EU travel rules will give internet deals the same levels of financial cover as traditional packages

British holidaymakers will benefit from greater protection when booking online under new EU rules that come into force this summer.

Updated UK package travel regulations, part of an EU directive due to take effect for holidays booked from 1 July, aim to create a level playing field by making online retailers as responsible for consumer protection as traditional travel agents.



According to Abta, the travel agents’ trade body, the surge in consumers’ use of online booking sites has created a gap in consumer protection, with 50% of holidays not currently financially protected if a company fails.

An estimated 45m overseas holidays are taken each year by Britons, of which 20m are conventional package holidays with flights, coach or rail travel which are primarily protected by Abta.

But 3m so-called “flight-plus” arrangements which have until now had lesser protection will be brought into the safety net.

Flight-plus is a holiday booking where a flight departing the UK and accommodation and/or car hire are booked at the same time or within a day, but where the way in which it is sold means it is not a package holiday. These will no longer exist under the package travel regulations and instead could form part of a package or a linked travel arrangement.

According to government figures, UK families spend on average £22.10 per week on package travel abroad – over a third of household spending on recreation and culture. Internet booking has surged and last year 83% of Britons booked a holiday online.

“When we book a package holiday we expect it all to go according to plan, but if a company goes bust it can ruin more than just the holiday, leaving people out of pocket or even stranded,” said the consumer minister, Andrew Griffiths.

“These new rules mean that internet explorers can book their holidays online, secure in the knowledge they will be compensated in the same way as someone who booked their holidays through a travel agent if something does go wrong.”

Mark Tanzer, the chief executive of Abta, said: “More holiday travel arrangements will be classified as packages, meaning greater protection for these types of holiday.

“Package holidays offer the best form of protection; not only are you entitled to a refund or to be brought home should your travel company go out of business, but you also benefit from additional legal protection – for example, the right to a refund if bad weather means your holiday can’t be provided.”

