Dnata Travel owned OTA says it is offering customers “unrivalled” peace of mind
Travel Republic launches CAA approved trust for “triple lock” financial protection
OTA Travel Republic claims to have put unrivalled financial guarantees for customers in place with new trust account protection adding to its Atol and Abta memberships.
The dnata Travel brand says the “triple lock” of protection will give bookers peace of mind as continued travel restrictions come in due to the COVID omicron variant.
The OTA said as people begin to regain confidence in travelling trust and financial protection is playing a more important role than ever as they decide whether to book.
The new independently operated secure trust account for package holiday customers has been approved by regulator the CAA and trustees of the Air Travel Trust, that backs the Atol scheme.
It guarantees that when a customer books a flight-inclusive package holiday, the money for their accommodation and transfers will be kept secure in a separate account.
This means it will be available so it can be promptly refunded in the event their holiday be cancelled.
Flight payments are not kept in trust but go straight to the airline on booking but theses are covered via separate insurance arrangement or firms opt to refund them themselves.
The additional security is part of Travel Republic’s Holiday Promise which also includes Covid Cover Plus for extra cancellation protection, a lowest price guarantee and round-the-clock In resort support to give customers real peace of mind.
Antonio Fellino, managing director of Travel Republic, said: “Our unique Triple Lock
Protection, included in our ‘Holiday Promise’, gives our customers real peace of mind when booking their holidays with us.
“Only recently, independent research commissioned by Abta showed ‘choosing trusted brands and operators’ to be the most important factor for Brits when planning a holiday.
“So we’re delighted to further strengthen the financial protection we can provide our customers, and be able to act quickly and flexibly to look after them should they be due a refund.”
Fellino added: “Over the last year, our team has gone above and beyond to make planning, booking and taking your holiday feel ‘worry-free’, despite the challenges.
“We’re proud that their efforts have helped us achieve an incredible score of 4.6/5 on Trustpilot with over 50k+ reviews from grateful customers.”
Rival OTA On The Beach pioneered a trust account model for OTAs in the UK with its own CAA approved scheme.
In a latest consultation on the future of Atol, the CAA has indicated its preference for a separation of customer monies from working cashflow with trust accounts seen increasingly as the solution.
On The Beach left Abta during the COVID pandemic over a disagreement about whether refunds are due for flights that were not cancelled by airlines.
