Advertisement

Light Blue Travel terms and conditions

Light Blue Travel terms and conditions

Your reservation is made with Light Blue Travel, a company wholly independent of Telegraph Media Group Limited.

Booking Conditions

1. Your Holiday Contract

When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our confirmation invoice. This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions, which are governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you wish to do so.Your contract is with Light Blue Travel Limited registered in England No: 2686703.

Please check your confirmation invoice carefully on receipt. Amendment or cancellation fees may become payable if you do not notify us of any discrepancies immediately.

2. Your Financial Protection ATOL

Light Blue Travel's ATOL (Air Travel Organisers Licence) number is 5489.

When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. 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.

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.

For further information visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk

3. Your Holiday Price and Payments

We reserve the right to alter the prices of any of the holidays shown. You will be advised of the current price of the holiday that you wish to book before your contract is confirmed.

When you make your booking you must pay a minimum deposit of £250.00 per person (River Cruise Bookings minimum of £500 per person) or an agreed sum for flight inclusive holidays. If we have to make special flight arrangements we reserve the right to charge you the full cost of these flights by way of a deposit at the time of your booking. We will quote you the cost of these arrangements before we confirm your holiday. If we advise you prior to booking that your flights are ‘non-refundable’ then no refund will be due to you for your flights if you later cancel unless we can obtain a refund for you from the airline. No deposits are payable for infants who must be under two years of age on the date of return travel to qualify for infant status.

The balance of the price of your holiday arrangements must be paid at least 8 weeks before your departure date and the date will be advised on your booking confirmation. (River Cruise balance is due 13 weeks before departure date) If the balance is not paid in time we reserve the right to cancel your holiday arrangements and retain your deposit. Please see section 6. If You Cancel Your Holiday (below) for cancellation terms.

Changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports and exchange rates mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. However there will be no change within 30 days of your departure. We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. You will be charged for the amount over and above that, plus an administration charge of £1 per person together with an amount to cover agents’ commission. If this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 10% of the price of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any amendment charges. 
Should you decide to cancel: 
1) You must do so within 14 days from the date on your final invoice. 
2) Should the price of your holiday go down due to the changes mentioned above, by more than 2% of your holiday cost, then any refund due will be paid to you. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.

4. Insurance
If you cancel your holiday, we make charges to cover our costs. The price of medical treatment overseas is often very high and not always fully covered by your EHIC. Repatriation in the event of serious illness or death can cost many thousands of pounds. For this reason it is vital that you take insurance which will usually (but please refer to individual policy terms) cover most of these costs as well as providing some protection for delays over 12 hours, repay some of your expenses for delayed or damaged luggage, your personal liability for accidents and often much more. We suggest you arrange insurance from the day you book.

5. If You Change Your Booking

If, after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, for example your chosen departure date or accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. Any request for changes to be made must be in writing from the person who made the booking. You will be asked to pay an administration charge of £40.00 per booking plus any further cost we incur in making this alteration. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible.

Certain travel arrangements (eg Scheduled Flight Tickets or “non-refundable flights”) may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.

6. If You Cancel Your Holiday

You, or any member of your party, may cancel your travel arrangements at any time. Written notification from the person who made the booking must be received at our offices. Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges shown below. *Charges may be higher only where the flights and/or accommodation/car hire we have confirmed to you are “non-refundable" and this will be advised to you at the time of booking. Any party members who travel will receive a revised invoice based on the new party size. If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.

In the case of scheduled flights these are non-refundable and are usually fully payable at the time of booking as advised on your booking confirmation invoice.In some cases a deposit is payable and you will be advised the balance payment date on your booking confirmation invoice. Once the balance payment date has been surpassed you will be fully liable for the payment of the balance.

* Please note that some flights and/or accommodation/car hire are "non-refundable" (as above) and will be in addition to the below cancellation charges.

General Hotel and Villa Bookings
Amount of cancellation charge:
More than 56 days before departure – Deposit only
29 - 56 days before departure – 60%
15 - 28 days before departure – 70%
0 – 14 days before departure – 100%

River Cruise Bookings
Amount of cancellation charge:
More than 90 days before departure – Deposit only
61 - 90 days before departure – 50%
31 - 60 days before departure – 75%
0 – 30 days before departure – 100%

 

7. If We Change or Cancel Your Holiday

It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your travel arrangements, but we do plan the arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally, we may have to make changes and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Most of these changes will be minor and we will advise you of them at the earliest possible date. We also reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your travel arrangements. For example, if the minimum number of clients required for a particular travel arrangement is not reached, we may have to cancel it. However, we will not cancel your travel arrangements less than 8 weeks before your departure date, except for reasons beyond our control or failure by you to pay the final balance. If we are unable to provide the booked travel arrangements, you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value). If it is necessary to cancel your travel arrangements (unless for reasons beyond our control) we will pay you compensation as set out in this clause.

In accordance with EU Regulation 2111/2005 we are required to advise you of the actual carrier operating your flight and any connecting flight. Please refer to your tickets for details. Any changes to the actual airline after you have received your tickets will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check-in or at the boarding gate. Such a change is deemed to be a minor change. Other examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type, change of accommodation to another of the same standard, or changes to your overseas arrival and departure airport. Minor changes do not entitle you to a refund.

If we make a major change to your holiday, we will inform you as soon as is reasonably possible if there is time before your departure. You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling your booked holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. In all cases, except where the major change arises due to reasons beyond our control, we will pay compensation as detailed below:

Period before departure within which a major change is notified to you

More than 56 days - Nil
29-56 days - £10
15-28 days - £20
7-14 days - £30
0-6 days - £40

The compensation that we offer does not exclude you from claiming more if you are entitled to do so. Beyond our control: This means that we will not pay you compensation if we have to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way because of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These can include, for example, war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, river water levels, floods, industrial disputes or technical problems with transport.

8. Flight Delays

In the event of a delay to your flight, individual airline policies will apply however, the appropriate standards of welfare and communication of information should be provided.

Under EU law you have some rights in some circumstances to refunds and or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at EU airports and will also be available from airlines. However, reimbursement in such cases will not entitle you to a refund of your holiday cost from us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in Clause 7. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline or an insurer will be deducted from this amount. If your airline does not comply with these rules you should complain to the Air Transport Users’ Council on 0207 240 6061 or www.auc.org.uk.

9. ABTA

We are a member of ABTA, membership numbers D6183 and V9324. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. Further information on the code can be found on ABTA’s website www.abta.com. Please note that ABTA protection only applies to services shown as provided by Light Blue Travel and not to services provided by Holiday Extras or any other third parties.

10. If You Have a Complaint

If you have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier (eg your hotelier) and our resort representative immediately, who will endeavour to put things right. Please complete an Event Report while in resort and ask our representative or the supplier to sign it. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were in resort and this may affect your rights under this contract. If your complaint is not resolved locally you should follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to our Quality Service Department at Light Blue Travel, 1 Longview Terrace, Histon Road, Cambridge CB4 3JH giving your booking reference number and all relevant information. Please note we do not write to clients when we receive Event Reports sent to us by our resort representatives.

If a complaint arising from your holiday contract cannot be resolved amicably we can offer you an arbitration scheme for the resolution of disputes arising out of, or in connection with, the contract. Further information on arbitration can be found on ABTA’s website www.abta.com The scheme is arranged by ABTA and administered independently by IDRS, part of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. It provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on you in respect of costs. The scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £5,000 per person. There is also a limit of £25,000 per booking form. Neither does it apply to claims which are solely in respect of physical injury or illness or their consequences. The scheme can however deal with compensation claims which include an element of minor injury or illness subject to a limit of £1,000 pm the amount the arbitrator can award per person in respect of this element. The application for arbitration and Statement of Claim must be received by IDRS within nine months of the date of return from the holiday.

For injury and illness claims, you may like to use the ABTA/Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Mediation Procedure. This is a voluntary scheme and requires us to agree for mediation to go ahead. The aim is to help you resolve your dispute in a quick and cost effective way. Details on request or from www.abta.com.

11. Our Liability to You

If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed by us or our suppliers judged against local standards and legislation we will pay you compensation if this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements. We monitor the performance of our suppliers and we are responsible for ensuring they comply with the standards and general practices and legislation of their own country. We will not be liable where any failure in the performance of the contract is due to you, or a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel arrangements shown on your invoice and which did not form part of your original package; or where the failure is unforeseeable and unavoidable; or unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised: or an event which we or our suppliers even with all due care could not see or forestall. Our liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness shall be limited to a maximum of two times the original cost of the travel arrangements. Our liability shall also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to: the contractual terms of the companies that provide the transportation for your travel arrangements. These terms are incorporated into this contract and, any relevant international convention, for example the Montreal Convention in respect of travel by air, the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation which limit the amount of compensation you can claim for death, injury, illness, delay to passengers and loss, damage or delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having the benefit of any limitation of compensation contained in these or any conventions.

12. Assistance in Resort

If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed as a result of failures attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services or as a result of failures due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised or an event which we or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not see or forestall, and you suffer an injury or other material loss, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is reasonable in the circumstances.

13. Excursions

Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on holiday do not form part of your package holiday provided by us. For any excursion or tour that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.

14. Your Responsibilities

a). 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.
b). You must check what vaccinations are required for your selected destinations.
c). Airline regulations require women who are 28 weeks pregnant or more on the date of the return travel to have a doctor’s certificate stating that they are fit to travel. All pregnant women should check the time limits for travel as most airlines do not accept passengers who are more than 34 weeks pregnant at the date of return travel.
d). You should advise us if you have any form of disability or impairment which may restrict the enjoyment of your holiday.
e). You must be responsible for the behaviour of yourself and your party. We can refuse to accept you as a customer or refuse to continue dealing with you if your behaviour is, in our opinion or the opinion of the airline pilot, hotelier, villa manager, other guests or other person in authority disruptive, dangerous, or annoying to other people or property.
f). To take reasonable care of your baggage and to insure any high value items as we cannot accept liability for such items.
g). To arrange holiday insurance.

We cannot accept responsibility for any extra expense you face as a result of your failure to comply with any of the above points.

15. FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) advice

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office produces up-to-date travel information to help British travellers make informed decisions about travelling abroad. For further information please visit www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo  or telephone 0845 850 2829. Alternatively you can contact ABTA’s Travel Information line on 0901 201 5050 (calls are charged at 50 pence per minute).

16. Data Protection Policy

Your booking: In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we need to use the information you provide such as name, address, any special needs/dietary requirements etc.

We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information. We must pass the information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements such as airlines, hotels, transport companies etc.

The information may also be provided to security or credit checking companies, public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or as required by law.

Additionally, where your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will not, however, pass any information on to any person not responsible for part of your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary/religious requirements. (If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we cannot provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons). Please note all telephone calls may be recorded for training purposes and quality control.

Your data controller is The Head of Operations. You are entitled to a copy of your information held by us. If you would like to see this, please contact our Head of Operations. We may make a small charge for providing this to you.