Your questions answered. If you don't find an answer here please call us on: Head office 01635 254077 or our Administrations and sales office on 01635 551011.
Are you members of ABTA?
Charter Travel is a Member of ABTA with membership number F8106. ABTA and ABTA Members help holidaymakers 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 ABTA, the Code of Conduct and the arbitration scheme available to you if you have a complaint, contact ABTA, www.abta.com
Do you hold an ATOL licence?
Yes we do, our ATOL Number is 4151 for your financial protection.
Do I need a passport?
Yes, whenever you leave the UK you must have a valid passport with you. Check that your passport is in date. You should also ensure that any passenger under the age of 16 must have their own passport when travelling abroad.
Will I need vaccinations?
It is recommended by various countries that vaccinations are carried out before you travel. As health requirements change we recommend that you consult your Doctor well in advance of travel, for the latest advice.
Can I fly while pregnant?
Some airlines refuse to accept passengers who are more than 28 weeks pregnant. Please check before making your holiday booking as it can vary from airline to airline. We recommend that you also consult your own doctor.
What are the new entry requirements for the USA/what is an ESTA?
From January 12, 2009, all qualified Visa Waiver Program travellers will be required to obtain electronic travel authorisation prior to boarding an air or sea carrier to the United States. Travellers who do not receive travel authorization prior to their departure may be denied boarding in the UK, experience delays or be denied admission into the United States. To obtain an electronic authorisation simply log onto the Charter Travel website www.chartertravel.co.uk and go to the ESTA link on the home page or go to the ESTA Web site at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov and complete an on-line application form. Applications must be submitted as soon as possible and the US Department of Homeland Security recommends that applications be submitted no less than 72 hours prior to travel, there is a charge for the ESTA.
Please check with the embassy of the destinations you are flying to for up to date visa and passport requirements, remember that even if you are transiting through a destination you will need to meet that countries entry requirements also.
A MRP machine readable passport has the holder's personal details, e.g. name, date of birth, nationality and their passport number contained in two lines of text at the base of the photo page. A machine can read this text. The UK have been issuing MRP's since 1988, however British passports issued overseas may not be machine readable.
For Security reasons most airlines will ask you to complete API before you travel, this is Advance Passenger Information, this information is in addition to any information that you have previously provided with your booking to Charter travel and should be completed by each passenger direct with the airline prior to travel or at the point of check-in.
Charter Travel who your flights/holiday is booked with will send a booking confirmation in the post between 7-14 days after the booking has been made. This will be sent to the address that you have specified to us. This will contain the details of your holiday, your reference number, and a breakdown of all costs that have been paid. It is very important that you check all details on the confirmation. Make sure you check that all names are spelt correct. Please call us if you see an error or require another copy as soon as possible. These details will all have been taken from the name check you would have previously received by email/post and agreed as being correct or changed where necessary by return email/post.
When you receive your booking documents, please ensure that you check all documentation thoroughly and advise us of any errors immediately. Once we confirm everything via your return email everything will be as you have requested.
You will receive your flight E ticket information and pre-paid car rental, hotel, attraction ticket Information pack and vouchers approximately 7-14 days prior to departure. If you do not have any flight tickets then you will receive your accommodation instructions within 7-14 days of departure. If your tickets have not arrived within 7 days of your departure please contact us.
Ticket on Departure (TOD) is often issued if you are travelling within 14 days from the booking date however this does vary from booking to booking and you will be notified if your booking is a ticket on departure if this is the case then these tickets will have to be collected from the airport on the day of departure, from the relevant operator's desk, these tickets carry a standard ticket on departure charge which will be notified to you at the time of booking.
Absolutely. You can book attraction tickets, car hire, transfers, holiday insurance, car parking and much more. Just call one of our travel consultants.
Yes, all travelling passengers must have adequate Travel insurance to cover you for any eventuality whilst on your holiday as the airline may request proof of purchase, failure to do so could result in the airline refusing to let you board the aircraft. It's a good idea to carry travel insurance documents in your hand luggage.
Allocation on arrival (AOA) is great value for money and means that the accommodation and board basis are requested, but the exact accommodation is allocated to you on arrival by the holiday/management company. The holiday allocated on arrival accommodation is ideal for people who want to book late or want standard accommodation only.
Hotels and resort fees is something that is beyond our control, whilst every attempt is made to provide accurate information hotels and resorts can change and update their resort fee policy without prior notification.
It is standard practice worldwide for any accommodation to ask for a credit card imprint to cover incidentals like room service, telephone calls, newspapers, damage deposit or other services being charged.
In most cases your accommodation will be made available to you after 16:00pm on the day of arrival. On some holidays where late night/early morning departures from the resort are necessary, the room may be occupied until you leave the hotel/ resort and it will count as a night of your holiday and will be charged for. Otherwise you will be asked to check out of your room at 10:00am.
Your Florida Holiday Villa will be available for a check-in after 16.00pm and Check-out must be before 10.00am on day of departure unless agreed otherwise, and you have paid a day rate for a late checkout.
Will the lead driver need a valid credit card - yes absolutely.
What is CFC charge - this is a customer facility charge and it's a charge which is made locally in resort.
Times on my car voucher are not matching my flight arrival time - car hire works on a 24 hour clock whatever time you collect and sign your contract in resort is the time you must return the car hire back to the appropriate depot, if returned later then additional charges will be incurred for over rental period.
Vehicle hire is automatically booked for drivers over the age of 25 years - unless otherwise stated on your booking confirmation.
Driving licence - a full valid driving licence (both parts) is required.
Sat Nav - not standard unless pre -booked and paid for.
Car seats - not provided in any vehicle, can be requested and paid for locally.
How many drivers - all vehicles are for 1 driver unless otherwise stated on your booking details.
Make and Model - regrettably this cannot be guaranteed as we book into a category only and vehicle models can change without prior notice.
Both checked and hand luggage allowances vary dependent upon the airline and cabin of travel therefore we recommend that you check on the relevant airlines website for the up to date information regarding the number of pieces and weight allowance you are allowed. Infants generally receive no luggage allowance. Internal flight allowances will differ to the transatlantic flight all carriers within your routing will need to be checked. You should check the weight at the time of booking and then again prior to your departure date as airlines change their luggage allowance without prior notice and do not guarantee it.
Charter Travel advise all guests to be at the Airport for check in for their flights approx. 4 hours before your departure time, airlines will advise less and this is at your discretion.
If dialling from outside the UK, you will need the local international access code followed by 44 for the UK. You then dial the UK number as if it were a long distance call; i.e. including the area code, but do not dial the initial 0. e.g. International access code then +44 (0) 1635 551011.
Charter Travel who your holiday is booked with can often offer discounts for large groups however, it will depend on the specific holiday details. Please contact one of our sales consultants who will be more than happy to help.
Charter Travel who your holiday is booked with are pleased to offer excellent savings for children under 12 years. Reduced child prices are applicable in certain hotels/resorts for 2-11 year olds. On most flights but not all children are classed as a child under 12 years of age at the date of return, however some flights do not have child discounts available this applies mostly to Charter flights. Once a child reaches their 12th birthday, they are then classified as adults. Children under the age of 2 years old are classified as infants. Infants who reach the age of 2 years while on holiday must be considered as being a child.
Regrettably, no. if you have a special request these should be advised at time of booking. Although we will endeavour to fulfil special requests this is dependent upon our suppliers and out of our control. We cannot accept any booking that is conditional upon a special request being met.
Where possible all UK and overseas taxes have been pre-paid, some countries charge a departure, tourism, enhancement fee, passenger service tax these cannot be collected prior to your UK departure.
