| 
We want you to enjoy your holiday with Low Cost City Breaks and
travel with us again in the future. We would like you to fully understand
the Commitment undertaken between us when you make, and we accept,
a booking. We therefore ask you to spend a few minutes reading our
Booking Conditions and the 'General Information' which, together,
form the basis of your Contract with Cities Direct Limited, before
you accept our terms and conditions. The Foreign & Commonwealth
Travel Advice Unit may have issued information about your holiday
destination. You are advised to check this information on BBC2 (Ceefax)
on page 470 onwards or on the Internet under the address http://www.fco.gov.uk.
Alternatively, you can contact the ABTA Information Department on
0901 201 5050 (calls charged at 50p per minute).
1. THE COMPANY Low Cost City Breaks is owned and operated
by Cities Direct. All bookings are made with Cities Direct Limited,
registered in England No.3896158. By booking a holiday, hotel or
other service you are agreeing on behalf of all persons named on
the booking to the conditions detailed on this page as well as the
'General Information' detailed below. We also hold an Air Travel
Organiser's Licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (ATOL
number 5501), this means your money will be refunded or you will
be repatriated if already abroad in the unlikely event that your
holiday cannot be provided due to our insolvency. If your city break
includes a flight, then you are cover under the Civil Aviation Authority
ATOL scheme. If your package holiday does not include a flight,
Cities Direct provides you with Passenger Protection Insurance free
of charge. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the policy will
cover you to refund any monies you have paid in advance. A copy
of this policy will be sent to you with your holiday confirmation.
Hotel only bookings are not covered by the Package Travel Regulations
and therefore are not covered by Passenger Protection Insurance.
For further information visit the “About Us” section.
YOUR UNDERTAKING WITH CITIES DIRECT LIMITED
2. YOUR BOOKING The person who signs the booking
form ("the party leader") or agrees to our terms and conditions
(for website bookings) must be at least 18 and be authorised to
make the booking on the basis of these booking conditions by all
persons named on the booking form. The party leader is responsible
for making all payments due to us. If a booking form is not signed
(e.g. direct debit card booking or website booking), we will forward
a further copy of our booking conditions if requested, and it will
be deemed that these conditions are accepted by all members of your
party. For the purpose of these Booking Conditions, the completed
booking form refers to the time you make a booking with Cities Direct
Ltd. This takes place when you send us a booking form, make a booking
via one of our websites or confirm a booking over the telephone
or by email with a member of staff. A booking is only made when
we take payment, and a binding contract between us comes into existence
when we despatch our confirmation invoice.
3. PAYMENT FOR YOUR HOLIDAY Your completed booking
form must be sent to Cities Direct Limited, accompanied by full
payment for the holiday and any optional extras that you may wish
to purchase. If you wish to purchase the insurance policy we offer,
all applicable premiums must also be paid at the time of booking
(you must be insured - see clause 1 of the 'General Information'
enclosed). For flight inclusive bookings, all monies paid to one
of our authorised agents for your holiday with us will be held on
our behalf until they are paid to us or refunded to you.
4. IF YOU CHANGE YOUR HOLIDAY If, after our confirmation
invoice has been despatched, you wish to change your travel arrangements
in any way, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may
not always be possible. Any request for the changes to be made must
be in writing by the party leader. Where we can make your requested
change you will be asked to pay an administration charge of £20
per person, in addition to any costs incurred by ourselves and any
costs or charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers. Certain
travel arrangements cannot be changed after a reservation has been
made and any alteration request will incur 100% cancellation charges.
5. IF YOU CANCEL YOUR BOOKING Notice of cancellation
of a booking is only effective when received in our office in writing
from the party leader. Due to the nature of our holiday product,
100% cancellation charges apply as soon as Cities Direct Limited
have confirmed the booking to you. Insurance premiums are also non-refundable.
If you are covered by holiday insurance you may be able to claim
a refund if the cancellation falls within the terms of the policy.
Please note that Cities Direct operates 100% cancellation charges
because the majority of monies are paid direct to suppliers and
are non refundable. However, each cancellation will be investigated
individually and if any refunds are available they will be paid,
less a 10% administration charge calculated on the basic holiday
price. If any member of your party is prevented from travelling,
that person may transfer their place to someone else (introduced
by you) providing we are notified not less than two weeks before
departure. Where a transfer to a person of your choice can be made,
all costs and charges incurred by us and/or incurred or imposed
by any of our suppliers as a result, together with an amendment
fee of £20 per person must be paid before the transfer can
be effected. For flight inclusive bookings, you must pay the charges
levied by the airline concerned. As most airlines do not permit
name changes after tickets have been issued for any reason, these
charges are likely to be the full cost of the flight. Low cost airlines
do not permit name changes after a booking has been made.
6. CUSTOMER CARE If you have a problem during your holiday,
please inform our representative or local agent as well as the service
supplier (or the UK based duty manager on +44 (0) 7816 657 853 if
the matter cannot be sorted out in this way) immediately who will
endeavour to put things right. If your complaint cannot be completely
resolved locally, you must complete a report form which can be obtained
from the above mentioned people. Then the party leader must write
to the Customer Relations Department at Cities Direct within 28
days of your return. Please ensure you enclose a copy of your Report
Form.
OUR COMMITMENTS TO YOU
7. YOUR RESERVATION On receipt of your completed
booking and full payment we will reserve your holiday. A binding
contract between us comes into existence when we despatch our confirmation
invoice to the party leader or your travel agent. Please check this
invoice carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact us immediately
if any information which appears on the confirmation or any other
document appears to be incorrect or incomplete as it may not be
possible to make changes later. Your reservation is accepted subject
to these booking conditions and the 'General Information' enclosed.
If we are unable to confirm your booking we will do our best to
offer you an alternative holiday but if this is not possible or
unacceptable to you, an immediate refund of all monies paid will
be made to you.
8. YOUR HOLIDAY PRICE Your holiday price is based
on tariffs and exchange rates shown on the brochure, website or
booking form for each holiday we operate. We reserve the right to
increase or decrease the price of unsold holidays at any time. The
price of your chosen holiday will be confirmed at the time of booking.
Once your holiday has been confirmed at the time of booking then,
subject to the correction of errors, we will only increase the price
in the following circumstances. Price increases after booking will
be passed on by way of surcharge. A surcharge will be payable if
transportation costs and/or dues, taxes or fees payable for services
such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports
or airports increase, or our costs increase as a result of any adverse
changes in the exchange rates which have been used to calculate
the cost of your holiday. Even in the above cases, we will absorb
increased costs up to a total amount equivalent to 2% of the cost
of your confirmed holiday (excluding insurance premiums and any
amendment charges). Only if the increased costs exceed this 2% will
we levy a surcharge. If any surcharge is greater than 10% of the
cost of your holiday (excluding insurance premiums and any amendment
charges), you will be entitled to cancel your booking and receive
a full refund of all monies paid to us except for insurance premiums
and amendment charges. You have 14 days from the issue date printed
on the surcharge invoice to tell us if you want to cancel for this
reason. If you do not tell us that you wish to cancel within this
period of time, we are entitled to assume that you do not wish to
cancel and will pay the surcharge. Any surcharge must be paid with
the balance of the cost of the holiday or within 14 days of the
issue date printed on the surcharge invoice, whichever is the later.
We promise not to levy a surcharge within 30 days of departure.
Due to the above promises, no refunds can be made in the event of
favourable exchange rate variations or decreases in costs. We reserve
the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices.
We will do so as soon as we become aware of the error. Please note,
changes and errors occasionally occur. You must check the price
of your chosen holiday at the time of booking.
9. IF WE CHANGE YOUR BOOKING It is unlikely that
we will have to make any changes to, or correct errors in the brochure
and other details both before and after bookings have been confirmed.
Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes, we must reserve the
right to make them. Most changes are minor ones. However, if a significant
change becomes necessary (for example a change to your destination
area) we will inform you as soon as possible before your departure.
If there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the
following options. (A) accepting the changed arrangements as notified
to you, (B) purchasing an alternative holiday from us, of a similar
standard to that originally booked if available (if the chosen alternative
is less expensive than your original one, we will refund the difference
but if it is more expensive, we will ask you to pay the difference)
or (C) cancelling your holiday. If you choose (A) or (B) we will
pay you compensation according to the scale below. If you choose
(C) we will refund all the monies you have paid to us except we
will not refund insurance premiums unless they are paid to Cities
Direct Limited for the insurance policy we offer, plus compensation
according to the scale below.
Basic price of holiday (per person) and number of days before travel
compensation per person
| No. of Days |
up to £300 |
£301-£500 |
£501-£1000 |
Over £1000 |
| More than 29 |
£3 |
£6 |
£9 |
£12 |
| 15 – 28 |
£5 |
£10 |
£15 |
£20 |
| 0 - 14 |
£10 |
£20 |
£30 |
£40 |
Compensation will not be payable and no liability beyond offering
the above mentioned choices can be accepted where we are forced
to make a change as a result of unusual and unforseeable circumstances
beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have
avoided even with all due care. In all cases, our liability for
significant changes is limited to offering you the above mentioned
options and, where applicable, compensation payments. We regret
we cannot pay any expenses, costs or losses incurred by you as a
result of any change. No compensation is payable for minor changes.
Very rarely, we may be forced by "force majeure" (see
clause 10) to change or terminate your holiday after departure but
before the scheduled end of your time away. This is extremely unlikely
but if this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to
make any refunds (unless we obtain any refunds from our suppliers),
pay you any compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur
as a result.
10. FORCE MAJEURE Except where otherwise expressly
stated in these booking conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability
or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance
of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by "force
majeure". In these Booking Conditions, "force majeure"
means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question
could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events
may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist
activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse
weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control.
11. IF WE CANCEL YOUR HOLIDAY Cancellations by
us may be necessary in exceptional circumstances and we reserve
the right in our absolute discretion to cancel your holiday. If
we have to cancel your holiday, we will tell you as soon as possible.
If there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the
choice of purchasing an alternative holiday from us, of a similar
standard to that originally booked if available (if the chosen alternative
is less expensive than your original one, we will refund the difference
but if it is more expensive, we will ask you to pay the difference)
or receiving a full refund of all monies paid to us except we will
not refund insurance premiums unless they are paid to Cities Direct
Limited for the insurance policy we offer. We will also pay compensation
in accordance with the scale in section 9, however, compensation
will not be payable and no liability beyond offering the above mentioned
choices can be accepted where we are forced to cancel as a result
of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the
consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due
care. In all cases, our liability for cancellations is limited to
offering you the above mentioned options and, where applicable,
compensation payments. We regret we cannot pay any expenses, costs
or losses incurred by you as a result of any cancellation
12. OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU
(1) We promise to make sure that all parts of the holiday we have
agreed to arrange as part of our contract are provided to a reasonable
standard and in accordance with that contract. We also accept responsibility
for what our employees, agents and suppliers do or do not do. We
will not, however, be responsible for any injury, illness, death,
loss (for example, loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or
other sum or claim which results from any of the following:- (a)
the fault of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party
or (b) the fault of a third party not connected with the provision
of your holiday which we could not have predicted or avoided or
(c) an event or circumstances which we or the supplier of the service(s)
in question could not have predicted or avoided even after taking
all reasonable care (see clause 10 ) (d) the fault of anyone who
was not carrying out work for us (generally or in particular) at
the time. In addition, we will not be responsible where you do not
enjoy your holiday or suffer any problems because of a reason you
did not tell us about when you booked your holiday or where any
problems you suffer did not result from any breach of our contract
or other fault of ourselves or, where we were responsible for them,
our suppliers or agents or where any losses, expenses, costs or
other sum you have suffered relate to any business. Please note,
we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form
part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional
services or facilities which your hotel or any other supplier agrees
to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised
in our brochure and we have not agreed to arrange them.
(2) The promises we make to you about the services we have agreed
to provide or arrange as part of our contract - and the laws and
regulations of the country in which your claim or complaint occurred
- will be used as the basis for deciding whether the services in
question had been properly provided. If the particular services
which gave rise to the claim or complaint complied with local laws
and regulations applicable to those services at the time, the services
will be treated as having been properly provided. This will be the
case even if the services did not comply with the laws and regulations
of the UK which would have applied had those services been provided
in the UK.
(3) We limit the maximum amount we may have to pay you for any and
all claims or parts of claims which do not involve personal injury,
illness or death, except where loss of and/or damage to luggage
or personal possessions is concerned or a lower limitation of liability
applies to your claim, the maximum amount we will have to pay you
for such non personal injury claims if we are found liable to you
on any basis is twice the price (excluding insurance premiums and
amendment charges) paid by or on behalf of the person(s) affected
in total. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything
has gone wrong and you have not received any benefit at all from
your holiday. Where we are found liable for loss of and/or damage
to any luggage or personal possessions (including money), the maximum
amount we will have to pay you is £35 per person affected
as you are assumed to have taken out adequate insurance at the time
of booking. Please also see clause 12(4) below.
(4) Where any claim or part of a claim concerns or is based on any
travel arrangements (including the process of getting on and off
the transport concerned) provided by any air, sea, rail or road
carrier or any stay in a hotel, the maximum amount of compensation
we will have to pay you will be limited. The most we will have to
pay you for that claim or that part of a claim if we are found liable
to you on any basis is the most the carrier or hotel keeper concerned
would have to pay under the international convention which applies
to the travel arrangements or hotel stay in question (for example,
the Warsaw Convention as amended for international travel by air
and/or for airlines with an operating licence granted by an EU country,
the EU Regulation on Air Carrier Liability for national and international
travel by air, the Athens convention for international travel by
sea). When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money
which you have received or are entitled to receive from the transport
provider or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question.
(5) You must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance
we may reasonably require. You must also tell us and the supplier
concerned about your claim or complaint as set out in clause 6.
If asked to do so, you must transfer to us or our insurers any rights
you have against the supplier or whoever else is responsible for
your claim or complaint (if the person concerned is under 18, their
parent or guardian must do so). You must also agree to co-operate
fully with us and our insurers if we or our insurers want to enforce
any rights which are transferred.
13. ASSISTANCE If you suffer from illness, personal
injury or death, through misadventure, while on holiday as a result
of an activity which is not part of the holiday arrangements, we
may decide to offer you help in making a claim against the person
or organisation responsible. This may include a contribution towards
legal costs to a maximum of £5,000 per booking form. All assistance
(financial or otherwise) is subject to our reasonable discretion.
You must ask for help in writing within 28 days of the end of your
holiday, and must agree to repay any costs we incur if you make
a successful claim against the other person, organisation or your
insurance policy.
14. LAW AND JURISDICTION Your Contract and all
matters arising out of it is subject to English law. We both agree
that any dispute, claim or other matter which arises out of or in
connection with this contract or your holiday will be dealt with
by the Courts of England and Wales only. Many of the services which
make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. Those
suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms
and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or
exclude the suppliers liability to you, usually in accordance with
applicable International Conventions (see clause 12(4)). Copies
of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available
on request from ourselves or the supplier concerned.
GENERAL INFORMATION
HOLIDAY INSURANCE We consider adequate travel
insurance to be essential. Details of the policy we offer are shown
elsewhere. If you decide not to purchase this insurance, you must
give details of your alternative policy (insurer and policy number).
Please read your policy details carefully. It is your responsibility
to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is adequate for
your particular needs. We do not check alternative insurance policies.
PASSPORTS AND VISAS The following information
applies to British Citizens holding a British Passport issued in
the UK. You will need a valid passport to travel on all holidays.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your passport is valid.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your
return date. At the time of writing British Citizens’ passports
do not require a visa for our holidays unless otherwise stipulated.
Holders of passports not issued in the UK must check with the relevant
embassies with regard to visa and/or transit visa requirements.
Requirements may change and you must check the up to date position
in good time before departure. Information on health is contained
in the Department of Health leaflet T6 (Health Advice for Travellers)
available from your local Department of Health office and most Post
Offices. For European holidays you should obtain a completed and
issued form E111 (details in leaflet T6 referred to above) prior
to departure. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in
possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure.
All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid
by you. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused
entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your
part to carry correct documentation. If you or any member of your
party is not a British Citizen or holds a non British passport,
you must check passport and visa requirements with the Embassy or
Consulate of the country(ies) to or through which you are intending
to travel. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents
results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed
on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly.
FLIGHTS The flight timings given in the brochure
and on booking forms are for general guidance only and are subject
to change. The latest timings will be shown on your confirmation
invoice. Actual flight times will be shown on your tickets, and
you must check your tickets very carefully to ensure all details
are correct. Please note that some of the airlines Cities Direct
use do not issue tickets, in which case you will receive a booking
confirmation for your flight which you present at check-in. We recommend
you carry your passport for all flights, and reconfirm your flight
times directly with the airline 24 hours before departure. Details
of the airlines and airports of destination shown in the brochure
and given on booking forms are also subject to change as is the
aircraft type. We reserve the right to substitute alternative airlines,
aircraft types and airport destinations. Such alterations do not
constitute a significant change to your holiday arrangements and
you will not therefore be entitled to cancel or change to another
holiday without paying our normal charges as a result. You will
not be specifically advised of such operational amendments. Please
note 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
on-board the airline advised at the time of booking or such other
airline that may be substituted. This brochure is our responsibility
and does not commit any of the independent organisations/carriers
whose services are featured in it. We regret we cannot accept liability
for, or offer you any assistance in the event of any delay at your
outward or homeward point of departure. In such circumstances you
may be able to claim on your insurance, please check your policy
for details.
LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE Your maximum baggage allowance
is indicated on your flight ticket or flight confirmation.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION Unless otherwise stated, our
holiday prices are per person based upon the shared occupancy of
twin or double-bedded rooms. Single rooms are available on request
and carry a supplementary charge, and please note that single rooms
are often smaller in size than twin/double rooms. En-suite facilities
designate rooms with private bathroom equipped with either bath
or shower and WC. Three bedded or quad rooms are usually twin/double
rooms with an extra bed. On holidays including half-board meal arrangements,
dinner will normally be based on a set menu unless otherwise stated.
The hotel ratings used refer to local classifications. Grading systems
vary from country to country and cannot be compared. As far as possible
we will use the hotels stated in the brochure, however occasionally
it may be necessary to use alternative hotels of equal standard.
The term hotel includes motels, inns or other equivalent establishments
according to local classification.
FACILITIES Every effort is made to ensure that
the details of your holiday given are correct at the time of publishing.
Please bear in mind however that the availability of certain services
and attractions may vary according to season, lack of demand, weather
conditions, essential maintenance work or other circumstances entirely
beyond our control. It is impossible to predict such occasions and
we cannot accept any liability for cancellations or curtailment
of such amenities, which are outside our control.
BROCHURE and WEBSITE ACCURACY
Please note that the information and prices shown in the brochure
or website may have changed by the time you come to book your holiday.
Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the brochure
and prices at the time of printing, regrettably errors do occasionally
occur. You must therefore ensure you check all details of your chosen
holiday (including the price) with us or your travel agent at the
time of booking.
EXCURSIONS Please note that optional excursions
are subject to demand and weather conditions, changes to advertised
excursions are rare but we do reserve the right to introduce new
excursions, or amend the programme, at any time.
BEHAVIOUR When you book with us, you accept responsibility
for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party.
Full payment for any such damage or loss must be paid direct at
the time to the accommodation owner or manager or other supplier.
If you fail to do so, you will be responsible for meeting any claims
subsequently made against us (together with our own and the other
party's full legal costs) as a result of your actions. We expect
all clients to have consideration for other people. If in our reasonable
opinion or in the reasonable opinion of any other person in authority,
you or any member of your party behaves in such a way as to cause
or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party
or damage to property, we are entitled, without prior notice, to
terminate the holiday of the person(s) concerned. In this situation,
the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the accommodation
or other service. We will have no further responsibility toward
such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds
will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred
as a result of the termination.
SPECIAL REQUESTS AND EXTRAS Any special requests
or extras made on your booking form are noted and we do our very
best to comply with these wherever possible. However, although we
do make every effort to meet your requirements, we cannot unfortunately
give a guarantee since this is dependent on our suppliers. We cannot
accept any booking that is conditional upon special requests or
extras being met. All such bookings will be treated as 'standard
bookings' subject to the above provisions on special requests and
extras. If you or any member of your party has any medical problem
or disability which may affect your holiday, please tell us before
you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability
of the chosen arrangements. In any event, you must give us full
details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel
unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person
concerned, we must reserve the right to decline their reservation
or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel
when we become aware of these details. If you have suffered from
a serious medical condition recently then you should consult your
doctor about your fitness to travel.
Cities Direct are always happy to supply you with these booking
conditions in large print format, to ensure they are easy to read,
and are available on written request. Please contact Cities Direct
Ltd.
|