These booking conditions, together with our privacy notice and any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, apply to your booking with Plane Sailing Travels, 67 Livingstone Close, Old Hall, Warrington, WA5 8QB (“we” or “us”). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these booking conditions references to “you” and “your” include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.
Plane Sailing Travels is a member (Membership Number 2218) of Merlin Travel Group, a Travel Consortium for independent travels agents, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Company Number SC634186
Merlin Travel Group are an accredited member of Protected Trust Services, who are also FCA registered. All customer funds are held in the independent trust account held by Protected Trust Services Ltd and guarantee 100% financial protected for our customers.
Plane Sailing Travels is a company committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. We are therefore pleased to announce that that, at no extra cost to you, and in accordance with “The Package Travel regulations” all passengers bookings are fully protected for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. Your money is fully protected and paid into an independent trust account, managed by Protected Trust Services Ltd 307-315 Holdenhurst Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth BH8 8BX and it’s Trustees, chartered accountants – Elman Wall Ltd of 8th Floor, Beckett House 36 Old Jewry, London EC2R 8DD.
We act only as an agent. When you make a booking your contract (or contracts) will always be with the supplier(s) of the travel services you have booked. Our obligations to you may vary depending upon which arrangements you book with us, and we set them out clearly below.
Booking
By making a booking, you agree on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that you have read these booking conditions and agree to be bound by them and you are over 18 years of age.
When you make your booking you must pay the relevant deposit as specified at the time of booking. If you believe that any details on the booking summary (or any other document) are wrong you must advise us immediately as it may not be possible to make changes later, you may incur charges to make changes and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document immediately.
Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately. We will not make any charge for changes to documents, but you will have to pay any charges made by suppliers. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport.
Payment
You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment for your booking at the time of booking. Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you at time of booking. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the supplier who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their booking conditions. Except where otherwise advised or stated in the booking conditions of the supplier concerned, all monies you pay to us for arrangements will be held on behalf of the supplier(s) concerned. Payments can be made by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Google Pay, Apple Pay or by bank transfer in to a dedicated trust account. Corporate credit cards are subject to a 3% charge and Corporate debit cards are subject to a 2% charge. If the corporate card surcharge is not picked up at payment process we reserve the right to add the fee on to your balance.
Your contract
When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into contracts with the suppliers (tour operator, airline or other supplier) named on your booking summary. For most bookings we act as agent for the supplier but we act as your agent when making a booking with most low cost airlines. Details will be given at the time of booking. The supplier’s booking conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they contain important information about your booking. They may limit or exclude the supplier’s liability to you, as well as in accordance with applicable International Conventions. Please ask us for copies of these if you do not have them. Until a component has been confirmed by the individual supplier, no contract has been formed.
You may wish to purchase flights, hotel, car rental, transfers or other services on our website. The products shown are subject to availability. Each component will be provided by different third party providers of the products you have selected. Your contract will be with the individual suppliers and not with us. As an agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the supplier or for the services provided by the supplier.
Flights
When booking flights with most low-cost airlines, we will act as your booking agent on criteria specified by you. In relation to such bookings, you appoint us to source those flights on your behalf and you are our principal. We will arrange for you to enter into a contract directly with the airline concerned. Your payment obligations will be as agreed between you and us. In all other respects, you will be subject to the airline’s terms and conditions which you must refer to on the relevant airline’s website. You are advised to read these carefully prior to requesting us to book your flight. By making a booking for which we are acting as your agent, you specifically agree to the terms of this clause. We accept no liability in relation to any contract you enter into with the airline, or their acts or omissions, or for the flight service itself.
Charter flights: When you book your charter flight through us, we act as agent for the charter flight provider who holds an ATOL. The contract will be between you and the charter flight provider.
If You Want To Change or Cancel Your Holiday
Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing and will not take effect until received by us. If you cancel or amend your booking the supplier may charge the cancellation or amendment charge shown in their booking conditions (which may be 100% of the cost of the travel arrangements). We may collect this on their behalf and you also must pay us any applicable administration charges.
Changes or Cancellations by the Supplier
We will inform you of any changes or cancellations as soon as reasonably possible. If the supplier offers alternative arrangements or a refund, you will need to let us know your choice within the time frame we stipulate. If you fail to do so the supplier is entitled to assume you wish to receive a full refund, we accept no liability for any changes or cancellations made to your arrangements by the supplier under your contract with them.
Our responsibility for your booking
Your contract is with the supplier and its booking conditions apply. As agent, we accept no responsibility for the actual provision of the travel services. Our responsibilities are limited to making the booking in accordance with your instructions. We accept no responsibility for any information about the arrangements that we pass on to you in good faith. However, in the event that we are found liable to you on any basis whatsoever, our maximum liability to you is limited to three times the cost of your booking (or the appropriate proportion of this if not everyone on the booking is affected).
Your Financial Protection
Many of the travel arrangements that we sell are protected in the case of the financial failure of the travel company. Please ask us about the protection that applies to your booking.
When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate from the supplier. 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.
Please note that ATOL protection is not available for flights with low-cost carriers or where your payment is made direct to airlines unless they are part of a package.
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.
Special Requests
If you have any special requests (for example dietary requirements, cots or room location), please let us know at the time of booking. We will pass on all requests to the supplier, but we can’t guarantee that they will be met, and we will have no liability to you if they are not.
Insurance
We strongly recommend that you take out adequate travel insurance when you make your holiday booking. Many suppliers require you to take out travel insurance as a condition of booking with them. Your insurance should offer cover for you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses.
Failure to disclose relevant information will affect your insurance. If you fail to travel with adequate insurance cover we will not be liable for any losses in respect of which would have been covered by such insurance.
Accommodation
Accommodation Ratings, Standards and Information. All ratings are as provided by the relevant supplier. These are intended to give a guide to the services and facilities you should expect from your accommodation. Standards and ratings may vary between countries, as well as between suppliers. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of any ratings given. All descriptions and content on our website or otherwise issued by us is done so on behalf of the supplier(s) in question are intended to present a general idea of the services provided by the supplier(s) in question. Not all details of the relevant services can be included on our website.
Safety standards in some countries may differ from those applicable in the United Kingdom. We strongly advise that all customers seek to minimise their exposure to injury by familiarising themselves with relevant safety information.
On arrival at your accommodation, you will be allocated a room. It is your responsibility to verify the check-in and check-out times directly with your accommodation supplier. Please note that any local taxes and expenses will be payable to your accommodation supplier in resort on check-out.
Building Work
From time to time, renovation or refurbishment and its associated noise are unavoidable at a hotel. If we are notified of such works, we will inform you before you make your booking or within a reasonable time of us being notified.
Delivery of Documents
All documents (e.g. invoices/tickets/Insurance policies) will be sent to you by email where possible, if documents need to be posted once they leave our offices we will not be responsible for their loss unless such loss is due to our negligence. You must pay any charges made by suppliers if tickets or other documents need to be reissued.
Passports, Visas and Health
We can provide general information about the passport and visa requirements for your trip, but this is for guidance only and it remains your responsibility to check the requirements before you 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. Neither we nor the supplier accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. For more information on passports please visit gov.uk/browse/citizenship/passports
Please take special note that for all air travel within the British Isles, airlines require photographic identification of a specific type. Please ask us for full details. We can provide general information about any health formalities required for your trip but you should check with your own doctor for your specific circumstances. Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visit fco.gov.uk.
Complaints
The contract for your arrangements is between you and the supplier and any queries or concerns should be addressed to them. If you have a problem whilst on holiday, this must be reported to the supplier or their local supplier or agent immediately. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may be reduced or you may not receive any at all depending upon the circumstances.
If you wish to complain when you return home, write to the supplier as set out in your booking confirmation. We will of course assist you with this if you wish – please contact Customer Services. If the matter cannot be resolved and it involves us or another ABTA member then then you have the option to use ABTA’s ADR scheme, approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, see abta.com.
You can also access the European Commission Online Dispute (ODR) Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. This ODR platform is a means of notifying us of your complaint; it will not determine how your complaint should be resolved.
Final Travel Arrangements
Please ensure that all your travel, passport, visa and insurance documents are in order and that you arrive in plenty of time for checking in at the airport. It may be necessary to reconfirm your flight with the airline prior to departure. Please ask us for details at least 72 hours before your outbound flight. You should take a note of any reference number or contact name when reconfirming. If you fail to reconfirm you may be refused permission to board the aircraft and you are unlikely to receive any refund.
Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our obligations to you are affected by any circumstances which we or the supplier of the service in question could not have avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. These circumstances can include, but are not limited to, war, threat of war, civil strife, terrorist activity and its consequences or the threat of such activity, riot, the act of any government or other national or local authority, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the destination and all similar events outside our control or the control of the supplier concerned.
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
No part of this agreement shall confer on any third party any benefit or right to enforce any terms of this agreement.
Jurisdiction
This agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to deal with any disputes arising between you and us or our suppliers.
Changes to these Terms and Conditions
We may need to make changes to these terms and conditions. Any changes can only be made by us and not any third party member. We reserve the right to amend or improve these terms and conditions without prior notification. When it is necessary for changes to be made, we will forward you a copy of these changes and all reservations will abide by the amended terms, with the exception of reservations already made.
