TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. YOUR FLIGHT / HOLIDAY CONTRACT

Your contract is with royalorchidholidays.co.uk, a fully bonded holder of an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL), Licenced under the Civil Aviation Authority - ATOL Licence No. 3619. When booking a flight or holiday you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. It should be noted that the conditions vary slightly dependant on whether you are booking a 'flight'', ‘package’ or ‘other holiday arrangements’. The following Terms shall have the meanings set out below when used in these booking conditions: royalorchidholidays.co.uk shall be referred to hereinafter as 'the company' in respect of the Booking Conditions in this website. The term 'flight' shall refer to any pre-arranged flights, 'holiday' shall refer to any pre-arranged combination of at least two of the following three items when booked by royalorchidholidays.co.uk. a) transport; b) accommodation; c) other services not ancillary to transport or accommodation and forming a significant part of the package booked together and for which full payment is made to us. All remaining products, including transport and accommodation booked at separate times and not at an inclusive price constitute 'other travel arrangements', which we arrange as your booking agent. Please note that different terms and conditions may apply between you and any of the airlines, hotels, and tour operators involved in providing your travel arrangements. If you would like to see a copy of any applicable terms and conditions, please submit your request in writing and we will endeavour to meet it. A contract will exist as soon as payment has been accepted and we issue a confirmation invoice. These booking conditions form part of that contract with us. English Law governs that contract and any matters arising from it and both parties agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. Please note that if you book flights to travel within 72 hours, you must telephone 0844 815 8899 to confirm your reservation as online bookings will not processed within this limited timeframe.

2. DEPOSITS AND BALANCE PAYMENTS

When you make a booking, a deposit of 10% of the overall price (subject to change) of the flight or package is required (plus insurance premiums if applicable). The exact deposit amount will be confirmed to you at the time of booking. Providing the flights or holiday arrangements you have requested are available we will confirm your booking by accepting payment and providing you with a confirmation invoice. A contract will exist as soon as this confirmation invoice is issued. Please note deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable, unless we are unable to confirm your original booking request. For bookings made within 6 weeks of departure, the full cost of your chosen flights or holiday arrangement is payable immediately. The balance of your flights or holiday must be paid 6 weeks before your departure. Please note that we do not send reminders. If you do not comply, we reserve the right to cancel your booking, in which case you will forfeit your deposit, as set out in paragraph 7, ‘Cancellation by you’. Please note that all flights, the airfares are subject to increase until full payment is received and tickets issued and it is therefore to your advantage to finalise payment as soon as you can after booking.

3. ACCURACY
Please check all details on your invoice and itinerary and notify us immediately of any discrepancies. The name shown on all travel documents should match those on your passport(s). If you are getting married or changing your name, the name(s) on your passport must reflect those on your travel documents. Failure to comply with this may result in amendment charges being levied or possible cancellation of your flights.

4. OUR PRICE POLICY

The price of your holiday is based on known costs of and exchange rates at the time of booking. The price of your travel arrangements is subject to surcharges and increases in transportation costs (e.g. fuel), scheduled airfares and any other airline surcharges that are part of the contract between airlines (and their agents) and royalorchidholidays.co.uk. Any Government action such as increase in VAT or any other Government imposed increases and currency changes in relation to an adverse currency exchange variation. Even in this case we will absorb 2% of the price of your chosen arrangements excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges. Only amounts in excess of 2% will be surcharged. Should you decide to cancel because of this, you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on your confirmation invoice.

5. DEPARTURE TAXES AND SECURITY CHARGES

Your tickets will show all known pre-paid taxes and security charges at the time of booking. It is not always possible to include all departure taxes and security charges on your ticket – in some cases these are payable locally and these are payable to the Government of the Country departed and are non-refundable. If any Government Body, Airport Authority or Airline increases or introduces a tax this will have to be paid on occasion, even if it is after your tickets have been issued.

6. AMENDMENTS BY YOU

If after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your holiday arrangements we will do our utmost to make these changes. Any change to an itinerary prior to receipt of your final payment will be treated as an amendment. Depending on the amount of work involved, each change will incur an amendment charge that will not exceed £50 per person. Any additional charges passed to us by airlines or suppliers will also be passed on. If full payment has already been received amendments are treated as cancellations and the cancellation charges detailed below will apply. Please note that some suppliers, in particular airlines, do not allow a name change and may consider this as a cancellation and re-booking with a 100% cancellation fee.

7. CANCELLATIONS BY YOU

Should you for any reason have to cancel your booking you must give us a written notice of cancellation signed by the person who originally made the booking. Refund of Flight Tickets - Some tickets are non-refundable. Certain types of airline tickets cannot be changed after a reservation has been made and any alteration request will incur a 100% cancellation charge. Tickets returned will be submitted to the respective airline, or their agent, for assessment. As soon as we are reimbursed by the issuing airline or their agent we will forward a refund to you, less loss of deposit, less applicable cancellation and/or administrative charges. Please note that airline refunds for part used tickets and the return half of the airfare are always less than the pro-rata rate and may have no refund value whatsoever. Refunds usually take 10 - 12 weeks but in certain cases may take longer.

Any additional cancellation charges passed on to us by suppliers will be added to this. Once your holiday has commenced, no refund or part refund or unused portion of your holiday will be repaid in event of cancellation by you. Insurance premiums are not refundable outside the 14 day cooling off period.. If the reason of your cancellation is covered under the terms of your Insurance Policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges. Please note a minimum charge of £150 or 10% (whichever is greater) applies to any tickets / holidays returned for refund(s).

8. AMENDMENTS BY US

It is unlikely that we will make any amendments or changes to your travel booking after it has been confirmed. However because travel arrangements are often made many months in advance and because we have no control over some of the products, changes and cancellations may occasionally be necessary. A change may be deemed 'major' or 'minor'. A major change would be considered to be a change in accommodation to a lower standard, or to a different resort, or the cancellation of a tour, a rescheduling of your flight departure time by more than 12 hours, or a change of your departing airport (excluding a change between Heathrow or Gatwick or an airport which is more convenient to you). We reserve the right to make a minor change and we will tell you as soon as possible. If there is a major change to your travel arrangements we will inform you as soon as reasonably possible. You will have a choice of either accepting the change of your package, accepting an offer of a comparable package (paying the difference if the alternative is more expensive) or canceling the package and receiving a full refund. If we are unable to provide you with a significant element of the package after you have departed we will make alternative arrangements for you at no extra charge. Package bookings are not cancelled less than 8 weeks prior to departure unless in cases of 'Force Majeure' (see paragraph 9). We are not obligated to compensate in such circumstances.

9. CANCELLATION BY US

Occasionally it may be necessary to cancel previously confirmed arrangements, which we reserve the right to do. Where your arrangements have been cancelled other than the default in payment, we will offer you the choice of either purchasing alternative arrangements, of at least the same standard if available (with you paying or receiving a refund in respect of any price difference) or receiving a full and immediate refund of all monies paid to us. Except where you fail to make payment in and on time, we will not cancel less than 6 weeks before to departure unless we are forced to do so as a result of 'force majeure'. In this unusual situation, we cannot make any refunds (except where obtained from relevant suppliers), pay any compensation or be responsible for any costs or expenses you may incur as a result.

10. FORCE MAJEURE

Regrettably we are unable to accept liability and no compensation payable if the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by circumstances amounting to 'force majeure'. These circumstances include war or the threat of war, civil strife, hostilities, political unrest, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, unforeseen operational decisions of air carriers such as changes of schedule, or other unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances beyond our control.

11. ROUTINGS AND TIMINGS

Unless otherwise stated, the routing on your air ticket cannot be changed, once the balance has been paid. Please note that the timings of air, sea, road and rail departures are estimates only. These timings may be affected by operational difficulties, weather conditions or passenger failure to check in on time. Flight timings are subject to change as a result of airline procedures and latest available times will appear on your final itinerary. Please note that direct flights can have a scheduled stop en route. Most airlines reserve the right to alter their schedule, destination airport and type of aircraft. Such changes will not entitle you to compensation nor to cancel or change your arrangement without paying normal charges. Please also note carriers have conditions of carriage which will apply to you and which limit or exclude liability. We do not make any arrangements if there is a delay at the outbound or inbound points of departure. Most airlines however do make provisions in such cases (dependent on the length of time).

12. FLIGHT RECONFIRMATION

You must reconfirm all onward and return flight reservations with the relevant airline at least 72 hours prior to departure. This allows the airline to inform you of any unforeseen delays/changes to your itinerary, and provides the airline with contact details for you.

13. SPECIAL REQUESTS

If you have any special requests (e.g. special assistance, dietary needs, room type etc.) we will do our utmost to ensure these are passed on to the supplier. We will also be happy to request pre-allocated seating where airline policy allows. Acceptance of these requests cannot be guaranteed. They therefore form no part of your contract with us.

14. DISPATCH OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

We aim to send out your travel documents to you at least 10 days before departure, unless you make a late booking. If your ticket is an e-ticket, we will endeavour to send these out to you within 24 hours. No tickets will be sent out unless final payment has been received and cleared. Travel documents, unless collected from our offices, will be sent by normal Royal Mail Services. Special Delivery or courier can be arranged providing you cover the additional costs. Travel documents sent by Royal Mail services are done so at your own risk. We cannot accept responsibility for items lost in the post.

15. LOST OR STOLEN TICKETS

Should tickets become lost or stolen, it is necessary to complete a form of indemnity to be passed to the airline. Some carriers are then prepared to issue replacement tickets immediately but may impose a fee for this. Other airlines require full payment to issue replacement tickets and will refund the amount paid for the original documents at a later date. This process can take up to 18 months.

16. OUR LIABILITY

We accept responsibility for ensuring that the travel arrangements which you book with us are supplied as described in this website and that the services offered reach a reasonable standard, or if you suffer personal injury, illness or death as a result of any improper performance by us of the obligations we owe you under your holiday contract, we will pay you reasonable compensation. Taking into account such factors as the cost of your package any action you could have taken to minimise the inconvenience suffered. We will not be liable for any compensation if the personal injury, illness or death does not result from any fault on our part, or on the part of our suppliers but is due to your fault or the actions of someone unconnected with your holiday, or to an unusual and unforeseen circumstance beyond our control, which neither we, nor our suppliers could have anticipated. In respect of carriage by air and the provision of accommodation, our liability will be limited in the manner provided by the relevant international convention.

17. PERSONAL INJURY (UNCONNECTED TO YOUR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS)

Although we cannot accept responsibility if any client suffers death, accidental illness or personal injury whilst overseas arising out of an activity which does not form part of the package or any excursions arranged through us, we shall, at our discretion, offer advice, guidance and assistance to help you in resolving any claim you may have against a third party, provided we are advised of the incident within 90 days of its occurrence. Where legal action is contemplated authority must be obtained prior to commencement of proceedings and our consent is subject to your undertaking to assign any costs received or any benefits received under any relevant insurance policy to ourselves. Our costs in respect of the above on behalf of you and any member of your party shall not exceed £5,000 per booking.

18. COMPLAINTS

If you have a problem during your holiday, please immediately contact your hotel, tour operator or other service provider who will endeavor to resolve your problem. If this is not possible or satisfactory, please contact royalorchidholidays.co.uk  by phone, fax or email. We aim to answer as soon as possible but please remember time zone differences. If your complaint is not resolved locally, please follow this up with 28 days of your return home by writing to Customer Services, royalorchidholidays.co.uk, 295 King Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9NH, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. This will assist us to quickly your concerns and speed up our response to you. If you fail to do this we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint and this may affect your rights under this contract.

19. FINANCIAL PROTECTION

We hold an Air Travel Organisers' Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 3619. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information, click here to visit the ATOL website. Additionally, we are obliged by Civil Aviation Authority to provide purchasers of scheduled air flights adequate insurance cover in the unlikely event of airline failure. The cost of this insurance is included on all quotes and represents a value of £2.00. Cover is up to £1,500 for each insured person. A certificate of cover is attached to every purchased scheduled airline travel document and provides cover conditions, definitions and claims procedure.

20. TRAVEL INSURANCE

We strongly recommend that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance when making your reservation. In certain cases cancellation charges, if incurred involuntarily, may be covered by insurance taken out at this time. royalorchidholidays.co.uk  will not accept responsibility for any person who fails to be properly insured for their journey. Once the 'cooling off' period built into the Insurance Policy has expired (usually 14 days from date of purchase), we are not able to refund the insurance premium. This is a condition of the insurance company. royalorchidholidays.co.uk  will be happy to arrange appropriate insurance for you, please click here for a quote.

21. BAGGAGE

Scheduled airlines normally operate a strict policy regarding your free baggage allowance. This baggage allowance is shown on your ticket, which for international flights is as follows: Economy Class: 20Kgs (44lbs); Business Class: 30Kgs (66lbs); First Class: 40Kgs (88lbs). For domestic flights the free allowance for economy is one bag and business class two bags. Please check your flight tickets carefully for any exceptions.

22. PASSPORTS AND VISAS

All citizens of the United Kingdom & Northern Island require a full 10-year passport (valid for at least 6 months after completion of your journey). It is now a requirement that infants have their own passport with photograph - there is an exemption for children (aged under 16 years) included on parent's passports before 5th October 1998. As from the 14th January 2002, new fees and services were introduced for passport, applications, renewals and amendments. Please check at your Post Office or on the contact details as follows: Passport Office on 0870-5210 410, fax back information line on 0901-4700 110, or click here for their website. Please ensure that you also hold an onward or return air ticket from your destination. It is your responsibility to ensure that you satisfy all applicable requirements in respect of passport and visa matters. We cannot be held liable if you fail to ensure this, and if as a result, we suffer any loss or expense because of such a failure on your part, you will be obliged to reimburse us.

23. HEALTH

Before you travel anywhere in the world, check the health requirements for each destination. Look at the potential risks and plan the precautions you need to take before you go and while you are away. It is your responsibility that you are both fit to travel and taken the appropriate steps to ensure you have the necessary inoculations prior to departure. If you are prone to illness please ensure you carry enough medication in your hand luggage, as some medicines may be unavailable locally. Stomach upsets are fairly common occurrence caused by changes in climate and drinking of ice cold drinks. Remember to find out the inoculations you require well in advance as some injections can take up to two weeks possibly longer, to give full immunisation. You can get more advice from the Embassy or High Commission of the countries concerned, your General Practitioner or local Immunisation Clinic. Additionally, lengthy of immobility can increase the risk of DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) but there are simple steps to reduce susceptibility. Take plenty of non-alcoholic drinks, get up and move about whenever possible, do simple foot and leg exercises. For more advice from the Department of Health click here.

24. FOREIGN OFFICE ADVICE

There are often risks involved in any travel and therefore you should take steps to familiarise yourself with the relevant up to date information about your destination, before booking and travelling on holiday. There is nothing more important than your safety. Further information is available from the FCO Travel advice unit on 020-7008 0232/3 or click on the logo to find out more.

25. METHODS OF PAYMENT

Personal Cheques:

We no longer accept personal cheques.

Company Cheques:

Payment for travel arrangements may be made by a company cheque. Cheques should be made payable to royalorchidholidays.co.uk. Please note however we require at least 10 working days for cheque clearance before tickets can be issued. It is therefore advisable to confirm with us that there is sufficient time between cheque payment and any ticketing deadline Please note that we no longer accept personal cheques..

If any cheques are returned to us unpaid, a £15 administrative charge will be incurred.

Bank and Building Society Drafts:

These are treated as cash if received at a time when the relevant bank or building society is open and able to verify the cheque.

Cash:

We accept cash, however clients are advised not to post cash to us.

Debit and Credit Cards:

a) Switch, Solo or Visa Delta cards are welcomed with no surcharge.

b) We also accept Visa and MasterCard with a 2 % surcharge; American Express and Diners Club incur a 3 % surcharge. If the card is in a name other than the traveller we will require written or faxed authorization from the cardholder, including a photocopy of both sides of the card itself, before any tickets can be released.