Travel Republic cleared of selling holidays illegally

An online travel agent has been cleared of accusations that it was selling holidays without providing customers with the necessary financial protection.

Under current legislation, any company selling package holidays must have an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL) or act as an agent of an ATOL holder.

The Civil Aviation Authority (www.caa.co.uk), which manages the ATOL scheme, brought a court case against Travel Republic (www.travelrepublic.co.uk), which it claimed was selling package holidays without ATOL protection.

However Travel Republic, which argued that all its bookings are protected by insurance, was acquitted.

Following the announcement that Travel Republic had been cleared of all alleged breaches of ATOL legislation, consumers' association Which? Holiday said it left many holidaymakers unsure about whether their holiday was protected.

Rochelle Turner of Which? Holiday said: It's really disappointing that there is still no clarity around what a ""package holiday"" is which would make it is easier for people to know exactly what they are buying.

""Instead travel agencies are still free to bundle up separate elements of holidays without it being clear that they are not selling a ""package holiday"" so holidaymakers may not be financially protected in the way they think they are.

Ms Turner advised people to book holidays only through an ATOL agent or to pay by credit card so they would be financially protected should anything go wrong.

Travel Republic stressed that all its bookings were protected by its Total Financial Protection insurance.

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