The industry awaits a government statement on Atol reform which it is hoped will be issued by mid-November.
This will establish the principles of a reformed scheme following a Department for Transport consultation under the previous government.
Aviation minister Theresa Villiers has accepted a move to ‘flight-plus’ – inclusion of any purchase of a return flight plus one or more added overseas-holiday elements – as the basis of a scheme that would extend protection to dynamically-packaged trips.
However, she has still to resolve what to do on two key issues – flight-only sales through third parties and ‘click-through’ sales, when a client or agent books a flight online and subsequently books a room or car hire through a link to a related site.
On flight only, Villiers will decide whether to include or exclude all sales through third parties.
On click-through sales, she is likely to make a basic statement of principle and leave the details to be thrashed out.
- More from the Travel Convention at travelweekly.co.uk/tc2010