Since that wonderful spouting volcano in Iceland started shutting down our air space and BA crews decided to disrupt flights, lots of our clients have been asking...

'How am I protected with
The Destination Lounge?'

This is a very sensible question to ask. And in fact as more people ask it of themselves, the more they are turning to The Destination Lounge to book - because that way their hard-earned money is safe!

ABTA – Association of Bonded Travel Agents

The Destination Lounge is bonded through ABTA. Sounds great, but what does that mean to you? Essentially ABTA members pay a large amount of money to ABTA, who hold it in a bond, so if that company were to go bust, the funds are already secured to refund clients.

Don't be fooled into thinking The Destination Lounge is a risk because its small... As part of the Freedom Travel Group (and therefore The Co-operative Travel Group), we have a huge company behind us, and thus behind you and your holidays!

You can check our ABTA licence by clicking here to visit ABTA's own website. You'll see that we're part of the Freedom Travel Group, under number K6699.

ATOL – Air Travel Organiser's Licensing

The majority of holidays you book will also be protected by an ATOL licence. To quote their own website...

"ATOL protects you from losing your money or being stranded abroad. It does this by carrying out checks on the tour operators and travel organisers it licenses, and requiring them to take part in a financial guarantee scheme managed by the Air Travel Trust (ATT) which provides the funds to protect customers should a firm fail. In some cases a licence holder will also provide a bond, which is lodged with the ATT and provides additional funds.

"If a tour operator goes out of business, the CAA will ensure you do not lose the money you paid over, or if you're abroad, we'll arrange for you to finish your holiday and fly home."

The tour operator your holiday is booked with is the one who holds the ATOL licence. For example, you may have booked a holiday to Jamaica through the Destination Lounge (and gotten a fantastic deal, no doubt!), and your tour operator may be Virgin Holidays. Virgin Holidays' ATOL licence is the one that protects you if they went bust - it would protect your money and if you're in Jamaica at the time would let you finish your holiday and get you back home again.

The Destination Lounge uses ATOL bonded tour operators, including Freedom Travel Group's own ATOL licence, if that's who we send you with! If you're unsure if what you're booking is ATOL protected, just ask us!

You can find out more about ATOL protection by clicking here to visit their website.

Stuck behind a cloud of ash!

This year has seen some major upheaval for travelers as a result of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, that closed vast areas of airspace and dashed holiday dreams across the UK. This was when people really started to realise that booking through an agent such as The Destination Lounge was a bright idea.

1. What if I can't travel because of an Ash Cloud?

If you are unfortunate enough to be travelling on a day when an Ash Cloud forces airport closures you would not lose any money if you have booked a holiday package through The Destination Lounge - your money is protected and would be fully refunded. If, however, you have booked your holiday yourself with flights, accommodation and transfers all booked separately, you may find that you lose some or all of your money.

Where possible your tour operator will offer you a suitable alternative time to travel.

2. What if I'm stuck abroad because of an Ash Cloud?

If you find you're return flight has been cancelled because an Ash Cloud has forced airport closures, you will instantly find yourself in the hands of your tour operator who will make sure that you're looked after until they can get you home.

Different operators work differently from one-another. Some will cover more expenses than others, but they will all make sure you've got a roof over your head, food in your tummy and that you're flying home as soon as possible.

Grounded by a strike!

As well as Ash Clouds, 2010 has been beset by striking by BA cabin crew which has caused plenty of disruption, but mostly doubt and uncertainty in 'The World's Favourite Airline'.

The same applies here as with the Ash Cloud. Your tour operator will look after you - either by rescheduling, or refunding your money if you can't fly, or by keeping you fed and watered while they try to get you home ASAP!