More protection when booking holidays
Travelers will be better protected in the future. The members of the European Parliament voted on 27 October 2015 to confirm this. Travelers putting together their own package holiday online will get the same protection as those buying from traditional travel agents.
- Consumers may cancel their package holiday in case the original price increases over 8% or at an inevitable event like a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
- Travellers should be informed about their rights, and it must be clear which party is responsible when something goes wrong.
- Before buying a travel agreement, travel companies must make it clear to consumers that a package travel is being purchased.
- Consumers need to receive all essential information before booking, for example emergency numbers, departure schedule and all possible extra expenses.
- Consumers who buy a “click-through” online travel arrangement will have the same protection as consumers that buy pre-arranged packages or combinations of services bought from a single sales outlet.
The new rules will change the current EU directive concerning package holidays which was created in 1990. Since that time, the way travelers book their holiday has considerably changed. This is especially because of the increase of cheap flights and the possibility to book a holiday online.
Note: The information on this page may no longer be up to date, as it was published in 2015.