
the event of any contradiction between these Terms and Conditions and the specific terms and
conditions relating to such product or service, the latter shall prevail. For the purposes
of these Terms and Conditions, “product(s)” and “service(s)” shall not include, without
limitation, any representation and/or warranty and/or advice as to the suitability and/or
fitness for purpose of either for the user’s express and/or implied purpose. Nothing in
these Terms and Conditions affects your statutory rights as a consumer.
28. Trademarks
The images, logos and names on this website identify us and our carefully selected partners.
Nothing contained in this website shall be deemed to confer on any person any licence or
right on the part of the companies mentioned above or any third party with respect to any
such image, logo or name.