General Terms and Conditions
This website has been put together to offer a selection of ideas for Holidays in Austria (and elsewhere).
HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRIA act as an introducer to suppliers of the various components of your holiday and will make bookings on your behalf.
How to make an enquiry
By Phone: Our office is available on 0044 (0)797 467 9262 to take details of your holiday request.
By e-mail: to sales@holidaysinaustria.co.uk - include as much information as possible
Via the web site: click the contact link on the left
By Mail: 14 Wells Close, Harpenden, Herts AL5 3LQ
Your Booking
HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRIA will make enquiries on your behalf direct with the suppliers – i.e. airlines,
accommodation, car rental companies, car parks, airport lounges, etc, based on your request. The terms and
conditions of the suppliers will be applicable and you will be bound by them. Details of the terms will be
supplied to you prior to a booking being completed. We will then respond to you with available options.
Where it is possible to hold seats, rooms, etc without penalty, we will do so. In the event we cannot,
then the prices quoted will be a guide only, and can only be guaranteed at the time of booking, e.g. with
the low cost airlines where pricing is based on the time of booking.
Your financial protection
When a booking is finalized, and you have accepted the terms offered by the supplier, payment will be made direct to the
supplier in accordance with their conditions. As such, a contract will exist between you and the supplier. Your only
commitment to HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRIA will be charges in accordance with the fees as outlined below:
FLIGHTS: £5.00 per person and per flight
ACCOMMODATION: £10.00 PER ACCOMMODATION
CAR RENTAL: NO FEE
CAR PARKING: NO FEE
AIRPORT LOUNGES: NO FEE
INSURANCE: NO FEE
These fees will be invoiced at time of confirmation
Paying for your holiday
You must pay each supplier in accordance with their instructions.
Tickets/vouchers will not be issued until your holiday has been paid for in accordance with supplied details.
Payment to HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRIA is required at any time, but no later than 10 days following your arrival back home.
Your holiday price
The prices for Flights will be those at time of booking and payment unless otherwise stated.
The prices for Accommodation will be quoted as soon as we have received confirmation from the supplier(s).
The prices for Car rental, Car Parking, Airport Lounges and Insurance will be those quoted at time of enquiry, and will be valid as
stipulated.
Confirmation
After your initial enquiry, we will provide you with a proposal, detailing our offer to you. When you accept the proposals, we
shall make the necessary confirmed reservations on your behalf paying using your credit card as appropriate.
Please check your confirmation invoice, tickets, final itinerary and all other documents you receive from us, immediately on receipt.
You must contact us straightaway if any information appears to be incorrect as it may not be possible to make changes
later. We are responsible for providing the holiday we have confirmed to you. If you cancel or alter your booking later on,
you may have to pay an amendment charge. We reserve the right to refuse your booking. If we do this we will refund any money
already paid to us.
If you change your booking
If, after booking, you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, for example your chosen departure date or
accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible, and any charges incurred
will be advised. Any request for changes to be made must be by the person who made the booking.
If one of your party withdraws from the holiday, someone else can take their place providing they satisfy the conditions
of the original booking. The Party Leader must instigate the changes, and we charge a £10.00 administration fee per person,
as well as any charges imposed on us by hoteliers, airlines and other service providers.
We will help you to make any other changes, but your booking will incur a £10.00 administration fee per change per person.
If you make a number of changes to the same booking, we will only make a reasonable overall charge. Most airlines treat name
changes as cancellations and impose extra charges, which you will have to pay. If you make changes after an airline ticket
has been issued, you may have to pay for the cancelled ticket and buy a new ticket at full cost.
If you cancel your holiday
To cancel the entire holiday, the Party Leader must write to HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRIA, by recorded delivery at the address on
your booking confirmation. Cancellation takes effect on the date we receive your letter. If you cancel after we confirm
your booking, you must compensate us for losses, as we incur costs from the moment you make the booking. The closer your
cancellation is to the departure date, the less likely are the suppliers are to recover the costs by re-selling the holiday
and as such may impose charges. It is therefore highly recommended that you take out adequate travel insurance.
HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRIA fees/cancellation charges are the same as the booking fees as listed above.
If we change or cancel your holiday
It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your travel arrangements, however you may have started planning your
holiday arrangements many months in advance. Occasionally, some arrangements may have to be changed, for example time/schedule
changes. In this event, we will do our best to notify you before you travel. If a significant change or cancellation has to be
made to your holiday arrangements we will notify you as soon as possible. Any changes will be subject to the terms and conditions
of the supplier.
Your holiday travel
Any flights booked are as requested and are operated by UK and European scheduled and charter airlines. They use wide
and narrow body jets. The airlines may change aircraft types at any time: this does not count as a Major Change. Some
flights may need to stop en route. If we know about this in advance we will tell you. Flight times on your booking
confirmation are not guaranteed. Actual flight times are shown on your tickets. A night flight means one that departs the
UK between 22.00 hours and 05.59 hours, or arrives in the UK between 00.00 hours and 05.59 hours. Check-in at all airports
is usually at least 2 hours before take off. The airline may refuse check-in if you arrive late which may result in full
cancellation charges being levied. Any additional costs incurred in assisting you to travel in such circumstances will be
your responsibility. You must comply with the conditions of carriage applied by land, sea and air carriers. Airlines do
not bear any responsibility for and are not committed by the text of these conditions. Please note in relation to flights
that, by our contract with you, we do not enter into an agreement for carriage by air but rather we only undertake to reserve
accommodation onboard the airline advised at the time of booking or such airlines as may be substituted. The provisions of the
Warsaw Convention 1929 (as amended) and the Montreal Convention 1999 concerning the carriage of passengers and their luggage by air,
and the airline’s conditions of carriage and for EU registered carriers the EU Regulation on Air Carrier Liability for international
and national travel by Air, may apply to you and your party during your flight, and during boarding and disembarkation. These provisions
and conditions may limit or exclude liability for death or personal injury, or loss of or damage to luggage, and may make special
provisions for valuables. We will supply a copy of the conditions of carriage applicable to your holiday, and of the Warsaw
Convention, if you request them.
Delays
We are unable to accept any liability for any delay to your flight, whether the delay or cancellation is caused by adverse
weather conditions, the action of air traffic controllers, the action of airport authorities or governments, the rescheduling
of times by the airline, mechanical breakdown, strike or industrial action or otherwise. In such circumstances you may be able
to make a claim under your insurance policy. When a delay occurs the airlines will try to make sure refreshments or meals are
provided when appropriate. We will not do this ourselves as such arrangements will normally be the responsibility of the airlines.
Your accommodation
This is reserved exclusively for the people named on the confirmation invoice and no other persons are permitted to stay at
the accommodation unless this has been agreed with the supplier, via us, in writing and appropriate payments made (if applicable).
Should you or any member of your party be responsible for any breakages, loss or damage of any item of the property or additional
cleaning has been necessary, a charge will be made locally or an invoice will be sent to you on your return to the UK. This will
be deducted from your deposit where applicable.
Special requests
If you have a special request that does not form part of the arrangements described on the website, please inform us
in writing. We will do our best to comply but cannot guarantee to do so and it will not form part of our contracted
obligations. We regret that we are unable to advise prior to departure if special requests cannot be met. Requests
for wheelchair assistance at airport, in-flight meals or specific seating on an aircraft should be made at the time
of booking. Special requests made after your booking date must be confirmed in writing within seven days of the request.
We will make every effort to accommodate your request and inform the relevant airline or supplier concerned. However we
cannot guarantee that special requests will be provided and recommend that you repeat your request to the airline or relevant
supplier at the appropriate time.
Holiday insurance
Adequate insurance is essential. Your booking cannot be accepted until insurance arrangements have been made. Premiums
will be automatically added to your booking unless you specify the details of your alternative insurance. You may wish
to arrange an alternative cover, however we highly recommend that any alternative insurance purchased must have a 24-hour
emergency telephone service.
Our liability to you
We accept responsibility for ensuring that your travel arrangements which you book with us are supplied as described on the proposal.
If any part of your travel arrangements are not provided as promised, we will pay you appropriate compensation if this has affected
the enjoyment of your travel arrangements. We accept responsibility for the acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents and
suppliers except where they lead to death, injury or illness. Our liability in all cases shall be limited to a maximum of twice
the costs of your holiday travel arrangements.
We accept responsibility for death, injury or illness caused by the negligent acts and/or omissions of our employees or agents,
our suppliers and subcontractors, whilst acting within the scope of, or in the course of their employment in the provision of
your travel arrangements. We will accordingly pay to you such damages as might have been awarded in such circumstances under
English Law.
However we will not accept responsibility for any of the following circumstances a) events listed in the Important Note section
within Insurance Terms & Conditions, b) if you or any member of your party is at fault, c) if the fault is of someone else not
connected with providing the services which make up the holiday which we have confirmed to you, d) any unusual or unexpected
circumstances beyond our control which we could not have avoided even if we had used all possible care, e) any event which we or the supplier could not help or prevent.
In respect of travel by air, and the provision of accommodation our liability will be limited in the manner provided
by the relevant international convention. A copy of the international conventions can be obtained from our office.
If you have a complaint
If you have cause for complaint whilst on holiday, this must be brought to the attention of the supplier so that action can be
taken to rectify the problem. Should the supplier be unable to resolve the matter in resort, details of the complaint must be
notified to HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRIA in writing within 28 days of the end of your holiday. Any claims received outside this period
cannot be considered as if you do not tell us about your complaint promptly, it may prove difficult to investigate your complaint
thoroughly.
Complaint arbitration scheme
It is unlikely that you will have a complaint that cannot be settled amicably between us. However disputes to do with this
contract which cannot be settled, may (if you wish) be referred to Arbitration under a special scheme which is arranged
by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), but it is administered independently by the Chartered Institute of
Arbitrators. The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of Arbitration on documents alone with restricted
liability on you in respect of costs. The scheme does not apply for claims of any amount greater than £5,000 per person or £15,000
per booking form. It also does not apply to claims which relate to physical injury or illness. If you choose to proceed to
Arbitration under this scheme, you must send a written notice of your decision to ABTA within 9 months after your scheduled
date of return. Full details of this scheme are available from ABTA at 68-71 Newman Street, London W1P 4AH.
Behaviour
At all times during your holiday, you are expected to have consideration for your fellow passengers and other third parties.
If in the opinion of ourselves, any airline pilot, accommodation owner or other person in authority, you are or appear to be
behaving in such a way as to cause, or to be likely to cause, danger, distress, annoyance or damage to property, either ourselves
or the supplier concerned may terminate your holiday arrangements. In this situation, we will have no further liability to you and
will not be responsible for meeting any expenses you incur as a result, making any refund or paying any compensation. In addition,
you will be responsible for any expenses we incur as a result of your behaviour, such as the cost of diverting the aircraft.
Disruption on board an aircraft is a criminal offence, and you may be prosecuted.
Passports, visas and health requirements
We, or the airline, may refuse travel if you do not have a valid passport, visa and entry permit. We are not obliged to
help you if you are refused travel. Your passport and travel documents must be intact: you may not be able to travel if
they are damaged or have been tampered with. Passport, visa and health requirements are subject to change and it is your
responsibility to check the up-to-date position in good time before departure.
Data protection policy
In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we need to
use the information you provide such as name, address, any special needs/dietary requirements etc. We take full responsibility
for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect your information.
We must pass the information on to the relevant suppliers of your arrangements such as airlines, hotel and accommodation
providers, transport companies etc. The information may also be provided to security or credit checking companies, public
authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or as required by law.
Additionally, where your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination
may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will not, however, pass any information onto any person not
responsible for part of your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details
of disabilities, or dietary/religious requirements. (If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers,
whether in the EEA or not, we cannot provide your booking. In making your booking, you consent to this information
being passed on to the relevant persons).