Slatterys Travel Collapse - What does "bonded" really mean?

seamus789 · 30-09-2009 02:47PM #1

I am one of the unlucky people that booked a holiday with Stein/Slatterys travel.

The package I booked included flights, transfers and hotel. Slatterys had paid the airline but the hotel cancelled the booking.
The commission for aviation regulation has offered to refund the hotel but are refusing to refund the whole package as slatterys had already paid the airline. What use are airline tickets to me without a place to stay.

They told us that they will refund the hotel but we have to take the hit on the airfare and Slattery's profit. That's not much 'protection' in my opinion.
My understanding under ATOL was that when purchasing a package you were protected in the event of a travel agent's failure.
We now have been given 3 choices:
- Take a partial refund and take the hit on almost half the price.
- Take inferior accommodation in an area unsuitable to people traveling with a small child
- Pay extra to get the original package that we already paid for.
Either way we lose! Where does the bonding come in?

Does anyone know our rights here?

Bloody*Mary · 07-10-2009 10:17AM

seamus789 wrote: »

I am one of the unlucky people that booked a holiday with Stein/Slatterys travel.

The package I booked included flights, transfers and hotel. Slatterys had paid the airline but the hotel cancelled the booking.
The commission for aviation regulation has offered to refund the hotel but are refusing to refund the whole package as slatterys had already paid the airline. What use are airline tickets to me without a place to stay.

They told us that they will refund the hotel but we have to take the hit on the airfare and Slattery's profit. That's not much 'protection' in my opinion.
My understanding under ATOL was that when purchasing a package you were protected in the event of a travel agent's failure.
We now have been given 3 choices:
- Take a partial refund and take the hit on almost half the price.
- Take inferior accommodation in an area unsuitable to people traveling with a small child
- Pay extra to get the original package that we already paid for.
Either way we lose! Where does the bonding come in?

Does anyone know our rights here?

If Slattery's wasn't bonded you wouldn't have any options at all really.Your money would be gone.
Slattery's was a tour operator who didn't charter their own flights. Generally if a Tour Operator goes bust then the whole package is cancelled as they would have chartered the whole flight and booked the accommodation. You should have been advised at the time of booking that this was a 'dynamic' package.
I'm surprised the hotel won't allow you to rebook the accommodation directly? Have you shopped around to try and book the accommodation at a lower cost with another agency?

Slatterys Travel Collapse - What does "bonded" really mean?

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