We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide

ATOL Protected holiday booking - refund vs vouchers

rickvigorous
rickvigorous Posts: 1 Newbie
edited 19 May 2025 at 4:40PM in Coronavirus Board
Hi folks,
We booked a holiday to the Maldives via an ATOL protected travel agent, who handled all booking of the flights and resort. We were due to fly next week, so it's a no-go due to FCO restrictions on the UK side, and the Maldives banning UK visitors. We've spoken to a representative of the travel agency who said that the resort has offered a full refund, but that Qatar airlines has refused this, saying they'll only offer re-booking or a voucher. The flights weren't direct, but connected via Dubai. 

We'd like a full refund, and are unclear whose responsibility this is. As the agent is ATOL protected, does this mean that regardless of the Airline/Resort policy, they are responsible for the refund in the first instance, and the ATOL scheme is responsible if the agent goes bankrupt? Does the airline's policy factor into this at all?

We also took out travel insurance, but mainly for medical reasons; the compensation for cancellation is only approx 1/3 of the total holiday value.

Any insight greatly appreciated!

Comments

This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 354.4K Banking & Borrowing
  • 254.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 455.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 247.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 604K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 178.4K Life & Family
  • 261.5K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.