In the final series of ‘Watch Out For Further Announcements’, we examine passengers rights under 261/2004 & the Montreal Convention following a flight cancellation. We look at the issue from the perspective of the British Experience of Fog and Industrial Disputes during the winter of 2006/7! Read More

Are You Ready For Court? considers the impact of the argument that we have become a ‘compensation culture’ and examines the Arbitration process and the experience of one holidaymaker and their holiday complaints.  It should be recognised that the main reason why holidaymakers fail, is that they do not prepare their case and documentation properly!  We have written an article on this very issue and should be read in conjunction with this article!  The various links in that article will help you consider what you need to do, along with the guidance and commentary in the article below! Read More

Are Kids Clubs Safe? We return to this topic and consider the shocking experience of one holidaymaker, and the tardy response he has received to his complaint! Read More

In 2007 we examined the issue of Neurotoxins in aircraft and found a surprising lack of urgency into this pressing question – nothing has changed!  This article sets out the real effect of neurotoxins (also known as Aerotoxic or Sick Aircraft Syndrome) on pilots and passengers – in our view, the issue is and remains an International Scandal!  It also raises a serious point – if these neurotoxins are escaping into aircraft cabins and cockpits, then surely there is the same potential for those toxins to reach those on the ground who live near to airports?  If that is the case, should they not also be included into a study that has purpose and meaning?  The issue still has wide resonance today! Read More

Following a complaint received from a Holidaymaker, we investigated and reported in the May 2007 edition of Get’Away, the issue of the potential for Carbon Monoxide or Neurotoxins within Aircraft Cabins.  This condition is now commonly known as Aerotoxic or Sick Aircraft Syndrome.  This has become one of the most important developing travel issue this decade!  We have reported extensively on this issue, our latest report having beiong submitted to EASA in January 2010! Read More

Problems associated with DIY or Dynamically Packaged Holidays accounts for the second most popular holiday complaints we receive!  Many Travel Consumers believe that they are booking a Package Holiday and this was accepted by all (except for some the British contingent) at the recent Stakeholder Conference in Brussels on 22 April 2010!  It is quite clear that the Package Travel Directive was intended to cover so-called DIY holidays, but unfortunately, the British Travel Consumer has been disadvantaged by a series of legal cases exercised before the Court of Appeal!  In the May 2007 edition of Get’Away, we examined the dilemma for one holidaymaker, faced with suing 2 online ‘agents’ and a hotelier in a foreign jurisdiction!  We explored whether this is a Package and offer a problematic solution to his dilemma!  It should be remembered the Package Travel Directive is currently being examined by the EU Commission with a view to importing a greater certainty into its provisions! Read More

Since 2005, the issue of Significant Change before departure, accounts for the second most popular of all holiday complaints received by HolidayTravelWatch (it is joint second with DIY/Dynamically Package Holiday Complaints – the top complaints we receive are holiday illness claims)!  Significant Changes occur usually when some aspect to the holiday is radically changed, for example, a change of hotel, overbooking of a hotel, a change of resort, closure of facilities, a change in a ship’s or tour’s itinerary, natural or man made disaster’s affecting a destination, outbreak’s of illness at a hotel, resort or on board a ship etc!  We have seen through Regulation 12 how a travel provider, when they become aware of a pre-departure ’Significant Change’ to your contract, must advise you of those changes, to give you the opportunity to cancel without penalty or to accept the changes with a rider to the contract!  However, Regulation 13 takes Consumer Rights further!  It obligates a travel provider to provide important options for you the travel Consumer!  In the May 2007 edition of ‘Get’Away’, we set out the consumer ‘benefit’ of Regulation 13 of the Package Travel Regulations and detail the rights that should be given to you before departure! Read More