Three and a half decades ago, package holiday regulations were thrown into the world to protect holidaymakers who are injured or sick on their holidays.
Package holiday traveling became safer as the effect of the regulations set in – meaning that if someone (for example), got food poisoning on their summer holidays, they could be entitled to a large cash pay-out from their tour operator.
Things have changed with holiday claims…
In the beginning of this holiday claims story, when the regulations were first set up in 1992, it had a massive impact on how holidays were booked. A package holiday was a way of ensuring absolute safety. Holiday compensation was becoming a recognised term.
Back then, the Civil Aviation Authority recommended that up to 98% of holidays came under the definition of a ‘package’ in order to keep everyone protected from less-than-savoury holiday experiences that were the fault of the operator.
These days, it is only about half of the booked holidays that are package protected.
There have been court cases surrounded with confusion over just what is specified by a package holiday.
Holidaymakers collectively believe that a package holiday is classed as a package holiday because they booked their hotels and flights through a travel agent, but it turns out to be not as straight forward as this.
- A package holiday – If a travel agent offers all the services for their holiday for one price
- Not classed as a package holiday – If the travel agent details individual prices for each service (e.g. flights and hotel accommodation), and then explains that these can be purchased individually, even if they are all bought at the same time
More changes in 2017…
There is a lot of pressure on the Government now to change the laws on holiday claims compensation.
Government legislation could change
ABTA (Travel Advice and Holiday Information) is calling on agents and operators to back their fight to stop a sharp rise in sickness claims by holidaymakers. The organisation has raised concerns with the Ministry of Justice and has raised the possibility that it could be made harder for travellers to claim after having their holidays ruined.
Hassan Ansari, from one of the UK’s leading holiday claims companies, Holiday Claims Expert, said: “It’s not impossible that the law will change in the future as there is a lot connected with the holiday claims industry.
“I personally believe that if you have been on a package holiday and you get sick at the fault of the tour operator, you should be entitled to a pay-out. Going on a package holiday should keep you protected from things like food poisoning, for example.”
Have you fallen sick on holiday in the last 2.5 years? Hassan from Holiday Claims Expert can give you a free consultation to find out.
Call: 0330 133 0421
Email: [email protected]
Address:
HolidayClaimsExpert
136 Drake St
Rochdale
OL16 1PS
