About Us: Booking Conditions
Please read these terms and conditions carefully. They apply to all the travel arrangements detailed on your invoice, and they deal with both your and our rights and obligations.
Your Contract - Your contract will be with Canadian Affair which holds an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL 3971) which protects you financially. Canadian Affair is a trading division of The Airline Seat Company LTD (TASC). Registered office; Hillgate House, 13 Hillgate St, London W8 7SP. Registration No3030025
When you book a flight or travel arrangement, our contract with you takes effect as soon as payment has been accepted and a confirmation invoice has been issued. If you are booking within 28 days of your scheduled departure date, the contract between us will start when your booking is confirmed by us. Once the contract is made we are responsible for providing the flights you have booked and you are responsible to us to pay for them, in each case subject to these terms and conditions.
Please note: It is important that you check carefully the written confirmation of your booking when received or, if booking late, that all the details are as you requested. Our responsibility is to provide you with the flights you have booked and that they have been confirmed to you. If you want to cancel or change your booking at a later date you may have to pay amendment or cancellation costs. These could be as much as the cost of the whole flight. In parties of two or more people the person who makes the booking, by contracting with us, accepts responsibility for booking conditions and making payments to us for all members of the party. No changes or refunds are permitted on instant purchase fares.
Booking – If the flight is departing outside 10 weeks and is available we will make a provisional booking over the telephone and hold an option for up to one working day. No options may be held on instant purchase fares. One way journeys will incur a one-way flight supplement. We strongly recommend that our Travel insurance is taken out at the time of booking; this will protect you from unexpected circumstances leading to cancellation.
Deposit – If you are paying by cheque, we must receive your deposit within 5 working days, otherwise your booking will automatically lapse. The deposit is £100 per adult and child over 2 years of age for flight only. Deposits for bookings with flights and land arrangements is £100 per person for the flights and an additional 10% of the total land arrangement costs. Land only bookings will be subject to a £25 fee and full payment is required at time of booking. NCL Cruise bookings for Suites and Penthouses require a non-refundable deposit of £125. Instant purchase flights are payable in full at the time of booking. Upon receipt of your deposit a confirmation invoice with your full insurance details showing the balance due for your travel arrangements will be sent to you. If a booking is made within ten weeks of departure then the whole sum for the travel arrangements is payable when booking (unless the booking is Instant Purchase). Instant purchase fares require full payment at the time of booking by way of debit or credit card. We do not apply a credit charge card levy when paying deposits.
Final Payment – The final balance for flights and some ground arrangements is due ten weeks prior to departure. Payment of balance or part payment by credit or charge card, at any time, will be subject to a 2%-2.5% levy. If paying your balance by cheque or debit card there will be no surcharge.
Ground Arrangements – For Rocky Mountaineer Railtours, Cruises and Motorhomes full balance of the booking is due 12 weeks prior to departure.
Tickets Unless advised otherwise we are now a ticketless operator. You will usually receive a travel itinerary 4-6 weeks prior to departure which you will be required to take with you for all your flights. If booking within one week of departure a late booking fee will apply and you will collect your itinerary at the airport.
We have taken all responsible and proper steps to ensure that arrangements have been made for all the components booked which are advertised in our brochure and that the suppliers of the various services which will be provided to you as part of the travel arrangements are efficient, safe and reputable businesses, and that they comply with the local and national laws and regulations of the country in which they provide those services. Where it is known or advised we take every precaution to inform clients of any building works taking place in or near hotels that are part of the holiday stay, reasonable works and renovations are common with stays in all major cities or tourist resorts.
We have no direct control over the provision of services to you by suppliers. However, subject to the note below we will pay to our clients the equivalent of such damages as they would be entitled to receive under English Law in an English Court for any personal injury to the client, including illness or death, caused by the failure to perform or the improper performance of, such services by the servants or agents of ourselves or any of our suppliers contracted or subcontracted by us to provide any part of the arrangements for your holiday as described in this brochure where such failure or improper performance is due to the fault of such person and not to an event which such person could not foresee or forestall even if they had taken all due care. Our liability will be limited in accordance with the contractual terms of the companies that provide the transportation for the travel arrangements and any relevant international convention, for example the Montreal Convention.
Note: We will make payments as stated above provided (a) the injured clients notify us of any claim for personal injury within three months of their return flight booked; (b) they assign to TASC any rights against a supplier or any other person or party they have relating to the claim; (c) they agree to co-operate fully with us should we or our insurers wish to enforce those rights which have been assigned to us or to which we are subrogated and (d) such payment will be limited in the case of transport by air, sea or rail to that allowed by the Montréal Convention of 1999 on International Carriage By Air, the Bern Convention of 1961 on carriage by rail and the Athens Convention of 1974 on carriage by sea.
Acceptance of the services of TASC implies acceptance of the conditions and knowledge and acceptance of the general information in our current brochure. All rights and liabilities conferred upon a client by TASC acceptance of his booking shall not be transferable to any other person under any circumstances. The client in whose name the booking is made is responsible for ensuring that every member of his party abides by and respects the above conditions.
TASC has been granted an Air Travel Organisers Licence. Our ATOL number is 3971. We hold an ABTA licence (ABTA W131X). We also hold an IATA licence (IATA 91253746). ABTA and ATOL members help holiday makers to get the most from their travel and assist them when things do not go according to plan. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s code of conduct. For further information about the ABTA code of conduct please visit www.abta.com
Amendments: Changes made to standard bookings will incur cancellation charges as shown below. If the number of persons in a booking changes, the overall price will be recalculated on the basis of the amended party size. No changes or amendments are permitted on instant purchase fares. Fare conditions and amendment fees for scheduled airlines are available on request. A separate cancellation charge as below will be made in respect of any persons cancelling and the booking will be re-invoiced accordingly.
Change to bookings: It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your travel arrangements, but we do plan the arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally, we may have to make changes and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Most of these changes will be minor and we will advise you at the earliest possible date. We also reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your travel arrangements. Your booking may also have to be cancelled due to reasons of force majeure or failure by you to pay the final balance. If we are unable to provide the booked travel arrangements, you can either have a refund of all monies paid whereupon the liability of Canadian Affair ceases, or accept an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value). If it is necessary to cancel your travel arrangements, we will in accordance with these terms. Please note that carriers used in the brochure may be subject to change. Such a change is deemed to be a minor change. Other examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type, change of accommodation to another of the same standard.
If we make a major change to your holiday, we will inform you as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure. You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling your booked holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies paid.
Force Majeure: This means that we will not pay you compensation if we have to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way because of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These can include, for example but not limited to: war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions.
If you wish to cancel: Any client cancelling a booking must do so in writing. The following cancellation charges apply, and are calculated from the date of the written cancellation letter received at our office:
Over 70 days prior to departure |
Loss of deposit |
69-14 days prior to departure |
80% of total travel cost |
13-7 days prior to departure |
90% of total travel costs |
Less than 7 days prior to departure |
100% of total travel costs |
A cancellation invoice will incur a charge of £15 unless you have advised us accordingly in advance that you will not be using your flight(s).
Instant purchase fares are non refundable.
Some types of airline fare may be 100% non-refundable (e.g. Instant Purchase Fare) depending upon the airline fare type concerned and conditions applicable to the ticket purchased. Details of the conditions of your particular ticket are available upon request. Cancellation terms for NCL cruises differ from the above.15 – 7 days before travel 90% cancellation charge, less than7 days 100% cancellation charge.
Cancellation charges for Rocky Mountaineer Vacations are an exception to the above. Cancellation of the train tour made within 30 days or less prior to train journey departure will result in 100% cancellation charges and full loss of money. Cancellations out of 30 days will follow our cancellation terms as stated above.
Should a client not pay the balance due by the specified time TASC reserves the right to cancel the booking and levy the appropriate cancellation charges, or in accordance with the scheduled airline booking conditions.
Pricing: We reserve the right to alter the prices of any of the holiday products shown in our brochure. You will be advised of the current price of the holiday before your contract is confirmed. Government action in the United Kingdom or abroad may require TASC to collect additional taxes and surcharges at any time prior to commencement of the holiday
Airport taxes are shown separately and they include the current UK Air Passenger Duty and the overseas airport taxes where they have to be collected in advance. Some countries and airports have additional taxes or fees, which can only be paid locally by you, will be advised at the time of booking. Every attempt has been made to ensure details in this brochure are correct at the time of printing.
Reconfirmation of flights: Should you want to check on the day of departure that the flight is running on time, please call the airport locally. We recommend if you are staying longer than 3 weeks, that you call the airport locally to check there have been no schedule changes to your flights.
Health Matters: At the time of publication of our brochure no compulsory vaccinations or other health precautions were necessary for British Citizens travelling to Canada. If you require any advice on recommended precautions for your travel destinations which may include travel outside Canada and/or you are not a British Citizen you should consult your doctor. This is particularly important if you are pregnant, elderly or travelling with young children. If you have a disability or require any special assistance please advise us at the time of booking. The Department of Health publishes leaflets containing advice to travellers on health, and these are available free from your doctor or by telephoning Freephone 0870 155 5455. Additionally British travellers can get up to date information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo
Passport/Visa requirements: British Nationals travelling to Canada require a full 10 year passport. If you need to obtain a passport you should apply well in advance of your trip. British Citizens, British Overseas Citizens (who are re-admissible to the UK) and British Dependant Territories Citizens DO NOT require a visa to visit Canada. British Visitors passports are not valid for travel to Canada. British Subjects and British Protected Persons DO require a visitor visa to travel to Canada. Please contact the Canadian High Commission by fax: 0207 258 6506 or www.cic.gc.ca
Note: It is your responsibility to have a valid passport and the appropriate visa for your destination, and any visa for transit points if required. All other nationalities and passport holders should contact the Canadian High Commission to check whether a visa is required for your trip. Should your holiday to Canada also involve travel into the USA, you will need to check that your passport and visa requirements are met by the appropriate US authorities. If you are denied check in due to your passport not being valid or being in an unsuitable condition to the authorities, you will not be able to be entitled to a refund.
Our flights are operated by selected airlines including but not limited to Thomas Cook Airlines and Air Transat using Boeing 757 and Airbus A330 and A310 aircraft. In common with many other transatlantic carriers, our airlines operate a no smoking policy on all flights from the UK. We reserve the right to substitute alternative carriers and aircraft types to those set out above or otherwise. A change of carrier or aircraft type will not give you any right to receive compensation or to cancel your booking except in accordance with our standard cancellation terms, see above. Changes of aircraft due to long delays or technical problems do not warrant compensation.
Delays: Unfortunately there are occasions completely beyond our control when a flight is delayed. The airline will endeavour to provide light refreshment on a delay exceeding 3 hours, a meal at meal times if the delay is more than six hours, and accommodation if appropriate on a longer delay. We will not do this ourselves as such arrangements will be taken care of by the airline. If you have taken out our recommended travel insurance you should have cover against delays. Our handling policies of delays are the same for both UK and Canadian departure airports.
Under EU law you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at all airports.
These conditions shall be subject to the law and exclusive jurisdiction of the English Law and any disputes you should have will be dealt with in the courts of England.
We reserve the right at our absolute discretion to terminate without notice and liability the holiday arrangements of any person whose behaviour is such that it is likely, in our opinion or that of any accommodation owner/manager, airline captain or any other person in authority to cause distress, danger, damage, or annoyance to other customers, employees, property or to any third party. If prevented from travelling due to any of these reasons our responsibility for the person or person’s holiday will cease automatically. In all cases full cancellation charges will apply and we will be under no obligation whatsoever for any costs incurred.
Missed Flights: Neither TASC nor its airline partners accept responsibility for missed connections and will not refund any costs incurred for a missed flight. We advise that Canadian Affair travel insurance only covers missed departures on the first outbound and first inbound flight. Should a client not turn up for their outbound flight, this is classed as a no-show; their return/inbound seat will be automatically cancelled unless you call Canadian Affair directly to advise within 24 hours of your missed departure that the return seat is required. If you fail to contact us your booking will be cancelled with full loss of money. We are a point to point carrier and are not responsible for any forwarding connecting arrangements.
Baggage Allowance: On Air Transat and Thomas Cook Airlines flights economy passengers are entitled to 20kg of hold luggage and 30kgs in Premium/Club Transat; 5kg of hand luggage is allowed in addition per passenger. Infants under 2 do not receive a baggage allowance. Baggage allowances on other carriers vary, please ask for details.
Special requests: All special requests are on a request basis and are never guaranteed. It is the responsibility of the customer to provide Canadian Affair with the full names as per the passports of the people in the travelling party. Passengers with disabilities and who may need extra help to book their flights and holiday should let our sales consultants know and extra help and advise will be given.
Complaints: We aim to provide the best holiday possible. However if you are not satisfied with your holiday please let us know as soon as possible. Complaints must be made in writing within 1 month of your return date. If you have special needs which prevent you from writing to us, then where possible, we will accept details of the complaint over the telephone. Failure to inform us within one month of return may reduce or extinguish any rights you have to claim compensation from us or any other supplier. We aim to resolve all complaints by ourselves but if this is not possible your complaint can be considered under a scheme arranged by the Association of British Travel Agents, and administered independently by the Chartered Association of Arbitrators. We will give you details of this scheme if you ask. The scheme does not apply to claims over £25,000 in total or more than £5,000 a person, or to claims mainly about illness or injury. To use this scheme you must contact the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators within 9 months of your return date.
Privacy Policy: Canadian Affair has measures in place to protect the personal booking information held by us. This information will be passed on to the principal and to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements. The information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. Full details of our data protection policy are available upon request. We respect your privacy and your details will not be passed on to third parties for marketing or other purposes.
Printed Dec 2007. Edition 1
