Package Holiday v Separate Flight / Accomodation Rights

jonnypb

I've often booked separate flights and accommodation for our holidays, but do you lose any rights, or security in doing so?

I know if you book a package holiday via Jet2 etc you're covered via ABTA, but do you have the same cover for just a flight if the holiday firm went bust, or cancelled for whatever reason?

Also if you book accommodation through AirBnB or somewhere like Vrbo do you have adequate cover if the host were to cancel or something happen to the accommodation?

I would always use a credit card to book and have travel insurance, but with all the travel restrictions it got me thinking.....  Reason I ask is I had an issue while abroad about making a claim for an injury, but the solicitor said because it wasn't a package holiday the laws are different.  If it were a package holiday then the case could have been done via the courts in the UK, but as it was separate flights and accommodation and not a package holiday it would have to be dealt with in the courts of that country abroad.

Thanks

Sandtree

Because you buy a package the vendor is responsible for the whole so if your flights are cancelled they also have to deal with the accommodation side. 

You can mitigate this in part by booking flexible accommodation etc but that may well add cost.

To your injury claim it will depend if you can bring it back to the package company or not... you get runover by a bus in the city centre miles from the hotel then package -v- separate makes  no difference... get ill in the hotel due to poor sanitation in the kitchens etc and you may have a claim against the package provider.

Credit cards are not always as great as people think with travel because of the use of agents. S75 required a direct Debtor - Creditor - Supplier relationship and so if you insert an agency between the Creditor (your bank) and the Supplier (the airline) then S75 can fail if for example the flight was cancelled last minute.

NoodleDoodleMan

When things go wrong, a package deal from a major provider like TUI and Jet2 is a safer bet than cobbled together DIY.

Alan_Bowen

Airlines provide no financial protection whatseover, so if they fail you are on your own to find your way home. If you book a package holiday and the airline fails, the tour operator is obliged to book alternative flights. Using a credit card may help, they certainly won't book a flight for you, even if they subsequently cover the cost but this board is littered with thousands of cases from the last 18 months where card issuers simply said 'no'

If you are booking a package with air travel it is important to look for ATOL protection, not ABTA. ABTA protects non-flight packages, so cruises from the UK, rail and car hire holidays but the vast majority of packages, including jet2.com, are protected by the CAA ATOL scheme.