ABTA plays down ‘passport chaos’
ABTA has played down concerns over the so-called ‘passport chaos’, claiming its members haven’t seen a rise in the number of customers hit by a backlog.
Chief executive Mark Tanzer said the headlines which have dominated the media in the last couple of days will "undoubtedly have caused a great deal of concern for many people due to go on holiday this summer".
But he said the run-up to the summer holidays is traditionally a very busy time for passport renewals, so the industry shouldn’t really be surprised by a large volume of applications.
"ABTA members have told us that they have not seen an increase this year in the number of consumers contacting them to report passports not turning up in time, nor has ABTA’s own Consumer Helpline received an increase in this type of query," he said.
"However it is clear from the political storm that has been created that there are concerns about a "backlog" in applications."
He urged members to check the association’s guidance notes to make sure they pass on the correct information on passports and visas.
Meanwhile, Eurocamp confirmed it has received some emails and phone calls from customers worried about how their holidays may be affected by passport delays.
A spokesman said: "We would always try and help a customer as best we can, but would have to judge each case individually. There are no guarantees that we can help move holidays as it’s very much dependent on availability, etc."
The Monarch Travel Group said it had not had any customers hit by the backlog but said: "If we have customers who have been affected by a delay with their passports, we will be as flexible as we can in the current circumstances."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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