To help direct your query as efficiently as possible, please refer to the key information below;
Europe
Americas
Asia-Pacific
Australia
Brunei
French Polynesia
Hong Kong
Japan
Macao
Malaysia
New Zealand
Taiwan
Thailand
Singapore
South Korea
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna
Africa
Antarctica
There is a traffic light system in place which will mean UK nationals can travel to low-risk countries without needed to quarantine for two weeks when they return. The countries which have been selected include:
GREEN - Awaiting Confirmed Destinations
AMBER - Awaiting Confirmed Destinations
RED - Awaiting Confirmed Destinations
To help reduce the risk of infection and to keep you and airport staff safe, a number of additional measures have been introduced at some airports. Social distancing won’t always be possible in an airport environment, but please keep a safe distance between you and other people whenever possible. The following other measures are likely to be in place to keep you safe:
For further information specific to your airport please use these links
Manchester Airport Click here
Birmingham Airport Click here
Gatwick Airport Click here
Heathrow Airport Click here
Luton Airport Click here
Stansted Airport Click here
Bristol Airport Click here
Cardiff Airport Click here
East Midlands Airport Click here
Leeds Bradford Airport Click here
Liverpool Airport Click here
Newcastle Airport Click here
Glasgow Airport Click here
Edinburgh Airport Click here
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently advises against all non-essential overseas travel for British nationals. However this travel restriction can be removed at any time, so travel companies are doing their best to manage arrangements for customers.
British people who decide that they still need to travel abroad should be fully aware of the increased risks of doing so. That includes the risk that they may not be able to get home, if travel restrictions are put in place.
For the latest updates please visit the Government’s dedicated coronavirus travel advice page.
Those currently in destination are advised by the Government to return to the UK now and should contact their travel company. They should also be aware that many destination authorities have introduced enhanced health measures including self-isolation procedures, and it is very important that travellers follow the public health advice relating to their local destination. Travellers should comply with these processes and take relevant preventative measures to reduce the risk of exposure. Travellers should also keep up to date on local advice.
For full information relating to the coronavirus outbreak please visit the Government website, Public Health England and the TravelHealthPro website.
International travel has been brought to a complete standstill by government measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic and this has led to hundreds of thousands of holidays being affected.
We would strongly encourage customers to talk to their travel company to discuss alternative travel arrangements. Travel companies are doing all they can to ensure that holidays can go ahead where and when it is safe to do so and will be keen to offer you a range of options so that you can get the holiday you want.
Where no suitable alternative is possible, your travel company may offer you a refund of the money you paid depending on the terms and conditions of your booking and depending on whether or not you booked a package holiday.
If you booked a package holiday, you are entitled to a refund. We completely understand that for those customers that would prefer a refund to rebooking, they may feel frustrated and concerned by the amount of time it is taking. In normal circumstances a refund should be paid within 14 days. But these are not normal circumstances and the 14 day rule is simply impossible for many companies to adhere to.
If you have travel insurance you might find it quicker to apply for a refund under your policy. Your travel company will be able to assist you with the paperwork for this.
Why is my refund being delayed?
Tour operators and travel agents are doing all they can to help customers but many don’t have the cash to pay customers a cash refund in a 14 day period, as they have not yet received money back from hotels, airlines and other suppliers affected by the crisis. Forcing them to do so would put many of them out of business, which would mean customers would not get their money back for many more months as the Government-backed ATOL scheme of financial protection could not cope with the sheer volume of refunds. It would also result in significant long-term damage to the UK travel industry.
In many other countries, governments have taken action to temporarily amend their travel regulations and provide additional guidance to allow refunds to be paid over a longer period or to allow refunds to be paid by a holiday voucher. You can find out more about what other countries are doing here.
The European Commission, which is responsible for the relevant regulations, has advised Member states to find “flexible solutions” to demands for refunds on cancelled holidays during the Covid-19 crisis.
We have sought urgent Government help to ensure the rules around refunds are fit for purpose in the current situation and to help ABTA to provide practical and workable guidance to its Members and customers.
In the absence of this Government intervention, and to provide some order to a chaotic situation brought about by the current crisis, ABTA has developed guidance framework for its Members to ensure that if there is a delay in providing a refund, customers don’t lose their rights and protections, and that Members process refunds as soon as they are able to. This is based on a system of financially-protected Refund Credit Notes (RCNs) where the customer’s fundamental rights are preserved, as set out by law (the Package Travel Regulations). Notwithstanding the issuing of Refund Credit Notes, ABTA’s expectation is that Members should refund customers as soon as they are able to.
We have also prepared information for customers, which makes it clear what an RCN is and what information customers should look out for if a company offers you one
This type of system is similar to those introduced in many other countries and is the framework under which ABTA will guide its Members and hold them to account.
We’d like to ask customers to work with us on this; by following the steps below it will help to ensure your rights are protected and that when this crisis is over UK holidaymakers will be able to book and enjoy their holidays in the same way as they have done for many years.
If you would like to contact us regarding an existing booking, to make a payment or speak to a travel expert about a new holiday or booking, please complete our email enquiry form here >
Frequently asked questions:
We will be contacting customers due to travel imminently. There is no legal definition of ‘imminent travel’, however it is generally considered to be within the next few days.
Our advice to customers with future bookings is to be patient and wait to be contacted by your travel provider. Travel companies are extremely busy, given the pressures of the current crisis, and will be looking at imminent departures first and deciding how far in advance they will offer alternative arrangements or refunds.
The government has said that it plans to introduce a 14 day quarantine for travellers returning to the UK, however they have not provided any detail on when this will be introduced or how this will be applied, or exemptions to the rule. As it stands today, the FCO advise against all but essential travel abroad, so any quarantine measures introduced while this advice remains will make little difference to the vast majority of holidaymakers whose holidays have been cancelled due to these restrictions.
The government will soon be asking people arriving in the UK by plane, ferry, or train, to spend 14 days in quarantine. This means you will have to provide the address where you intend to self-isolate before you arrive, staying somewhere private, and away from others (except those who you’ve travelled with). If you have nowhere appropriate to isolate, you will be required to isolate in accommodation provided by the government. The full details of this have not yet been announced. After two weeks, if you show no symptoms of Covid-19, you can return to following the social distancing rules that apply to the rest of the population. The quarantine rules will apply to everyone, whether you are a UK national returning after being stuck abroad, a foreign visitor, or you are a Brit coming home from a holiday – once the FCO ban on travel lifts. There has not yet been mention of how this will be enforced, or if there will be fines for failing to stick to the rules. In its Covid-19 Recovery Strategy document, the government says that these new measures will be introduced as soon as possible. However, the quarantine rules will not apply to French nationals. This could create a bubble for travel between the UK and France, once the FCO restrictions on all but essential travel are lifted. This means the first holidays you could potentially go on will be in France, where there would be no need for a period of quarantine on your arrival or return home. The quarantine will not apply to the Republic of Ireland either, although Ireland currently requires Brits to self-isolate on arrival. It is likely that this will soon be lifted to create the potential for two-way travel. Unfortunately, the imposed quarantine does not mean your airline or travel company will cancel your flight or holiday. This is your choice whether to take your holiday and also include quarantine rules and build in additional time into your holiday plans.
The new coronavirus lockdown plan means you can now travel as far as you wish in England to exercise and to visit beauty spots, but the government still says staying overnight in a location other than the place you live is not allowed. It also specifically states you cannot visit a second home. UK holiday accommodation will reopen as part of ‘step three’ of the strategy, which will take place no earlier than 4 July. Even then, owners will have to meet Covid-19 secure guidelines to minimise the risk of infection for visitors.
All British tourists and short-stay travellers (this does not include permanent residents overseas) currently abroad should return to the UK as soon as possible where and while commercial flight options are still available.
This update reflects the pace at which international travel is becoming more difficult with the closure of borders, airlines suspending flights, airports closing, exit bans and further restrictions being introduced daily. Further closures to air routes may come in the next 48 hours, possibly without notice.
Even though UK holidays don’t come under the FCO’s advice against travel, they are very unlikely to be able to go ahead as planned, certainly not during the period of restricted movement/lockdown. Accommodation may be unavailable; activities and bars and restaurants are closed. Therefore, we advise that you follow our general advice above, under “Advice to customers seeking refunds and with forward bookings”.
Currently, there is no hard and fast rule. If your travel company is able to provide a cash refund, please be patient. They are dealing with a huge number of customers, and with offices closed and staff working from home, it’s a real challenge. ABTA will keep an eye on the situation and encourage ABTA Members to do all they can, but it’s not unreasonable at the moment to expect the process to take upwards of a month.
Due to FCO advice against all but essential travel all flights and sailings had been suspended and has changed to indefinitely allowing each Tour Operator to interpret and set their own appropriate date. Unfortunately your holiday may not be going ahead. We are in the process of contacting all affected customers to discuss options provided by the Tour Operator.
Due to FCO advice against all but essential travel all flights and sailings had been suspended ‘indefinitely’ allowing each Tour Operator to interpret and apply a suitable date, so unfortunately your holiday will not be going ahead. If you are travelling during this time then please email customersupport@cooptravel.coop with your booking details and what date you wish to amend to and we will be more than happy to assist you.
If your holiday has not been cancelled and the balance of your holiday is now due then this will need to be paid. In line with the FCO latest advice your holiday is due to go ahead as planned. If you did want to amend or cancel your holiday, normal terms and conditions will apply. If anything did change before your travel date then we would be in touch with you to advise and discuss your options. You will be able to make payment by calling the number for Branch you booked with and your call will be diverted to one of our Virtual Advisors who will be more than happy to assist you.
In line with the FCO latest advice your holiday is due to go ahead as planned so you will need to pay your balance on the agreed date at booking stage. If you did want to amend or cancel your holiday, normal terms and conditions will apply. If anything did change before you travelled, we would be in touch with you to advise and discuss your options.
Initially the FCO had advised against all but essential travel to imminent departures with suspended flights and sailing up until 16th April 2020, this was altered to ‘indefinitely' and each Tour Operator will determine what this means to their holidays. This is being reviewed daily and if the FCO or the Tour Operator extends these dates and it affects your booking we will get in touch with you to advise and discuss your options.
Cancellation and amendment charges vary with each Tour Operator. If you email customersupport@cooptravel.coop with your booking details we will contact you and discuss your options.
Refunds have become delayed from Tour Operators, partly due to the sheer volume. Refunds would usually be provided by the organiser of the holiday (The Tour Operator) within 14 days and once we receive that we would pass it to you. Because of the extraordinary circumstances, there is a call for action to relax the refund timeframe for organisers. Refunds may be issued instead by way of a Refund Credit Note so that it may be redeemed later in the year for another booking.
Refunds have become delayed from Tour Operators, partly due to the sheer volume. Refunds would usually be provided by the organiser of the holiday (The Tour Operator) within 14 days and once we receive that we would pass it to you. Because of the extraordinary circumstances, there is a call for action to relax the refund timeframe for organisers. Refunds may be issued instead by way of a Refund Credit Note so that it may be redeemed later in the year for another booking.
It is difficult to be sure, the rules are for a refund within 14 days however the extraordinary circumstances recently (and for the first time ever) have seen the regulation generally relaxed and the option now exists to issue a Refund Credit Note in the interim. The Refund Credit Note is however fully protected for a period of time so in the event of a financial failure the money remains safe.
The impact that Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had on the travel industry and the suppliers who provide services to create a package holiday has been extensive.
There have been necessary changes to how Co-operative Travel issue refunds to customers for their cancelled holiday arrangements. During this time refunds are taking longer than usual, and we thank you for your patience.
If you have booked a package including an element of transport, such as a flight, train, cruise, ferry, it is important that you know that your money is safe and you are financially protected from the financial failure of any of the suppliers, or indeed ourselves as your Travel Agent, or Organiser.
If your booking is cancelled because the FCO advise against travel, you are entitled to a refund, but you may need to be patient with the unfolding refund process. It will be dependent upon the tour operator on your booking.
We operate mainly as a travel agent, where we sell other companies’ holidays in the capacity of an agent. This means we can offer to you the consumer a wide range of travel arrangements rather than being limited to just offering one company in the main. When we collect money from you, it is paid over to the travel organiser. If the arrangements are cancelled and a refund is applicable, we must receive the money back from the supplier in order to hand it back to you.
A Refund Credit Note entitles you to rebook a holiday at a future date or receive a cash refund at the expiry date of the note. It also retains the financial protection that you had with your original booking.
If your original booking, for example a package holiday with flights, came with ATOL financial protection, the RCN will still provide this protection. If your original booking came with ABTA financial protection, for example a cruise holiday or other package holiday including rail or coach travel, the RCN will still provide this protection.
Refund Credit Notes may look different depending on your travel provider, but they should all comprise the following:
Thousands of customers have already amended and rebooked their holiday or have received a Refund Credit Note from their travel provider. If your original holiday was covered by a financial protection scheme (e.g. ATOL or ABTA), your Refund Credit Note is financially protected by ATOL or ABTA (whichever covered your original booking) in the event your travel business fails. It is important that your Refund Credit Note includes certain things, please see more detail on this there (see What is a Refund Credit Note above). If you are uncertain about accepting a Refund Credit Note, then talk to your travel provider about your options. ABTA can also provide information on these.
As a long term member of ABTA, Co-op Travel follow the rules for Refund Credit Note. If you have evidence that an agent is not following the above rules, in the first instance please contact our Customer Support team. customersupport@cooptravel.coop
No. A Refund Credit Note preserves your right to a cash refund, which can be redeemed at the latest at the expiry date of the note.
The complication with the scale of the current refund position is that the travel organisers are also waiting for the funds back from airlines, hotels, transfers and tour providers. If the amount of refunds that are due were all paid over, within the 14 days as set out in the Package Travel Regulations (PTR), there wouldn’t have been enough time for the funds to have moved around from company to company.
Ultimately someone would fail in the chain and there would likely be a domino effect leaving customers without refunds and having to make a claim against the protection schemes that are in place.
No. A holiday voucher is different to a Refund Credit Note. Holiday vouchers, gift vouchers and other discount vouchers are not protected by the schemes of financial protection.
Your Refund Credit Note should include an expiry date which is based on your travel company’s financial protection arrangements, or a date sooner than this.
The reason the dates will vary by provider is because some companies will have financial protection in place for their holidays for a longer period than others. The majority of holiday bookings are covered by ATOL. ABTA does not have the authority to set dates for when ATOL protection applies, this is set by the Civil Aviation Authority.
The majority of package travel arrangements provided by ABTA Members are protected by either the CAA’s ATOL scheme or by the ABTA Bond of the Member company. Both the ATOL and ABTA schemes protect a refund that was due for a holiday that has not taken place if a travel company fails. You can check this for yourself on the ATOL Air Travel Trust Payment Policy, section 4.2 on page 28.
ABTA is an independent organisation, recognised by the UK Department for Business (BEIS) as an Approved Body under the 2018 Package Travel Regulations. Some of our Members provide bonds through one of the other two Approved Bodies – ABTOT or the CPT Bonded Coach Holidays schemes. ABTA accepts the use of both of these schemes for our Members. Some Members also use financial failure insurance products rather than Bonds. These are also permitted under the 2018 Package Travel Regulations. ABTA checks that all these are in place and monitors them, so that customers do not have to do so when booking with an ABTA Member. Further information on the ATOL scheme can be found on the Civil Aviation Authority website.
We are keeping in touch with all of the travel organisers we work with to make sure refunds are received as quickly as possible although there has been a call to government to permit that refunds should be made in the form of a Refund Credit Note, effectively delaying the refund to allow the companies involved to work through the administrative tasks to get funds back to the customer.
The Refund Credit Note would be redeemable against a future booking and there may be a option to exchange for cash at a later point (on or before March 31st 2021 is likely).
It is important to note that the value would remain protected against the original booking to keep consumer financial protection in place, so your investment remains protected.
Due to the changes to businesses around the world from reduced staffing levels, offices being unavailable and the additional loss of new sales whilst consumers are coming to terms with the changes on their own circumstances, there is inevitable disruption and we would ask for your understanding of these facts.
Sometimes when we sell travel arrangements to our customers, we become the organiser as dictated by the Package Travel Regulations (PTR), and so the responsibilities and obligations fall to us.
We will do our very best ensure that refunds are provided but we rely on our third-party travel partners to make that possible. This may mean you are provided with a Refund Credit Note until cash is received back from airlines, hoteliers etc. The Refund Credit Note may be redeemed for a cash refund at a later date if you are unable to use the Refund Credit Note in the meantime (We are working with 31st March 2021 to redeem or exchange).
The information from many of the travel suppliers involved in the holidays we sell is changing from day to day, which in turn means it is difficult for us to be able to give clear and absolute guidance to our customers and would thank you for your patience as the refund process evolves.
Page updated: 21/04/2020 11:00
We are sorry to inform you that, Specialist Leisure Group Limited has ceased trading and has been placed into Administration with effect from 22 May 2020.
Specialist Leisure Group Limited operated several businesses that sold holidays and other travel arrangements:
ABTA Members
Two companies in the Group were ABTA Members:
Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) members
Two companies in the Group were members of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) – Bonded Coach Holidays (BCH) Scheme:
Holidays that did not have financial protection
The Group also had two hotels which were not Members of ABTA or CPT and where the holiday bookings were not financially protected.
Following this announcement, customers may understandably be very worried. Our immediate aim is to help customers to understand what steps they need to take if they have future travel arrangements booked with the company.
The vast majority of customers arrangements are covered through different types of financial protection, these include:
1. Holidays booked through Wallace Arnold Travel Limited
Any booking you have made through Wallace Arnold Travel Limited will be with a travel provider.
If the travel provider was a travel organiser within the Specialist Holidays Group named above, follow the instructions for that company
If the travel provider was a third-party travel organiser, your travel arrangements should be unaffected. Please contact the travel provider concerned.
Your booking confirmation paperwork will tell you who your holiday arrangements are with.
2. Coach holiday packages
If you have booked a coach holiday package, the majority of these are financially protected by the Confederation of Passenger Transport, Bonded Coach Holidays Scheme or by your credit or debit card issuer.
3. Flight package holidays
If you have a booked a flight inclusive package holiday, this is protected by the CAA ATOL scheme.
If you made a booking with an affected part of the Specialist Leisure Group, we will advise the correct claims procedure once the claims handlers are in place and the procedure is clear. Please do not commence a claim against your credit/debit card as payment was not made to the failed company, Co-op Travel would have to argue your claim and this will delay the correct process of making a claim.
Due to the current Covid-19 crisis we do not expect there to be any customers currently on holiday with any of the companies in the Group.
Customers who are awaiting a refund due to the COVID-19 crisis or who have received a Refund Credit Note, should follow the advice detailed below depending on which company you had your booking with.
To enable us to help you and provide the most accurate information on what you need to do, please read the following information.
Please click on the company that you have booked with from the list below, which will take you to the specific advice on what you will need to do next.
Wallace Arnold Travel Limited
Shearings Holidays Limited
UK Breakaways Limited
National Holidays Limited trading as Caledonian Travel and Travel Style
Shearings Hotels trading as Bay Hotels and Coach and Country Hotels
Please visit https://www.caa.co.uk/ATOL-protection/Make-an-ATOL-claim/Latest-ATOL-holder-failures/ for additional information
For more information on the statement released from Specialist Leisure Group- Click here: https://www.specialistleisuregroup.com
Page updated: 26/05/2020
Flybe entered Administration on Wednesday, 5 March 2020, all flights have been grounded and the UK business has ceased trading with immediate effect.
If you are due to fly with Flybe, please do not travel to the airport unless you have arranged an alternative flight with another airline. Please note that Flybe is not able to arrange alternative flights for passengers.
The options available to customers who are due to travel with the airline will depend on what, and how you have booked.
If you booked a package holiday:
We will be in contact with you to discuss your options as our priority. If your flights are part of a package then you are better protected, it is the package organiser’s responsibility to make alternative arrangements free of charge, or if no suitable alternative is available, you will be offered a replacement holiday or a full refund for the price of the package holiday. If you are abroad, it should make arrangements to bring you home at the end of your trip.
If you booked a flight with the airline directly:
If you booked your flights directly with the airline you will need to make alternative arrangements. If you paid for your flights with a credit or debit card, you should contact your card company to find out about recovering your money. You should also contact your travel insurance provider to see if your policy covers this circumstance.
If you booked a flight through Co-operative Travel:
If your flight ticket was issued by Co-operative Travel, you should check your travel insurance to see if you’re covered, and also check with the branch you booked with as to whether the travel insurance that includes Scheduled Airline Failure cover.
If you have a booking sold by another airline that includes travel on a Flybe flight, please contact the relevant airline or travel agent to confirm if there is any impact to your travel plans.
Blue Island
Following the closure of Flybe, Blue Island services are operating as normal. Customers with Blue Island bookings are advised to check-in as normal.
Customers are also advised to monitor the Civil Aviation Authority website for further information.
If you require any further information or assistance, please contact the Administrators by phone on 0207 951 7801 or by email at flybeadministration@uk.ey.com.
Frequently asked questions
I have been waiting far longer than the 60 days for my money. What do I do?
We want to assure you that the CAA are working hard to process all valid claims as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. We apologise to those Co-operative Travel customers that have not yet seen their claims settled. Insufficient data from Thomas Cook booking systems, including incomplete or inaccurate customer information, along with more complex cases and some fraudulent activity has all contributed to the continuing delays.
If you have not received any correspondence from the CAA since you made your claim please ensure you check your email inbox and spam folders regularly for any correspondence.
It is possible that the claims agency dealing with your case may ask for more information to assist your claim. Please respond to any request for information as soon as you can to help progress your claim.
Email: ATOLClaims.ThomasCook@caa.co.uk
Call:0300 303 2800
You will need to include your booking reference number so the CAA can locate your claim.
What is my booking reference number and where can I find it?
The booking reference number is the one you were given when you booked your holiday. It usually begins with a 14, 15 or 16 and can be found on the bottom left of your ATOL certificate.
For more questions and answers, please visit the CAA website
Europe is the number one overseas destination for UK travellers – with over 58 million trips abroad each year.
Naturally, holidaymakers and business travellers have questions about what Brexit means for travelling to EU countries. As the UK and EU have ratified the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will depart the EU on 31 January 2020. The UK will then enter a transition period (also known as the ‘implementation period’), during which everything will remain the same and you can continue to travel as you do now until at least the end of December 2020.
For more information about ABTA guidance click here (regularly updated) or see our Brexit advice page
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