Below you will find a fulsome breakdown of the key rights now outlined in the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (based on Directive (EU) 2015/2302.

1) Travellers will receive all the essential information about the package before concluding the package travel contract.

2) There will always be at least one trader who is legally responsible for the expected performance of all the travel services included in the agreed-upon contract.

3) Travellers will always be provided an emergency contact in which they can reach the package organiser or travel agent responsible for facilitating the purchase.

4) Travellers must be permitted to transfer the package to another party, with adequate notice and possibly subject to–reasonable–additional costs.

5) The price of the package may only be increased if specific costs rise (for instance, fuel prices) and if expressly provided for in the contract, and in any event not later than 20 days before the start of the package. If the price increase exceeds 8% of the price of the package, the traveller may terminate the contract. If the organiser reserves the right to a price increase, the traveller has a right to a price reduction if there is a decrease in the relevant costs.

6) In the case that essential elements of the package (other than the price) are changed significantly, travellers must be able to terminate the contract without penalty and receive a full refund of any payments made. If the trader responsible for the package cancels the package, travellers are entitled to both a refund of payment and additional compensation where appropriate.

7) Travellers can terminate the contract without penalty (i.e. termination fees) in the event of exceptional circumstances likely to affect the execution of the services of the package, such as serious security problems at the package’s destination, as long as termination is initiated prior to the starting date of the package’s services.

8) Similarly, travellers may, at any time before the start of the package, terminate the contract in exchange for a reasonable and appropriate termination fee.

9) If, after the start of the package, significant elements of the package are not provided as agreed upon in the contract, appropriate alternatives must be offered to the traveller at no additional cost. In the case that the organiser of the package fails to remedy any significant disruptions and also fails to provide sufficient alternatives, the traveller may terminate the contract without paying a termination fee.

10) Travellers are entitled to a price reduction or compensation for damages where the travel services are not performed or performed incorrectly.

11) The package organiser must provide assistance should the traveller experience any difficulties.

12) If the organiser or, in some Member States, the retailer becomes insolvent, payments will be refunded. If the organiser or, where applicable, the retailer, becomes insolvent after the start of the package and if transport is included in the package, repatriation of the travellers is secured.

More information on The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 can be found here.

The full contents of Annex 1 can be accessed here.