Package holidays: the rights you have

Booking a flight and a hotel separately and booking them together are not the same thing legally, and the difference only becomes visible when something fails.

What counts as a package

The combination of at least two different travel services for the same trip, such as transport and accommodation, or accommodation and car hire, bought from a single trader or through linked booking processes. Where that condition is met, the organiser answers for the proper performance of the whole package, not merely for the part it supplies directly.

If something goes wrong at the destination

Notify the organiser or its local representative as soon as the problem is noticed, because they must be given the chance to remedy it. Record what was reported, when and to whom. Photograph the issue. If it is not remedied, the traveller may resolve it themselves and claim reasonable costs, and may claim a price reduction for the period the service fell short.

Insolvency protection

Organisers must hold guarantees covering repatriation and refunds if they become insolvent. It is one of the substantive advantages of a package over separate bookings: if an airline booked directly ceases operating, the traveller is a creditor, whereas within a package the protection applies. The organiser must state how that protection is arranged in the contract.

Keep the contract and the pre contractual information sheet, since both set out these rights explicitly.

Cancelling before departure

The traveller may cancel at any time before departure, paying the termination fee set in the contract, which must be reasonable and stated in advance. And where unavoidable extraordinary circumstances arise at or near the destination that significantly affect the trip, cancellation is permitted with a full refund of payments and no termination fee.

The figures matter when a claim arises. A price reduction is calculated on the proportion of the trip affected, so 3 days of a 10 day package with the pool closed can support a claim of around 30 per cent of the accommodation element. Notify within 24 hours, photograph the issue and keep the contract, since claims are usually resolved within 1 to 3 months.

Two more figures worth holding. Where the organiser raises the price after booking, an increase above 8 per cent of the total allows the traveller to cancel with a full refund. And a booking may be transferred to another person with reasonable notice, usually 7 days before departure, paying only the actual costs of the change.

Two more thresholds are worth knowing. A price increase above 8 per cent of the total allows cancellation with a full refund, and any increase must be notified at least 20 days before departure. The booking may be transferred to another person with reasonable notice, usually 7 days ahead, paying only the actual costs of the change, which typically run 30 € to 150 €.

One last figure: claims of this kind are usually resolved within 1 to 3 months through the consumer route, and the organiser normally has 10 working days to reply to a written complaint.