COMMENT: Protection for Scheduled Airline Passengers
The APRO (Airline Public Relations Organisation) aviation writers annual lunch, held for the last few years at Simpsons in the Strand, has always been a useful meeting place for those involved in writing about air travel and those who actually help produce the airlines operations. The speaker is normally interesting (last time around Gwyneth Dunwoody ” see above) and sometimes controversial. No more so than last Friday. APRO”s guest in fact attacked his hosts, or in truth the manner in which they are allowed to do business! Speaking in his role as Deputy Chairman of the Association of Independent Tour Operators, Noel Josephides, head of Sunvil Holidays, criticised the ATOL bonding (insurance) system which requires tour operators to put up substantial sums to guard against financial failure whilst scheduled airlines are not subject to this requirement. ”It is massively unfair and needs a total review.” He said the so-called no frills carriers were for practical purposes offering total packages on their web sites without giving passengers any protection. Whilst Buzz clients can claim their airfare back as the company has only been taken over, they might well have difficulty in claiming back hotel, insurance and car reservations made on the same site at the same time, effectively a package. Tour operators offering essentially the same holiday have to be ATOL bonded.
The argument is the CAA is charged with the responsibility to monitor a British airline”s financial fitness. It has no authority in this area regarding overseas carriers who operate into the UK. It is a conundrum.