We all love a good holiday. Despite the hectic modern-day lifestyles we all lead, holidays are an integral part of 21st-century life. However, a dream holiday can very quickly turn into a nightmare at any given moment, leaving us confused, frustrated and out of pocket. The liquidation of US firms such as Midway Airlines and Tower Air in the mid-90s demonstrated why it’s so important to be aware of your rights on holiday and the recent bankruptcy of UK firm Thomas Cook has only served as a timely reminder of this. With Brexit also (reportedly) on the horizon and arguably changing circumstances not just for Brits but for many the world over, we’ve put together a quick article which will underline the importance of knowing your rights and being travel smart, so you can enjoy your holiday with the peace of mind that you deserve.
Flight Delays and Cancellations
In terms of the recent Thomas Cook situation, anyone who booked a package holiday was automatically covered by the Air Travel Organizer’s License scheme (Atol) if they hadn’t yet flown. Thankfully, there is significantly more protection for flyers than there was during the collapse of iconic American airline Pam Am. In addition to this, specialist sites such as Flightright have now been established to help enforce passenger rights and aid in claims and refunds. Flightright deal with notoriously unreliable airlines such as Easyjet and provide handy calculators which help customers check their compensation eligibility. All in all, if you’ve booked your holiday through the proper channels, there’s a good chance you’ll be covered for a full refund – but such sites will help point you in the right direction should the unthinkable occur.
Brexit Shmexit
No matter which side of the pond you’re on, we can all agree that the Brexit debacle is making us gray before our time. In the event of a “no-deal” Brexit, the EU have already confirmed airports and skies will remain open for 12 months after the split, and will also continue to recognize the relevant aviation certificates for nine months. However, Brexit could also have more of an impact on US travelers than first thought: airlines frequently use codeshares for convenience – British Airways for example often helps to facilitate American Airlines flights to Madrid and it is unclear how or if these agreements will continue. With the UK’s exit from the EU looking more imminent by the day, now is the perfect time to research how your holiday may be affected once the deal goes through.
Travel Stress Can Ruin Your Holiday
If everything goes to plan, a holiday should be enjoyable from the moment you leave your front porch to the day you return back home. Idyllic scenes construed by images of relaxed holiday-goers often fail to properly capture the stress that you can put through in order to get to that point. This is why proper planning is essential on any holiday and doing the correct amount of research will lower the chances of things going wrong. Of course, there are a number of things that can happen which are out of your control. And this is where you roll with the punches, take what life has thrown at you and get yourself to the bar. Probably.
