AUC renews calls for airline failure protection
A survey by the Air Transport Users Council has found less than one in 10 passengers would refuse to pay for protection from an airline failure.
The survey of over 2,000 people, by Ipsos MORI, found that only 8% said they would definitely not pay to be protected.
But when they were asked for their main considerations when booking a ticket, only five respondents in total mentioned the risk of an airline going bust.
“We have previously called for government to introduce a universal protection scheme against the failure of scheduled airlines,†said AUC chairman Tina Tietjen.
“The benefits of the ATOL scheme have been highlighted during the recent failure of Goldtrail Holidays. Goldtrail customers will be repatriated and those who were yet to travel will receive a full refund.
“In contrast, calls to our advice line suggest that recent scheduled airline failures have left large numbers of passengers stranded abroad and significantly out of pocket.â€
The survey also quizzed passengers about their experience of booking online.
It found:
17% said that they had made a mistake
13% said they had had a technical issue.
16% of respondents had mistakenly paid for optional services that they did not want.
By Bev Fearis
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.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive