Agency Terms of Business

We endeavour to ensure that all our customers have complete satisfaction no matter what their requirements are. It should, however, be understood that we are acting on behalf of the supplier of the travel product specified and that all bookings are accepted on the following conditions:  

These are the terms on which we will make a booking for your travel or holiday requirements. When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the principal (tour operator/airline/cruise company or other supplier) named on your receipt. For most bookings we act as agent for the principal but we act as your agent when making a booking with most no frills airlines and some hotels. Details will be given at the time of booking. As agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the principal or for the services provided by the principal. The principal’s Terms & Conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they do contain important information about your booking. Please ask us for copies of these if you do not have them. Our Terms of Business are governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you wish to do so.  

BOOKING DETAILS: When a booking is made all details will be read back to you. Once you have confirmed these details we will proceed to confirm the booking with the principal. Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately. Any changes to these details will incur the charges stated below. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport.

The booking information that you provide to us will be passed on only to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements or other persons necessary for the provision of your travel arrangements. The information may therefore be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary and religious requirements. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. If you are travelling to the United States, the US Customs and Border Protection will receive this information for the purposes of preventing and combating terrorism and other transnational serious crimes.

If you travel outside the European Economic Area, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons. Full details of our data protection policy are available upon request.  

PAYMENT: You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment for your booking at the time of booking. Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the principal who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their Terms and Conditions.  

CANCELLATION and AMENDMENT: Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing and will not take effect until received by us. If you cancel or amend your booking the principal may charge the cancellation or amendment charge shown in their Terms and Conditions (which may be 100% of the cost of the travel arrangements) and you must pay us the cancellation or amendment charge stated below.  

INSURANCE:  Many principals require you to take out travel insurance as a condition of booking with them. In any event, we strongly advise that you take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses. If we have issued your policy please check it carefully to ensure that all the details are correct and that all relevant information has been provided by you (eg. pre-existing medical conditions). Failure to disclose relevant information will affect your insurance.  

DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS: All documents (eg. invoices/tickets/Insurance policies) will be sent to you by First Class post. Once documents leave our offices we will not be responsible for their loss unless such loss is due to our negligence. If tickets or other documents need to be reissued all costs must be paid by you. You can ask for delivery by other means subject to the charges stated below.  

PASSPORTS, VISAS AND HEALTH: We can provide general information about the passport and visa requirements for your trip. Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. Neither we nor the principal accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

Please take special note that for all air travel within the British Isles, airlines require photographic identification of a specific type. Please ask us for full details.

We can provide general information about any health formalities required for your trip but you should check with your own doctor for your specific circumstances.  

FINAL TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS: Please ensure that all your travel, passport, visa and insurance documents are in order and that you arrive in plenty of time for checking in at the airport. It may be necessary to reconfirm your flight with the airline prior to departure. Please ask us for details at least 72 hours before your outbound flight. You should take a note of any reference number or contact name when reconfirming. If you fail to reconfirm you may be refused permission to board the aircraft and you are unlikely to receive any refund.  

COMPLAINTS: Any dissatisfaction regarding your travel or holiday arrangements must be reported to the principal or their local supplier or agent immediately. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may be reduced or you may not receive any at all depending upon the circumstances. If the matter cannot be resolved and it involves us or another ABTA member then it can be referred to the arbitration scheme arranged by ABTA www.abta.com  

SERVICE CHARGES: In certain circumstances we apply a service charge for the services we provide.

SERVICE CHARGE Cancellation or amendment Principal’s charge up to 100% Special requests after booking has been confirmed Please email support for costings Credit card charge 0% to 2.5% depending on credit card Arranging Visas Visa fee + £20.00 pp Pre-booking airline seats when applicable Please email support@directbusinessclass.com to book your seats International telephone/fax calls Cost of calls + National Rate with your provider    

Financial protection:   www.abta.com/benefits.html