Booking Conditions
Last updated on 25th October 2011
Your contract is with C. I. TRAVEL GROUP LTD (hereinafter known as C. I. Travel Group), trading as jerseytravel.com, guernseytravel.com, Channel Islands Travel Service, Airways Holidays, Lewis's Holidays, Discover Jersey and Guernsey Travtel, FlyDirect and Bontour, (registered in Jersey no. 23569), a member of ABTA.
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 or the booking is confirmed on our website. 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.
If it has not been possible for you to have seen these terms and conditions, or cancellation charges were not made known to you at the time of booking and you are not happy to proceed, please return all documentation to us within seven days. Your booking will be cancelled and your monies will be returned in full, provided you have not commenced your travel. This option does not apply if your booking was made within 10 weeks of travel or where certain airlines and accommodation providers require full payment at the time of booking.
2. Your financial protection
When you buy an ATOL protected air holiday package and flights from C. I. Travel Group you will receive a Confirmation Invoice from us (or via our authorised agent through which you booked) confirming your arrangements and your protection under our Air Travel Organiser's Licence number 1965.
In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit the ATOL website at atol.org.uk.
If you book sea travel or arrangements other than a package holiday (e.g. accommodation only), your monies are protected by way of an ABTA bond held by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Plc and Travel & General Insurance Company Plc.
The price of all our holiday packages includes the amount of £2.50 per person (excluding infants) for your protection. This charge is included in our advertised prices.
3. ABTA
We are a member of ABTA, membership number V0300. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA's Code of Conduct. We can also offer you an arbitration scheme for the resolution of disputes arising out of, or in connection with this contract. Further information on the Code and arbitration can be found here.
The arbitration scheme is arranged by ABTA and administered independently by 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. Full details will be provided on request or can be obtained from the ABTA website.
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 on 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 the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators within nine months of the date of return from the holiday. Outside this time limit arbitration under the Scheme may still be available if the company agrees, but the ABTA Code does not require such agreement.
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 abta.com.
4. Your holiday price
a) We reserve the right to increase or decrease published prices of unsold holidays at any time. You will be advised of the current price of the holiday that you wish to book before your contract is confirmed.
b) When you make a booking you must pay a deposit (amount advised at the time of booking) and if required the insurance premiums for the holiday arrangements. The contract with the insurance company is in force from the date we receive your premium. The balance of the price of your travel arrangements must be paid at least 8 weeks before your departure date. If you book less than 8 weeks from departure you must pay the total cost of your holiday on booking. All payments due can be made by credit or debit card or by cheque made payable to C. I. Travel Group. There is no charge for paying by debit card or cheque. Due to charges imposed on us by bank or intermediaries, a transaction fee is applied to all credit card payments. Currently (October 2011) this fee is 2.5%. Please note that these charges may be amended at any time without notice. If the balance is not paid in time, we shall cancel your travel arrangements and retain your deposit. In the event of a cheque not being honoured by the bank on which it is drawn we will make a charge of £20 to cover the bank charges and our administration costs.
c) Changes in transportation and accommodation 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 holiday 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 holiday arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. You will be charged 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 you have to pay an increase of more than 10% of the price of your holiday arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one, or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any amendment charges. (Note: a full refund will not apply in respect of airline tickets that require full payment at the time of booking.) We will consider an appropriate refund of insurance premiums if you can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy. Should you decide to cancel for this reason, you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on your final invoice. 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.
5. If you change your booking
If, after your 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. You will be asked to pay an administration charge of £30 per person, up to a maximum of £60 per booking and any further cost we incur in making this alteration. If all names change on a booking, then cancellation charges will apply. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. A change made within 6 weeks of departure and affecting the UK airport/port, date or holiday duration or the number of passengers will result in the cancellation of the original booking and may be subject to the scale of charges described in paragraph 8.
Note: Different cancellation terms, up to 100%, may apply for bookings that include certain accommodation and travel arrangements. These terms will be advised at the time of booking and detailed on your confirmation.
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 or your travel agent on your behalf must be received at our offices. Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges up to the maximum shown in paragraph 8.
Note: No refund will be due in respect of airline tickets (electronic or paper) that either require full payment at the time of booking or have been issued (normally about six weeks from departure).
7. Insurance
If your cancellation is due to one of the reasons covered by the C. I. Travel Group recommended Insurance Policy and you have paid for that insurance you will be covered as indicated in the policy. C. I. Travel Group only covers passengers for the C. I. Travel Group scale of cancellation charges on items invoiced by C. I. Travel Group on a C. I. Travel Group invoice. Clients making alternative insurance arrangements should check that their cover is adequate and should note that C. I. Travel Group staff are not able to advance money with regard to insurance policies other than those purchased through C. I. Travel Group.
8. If we change or cancel your holiday
It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your holiday 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 of force majeure 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, we will pay you compensation as set out in this clause (excluding infants).
In accordance with EU regulations 2111/2005 we are required to advise you of the actual carrier operating your flight. This will be shown on your booking confirmation. Any changes to the actual airline will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check-in or at the boarding gate. Other examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights/sea crossing by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type, change of accommodation to another of the same standard.
If we make a major change to your holiday, we will inform you or your travel agent as soon as 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 of force majeure (see note 2), we will pay compensation as detailed below (excluding infants):
| Period before departure in which notice of cancellation or major change is received by us or notified to you | If we make a major change to your holiday | If we cancel your holiday Amount you will receive from us |
If you cancel your holiday Amount of cancellation charge (excluding CI Travel Insurance premium) * see note 1 |
| More than 56 days | NIL | Deposit only | Deposit only |
| 56 - 43 days | £5 | Deposit only | 30% or deposit if greater |
| 42 - 29 days | £10 | 100% of holiday cost + £10 | 50% or deposit if greater |
| 28 - 15 days | £15 | 100% of holiday cost + £15 | 60% or deposit if greater |
| 14 - 8 days | £20 | 100% of holiday cost + £20 | 75% or deposit if greater |
| 7 - 3 days | £25 | 100% of holiday cost + £25 | 100% |
| 2 days or less | £30 | 100% of holiday cost + £30 | 100% |
The compensation that we offer does not exclude you from claiming more if you are entitled to do so.
Note 1: Different cancellation terms, up to 100%, may apply for bookings that include certain accommodation and travel arrangements. These terms will be advised at the time of booking and detailed on your confirmation. No refund will be due in respect of airline tickets (electronic or paper) that either require full payment at the time of booking or have been issued (normally about six weeks from departure).
Note 2: Force Majeure 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, and adverse weather conditions.
9. Travel Delays
It is our policy that once you have checked in with your airline or ferry operator, that you are their responsibility. In common with many coastal resorts, the destinations in this brochure occasionally suffer from fog and sea mists and ferry crossings can be affected by rough seas. Adverse weather conditions can result in delays and diversions and even cancellation of some services. Transport may also be cancelled due to technical problems or force majeure. Except where this leads to a significant alteration to contracted services, we will not be liable for any loss or expense incurred, or obliged to refund any payment for unused accommodation or services at your destination.
Should your travel be delayed or cancelled, we recommend that you have sufficient funds to obtain additional meals and accommodation. These costs may be covered by travel insurance, which is strongly recommended. (see C. I. Travel Group insurance)
10. Accommodation Descriptions
C.I. Travel Group cannot accept responsibility for representations as to the accommodation, services or food provided with the accommodation which have been made to you directly by the hotel and not by or through ourselves. In the case of half board bookings we regret we are unable to compensate you for any meals missed due to late arrival at the hotel for any reason.
11. Disabled passengers
We do everything we can to provide the highest level of service to all our customers. If wheelchairs are required at the airport please advise us well in advance (at least 7 days). Please note we cannot arrange transfers for passengers who need to remain in their wheelchairs. We would point out that there is a possibility that airlines may charge for handling wheelchairs and aircraft lift ons/offs and we must therefore reserve the right to pass on such charges should they arise.
12. If you have a complaint
If you have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier (e.g. your hotelier) and our representative or local office immediately who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint is not resolved locally, please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to our Customer Services Department at the address shown on your confirmation giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you. It is strongly recommended that you communicate any complaint to the supplier of the services in question as well as our representative or local office without delay whilst in resort. 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.
13. Our liability to you
If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed by us or our suppliers we will pay you appropriate compensation if this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements. However 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 and where the failure is unforeseeable or unavoidable; or 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 foresee or forestall.
Our liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness, shall be limited to a maximum of 2 times the cost of your travel arrangements. Our liability will also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to (a) The contractual terms of the companies that provide the transportation for your travel arrangements. These terms are incorporated into this contract; and (b) 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 that you can claim for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage, and delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitation of compensation contained in these or any conventions. You can ask for copies of the transport companies' contractual terms, or the international conventions, from our office in Jersey. Telephone 01534 496600.
Under EU law (Regulation 261/2004) you have 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 automatically 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 paragraph 8. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline 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 020 7240 6061 or at auc.org.uk.
14. Prompt 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 foresee or forestall, and you suffer an injury or other material loss, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is reasonable in the circumstances.
15. ID, passport and immigration requirements
For security reasons passengers require photographic identification such as a valid passport or a photo card driver's licence. Your specific passport and visa requirements and any other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. We do not accept responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any security, passport, visa or immigration requirements.
16. Excursions
Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on holiday are not part of the package holiday provided by us. For any excursion or other 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.
These terms and conditions are our own, as your tour operator. It is not issued on behalf of, and does not commit carriers mentioned therein or any carriers whose services are used in the course of your travel arrangements. Please note that in accordance with Air Navigation Orders, in order to qualify for infant status, a child must be under 2 years of age on the date of its return flight.
If booking from the Republic of Ireland our address for legal documents is Crowley Millar Solicitors, 15 Lower Mount St., Dublin 2
The air holiday packages and flights shown are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 1965. ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services on this website. However when ATOL protection does not apply, our holiday and travel services are protected by our ABTA bond. Therefore all holidays and travel services bookable through this website have financial protection. Please see our booking conditions for more information.