Financial Protection

We are an ATOL bonded tour operator.

ATOL stands for ‘Air Travel Organisers Licence’ and it is a government-run financial protection scheme operated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). ATOL protects package holidays if anything happens to the company you booked through.

What this means for you

ATOL cover means that if the Sustainable Birding Company were to cease trading for any reason, you would still be financially protected.

This means that in the unlikely event that something were to happen to us, and you hadn’t yet travelled, you would receive a full refund of any monies paid or a replacement holiday. Additionally, if we ceased trading while you were away on a trip we organised on your behalf, the scheme would provide support to minimise disruption to your holiday.

All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk

How do I know my holiday is ATOL protected?

When you book a holiday with us, we will provide you with an ATOL certificate as proof that it is protected. It explains what protection you have and what to do in the unlikely event that something happens to SBC.

Keep it somewhere safe and take it on holiday so you know how to make an ATOL claim if you need to.

Where does the money come from?

The CAA requires all ATOL holders to pay a fee for every single traveller and this fee is held in a fund managed by the Air Travel Trust.

This money creates a fund that will support consumers to minimise disruption to their holiday or, if they are no longer able to travel, provide a full refund for the holiday.

How do we get ATOL certified?

What this means in practical terms is that the Civil Aviation Authority has:

(a) interviewed our company directors,

(b) conducted reference checks on all key personnel in the business,

(d) checked our marketing materials (our website in particular).

Only after verifying all those elements do they even consider offering a licence to a travel company.

The final step is their requirement that we pay a fee for every single customer who travels. They hold onto this lump sum of our money for as long as we are in business – using it as insurance to protect our customers in the event of our insolvency. That is the sole focus of the ATOL scheme – ensuring any money you pay a to a travel company is protected from the outset.

Learn More

If you’d like to know more about the ATOL scheme, have a look at the CAA website – www.caa.co.uk.

You can search by our ATOL number too, which is 11353. You can also call us on 01768 603 715 to discuss ATOL for further information.