Sovereign PDF Full - Flipbook - Page 273
The airline may use wide and narrow-body jets. Any changes to the actual airline after you
have received your tickets will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check-in
or at the boarding gate. Such a change is deemed to be a minor change. Other examples of
minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights by less than 12 hours, changes
to aircraft type, change of accommodation to another of the same standard. Some flights may
need to stop en route. If we know about this in advance we will tell you. Flight times shown in the
brochure, on the website and on your booking confirmation are not guaranteed. Actual flight
times are shown on your tickets. Flight times are local times based on the 24-hr system.
Please check with the airline regarding luggage allowance limits and the maximum allowable
single item baggage weight. If you have a medical condition, serious illness, recently undergone
surgery, or have suffered a recent accident, you must advise us and your airline and you may
need to be cleared for travel by the airline which will involve obtaining a Fitness to Fly Certificate
from your GP.
9. Complaints
If you have a complaint about your holiday whilst away, you must immediately notify our Service
Representative and the relevant supplier of the service and contact us in the UK if further action
is required by us. If you are not happy with their action taken in response please follow this up
within 35 days of your return from holiday by writing to our Customer Relations Department at
Specialist Holidays (Travel) Limited, The Atrium, London Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10
9SR or emailing us at customer.relations@sovereign.com, giving your booking reference and
all relevant information. We will acknowledge your written notification within 7 days and aim to
provide a full response within 28 days. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution
of disputes, which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we can’t resolve
your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. Further information on the
Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com. You can also
access the European Commission Online Dispute (ODR) Resolution platform at http://ec.europa.
eu/consumers/odr/. This ODR platform is a means of registering your complaint with us; it will
not determine how your complaint should be resolved. If you prefer, you can take your complaint
to the County Court or another suitable court. Information regarding complaints may be shared
with other tour operators.
10. Behaviour
On tours, safaris and excursions provided by us, it is necessary that you abide by the authority of
the leader, who represents the Company. If you commit any illegal act when on the holiday or if
in our reasonable opinion or the reasonable opinion of the Company representative or another
person in authority your behaviour is disruptive, threatening or abusive, causes unnecessary
inconvenience or is causing or likely to cause danger, damage, distress or upset, disturbance or
annoyance to others or others’ property, or puts any other traveler or our staff or agents in the UK
or in resort in any risk or danger, on the telephone, in writing or in person, we may terminate your
travel arrangements without any liability on our part.
If the Captain of your flight or ferry or any of our overseas staff or agents believes that you could
be disruptive or that you are suffering from a contagious disease, they can also refuse to let you
proceed with your travel arrangements, restrict your movements on board, disembark from the
ferry or aircraft, or remove you from your accommodation or excursion. If this means you are not
allowed to board the flight outbound from the UK, we will treat your booking as cancelled by
you from that moment, and you will have to pay full cancellation charges. If this occurs overseas
then you will become responsible for your own return home and any other members of your
group who cannot or will not travel without you. In any of these circumstances no refunds or
compensation will be paid to you and we will not be liable for any costs or expenses you incur.
If you are refused carriage because of your behaviour, or you are under the influence of alcohol
or drugs, your airline may pass on your details and date of refusal of carriage to other airlines
for their information. This in turn may make it difficult for you to book other airline tickets. In any
of these circumstances no refunds or compensation will be paid to you and we may make a
claim against you for any damages, costs and expenses (including legal expenses) incurred
as a result of your behaviour including but not limited to (i) repairing or replacing property
lost, damaged or destroyed by you, (ii) compensating any passenger, crew, staff or agent
affected by your actions and (iii) the cost of diverting the aircraft or ferry to remove you. Criminal
proceedings may also be instigated. If you are affected by any condition, medical or otherwise,
that might affect your or other people’s enjoyment of the holiday, you must advise us of this at
the time of booking.
The accommodation we arrange for you must only be used by those people named on
your Booking Confirmation or Departure Documents. You are not allowed to share the
accommodation or let anyone else stay there. You are responsible for the cost of any damage
caused to your accommodation or its contents during your stay. These charges must be met by
you and may have to be paid locally.
We expressly reserve the right to prevent you from participating in the excursions we provide,
whether pre-booked or purchased in resort, if in the reasonable opinion of our staff or those of
the excursion provider, you are either unsuited to undertake the excursion, or if you appear to be
under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In these circumstances your sole remedy against us will
be to obtain a refund of the cost of that excursion.
For the purpose of this section, reference to “you” or “your” includes any person in your party.
11. Visa, Health, Passport, Travel Documentation
It is essential that you ascertain whether or not you can obtain relevant visas and inoculations
before making your booking, particularly for late bookings. Whilst we are able to provide
basic advice to clients regarding passports and visa requirements, you should check with the
appropriate embassy, consulate or the British Foreign Office for the exact requirements for your
chosen holiday and date of travel. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct
passport and visas to gain access to any country/region included in the travel arrangements
which you purchase from us. If you fail to do so, we have no liability to you for any cost, loss
or damage which you suffer, nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your
travel arrangements. In some cases, countries will refuse entry to clients who have criminal
records. Should you be concerned about this, please check with the embassy or consulate of
the countries to which you are travelling. The lead name is entirely responsible for ensuring
that all members of the group have the correct and valid documentation for travel. We cannot
accept responsibility for any failure to comply resulting in any costs or fines being incurred
and we advise you to check with your passport office or the consulate in question if you have
any queries. Clients travelling overland to certain destinations may need to also pass through
controls of other countries en-route so this should be allowed for with any passport/visa
applications. When travelling to the US you must have the correct passport to travel on the
Visa Waiver Programme or have obtained the correct visa, valid for your stay. Each person
wishing to visit the US must have either; i) an e-passport (if your passport is issued after 26
October 2006), or a machine readable passport (containing a digital photograph) if your
passport is issued after the 26 October 2005 and a Visa Waiver Form or ii) a valid passport and
a valid visa which must be obtained before travel from the US authorities. The US authorities
require passengers travelling under the Visa Waiver Programme to register for electronic travel
authority on the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). If you have not applied for and
received travel authorisation via ESTA prior to travel you may be denied boarding, experience
delayed processing, or be denied admission at the U.S. port of entry. However, neither
possession of a visa nor meeting the basic requirements for travelling visa-free on the Visa
Waiver Programme guarantees admission to the US. As with most countries, the final decision
is made by immigration officials at the port of entry. You can apply online by completing the
application form at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov and paying a fee. If you are refused boarding or
denied admission at the U.S. port of entry, you will still be subject to our cancellation charges
in accordance with the terms of our contract with you. For additional specifics about the Visa
Waiver Programme please consult the Visa Waiver Programme information on the U.S. Embassy
London website www.usembassy.org.uk. We recommend that you carry your ESTA approval with
you when you travel and recommend you register at least 72 hours before departure. Please
Note: when you register for ESTA you must have a valid passport at the time of registration and,
for any travel to the USA, your passport must be an e-Passport that contains the microchip and
the e-passport symbol. If you have applied for a post dated passport (for example to reflect a
change in name) this passport will not be valid until the effective date noted in the passport.
Children and minors wanting to travel with a Visa Waiver Form must hold their own machine
readable passport or e-passport.
Please note that the nationals of some countries can only travel to the US if they have a valid
visa as they are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Programme. There is a $14 fee per person
charge which is payable by credit or debit card when applying. As announced by the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection, this fee will recover the costs incurred by the U.S. Customs
and Border Protection of providing and administering the ESTA system and is in addition to
the mandatory $10 travel promotion fee established by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009. This
is subject to change.
When travelling to Canada you must check with your foreign office and the Canadian authorities
that you have the correct passport and comply with the visa requirements. Under Canada’s eTA
program, citizens from countries other than the United States, who do not need a visa to enter
Canada, will need to obtain an online authorisation before flying to Canada, unless otherwise
exempted. The earlier travellers get their eTA, the sooner they will benefit from knowing they
have been pre-screened to enter Canada. A fee of $7 is payable for processing an application
for an electronic travel authorisation. An application for an electronic travel authorisation
must be made by means of an electronic system that is made available by the Department
(Citizenship and Immigration Canada) for that purpose. An electronic travel authorisation is
valid for a period of five years from the day on which it is issued to the applicant or until the
earliest of the following days, if they occur before the end of that period: (a) the day on which
the applicant’s passport or other travel document expires, (b) the day on which the electronic
travel authorisation is cancelled, or (c) the day on which a new electronic travel authorisation
is issued to the applicant.
Please note that for some trips we need to request special permits, and as such we will require
your passport details prior to accepting your booking. Furthermore, if you renew your passport
after you have booked, you may be required to take your old passport with you to maintain the
validity of the permit.
We are able to advise on mandatory health requirements; however, we are not medical experts.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain proper and detailed medical advice at least two
months prior to travel for the latest health requirements, recommendations for your destination
and any costs. You should check this information at least 2 months before departure and again
within 14 days of travel. Where you do not do so and either are not allowed to enter any country,
or suffer personal injury or death as a result, we have no liability to you for any cost, loss or
damage which you suffer nor will we refund you the cost of any unused portion of your travel
arrangements. Clients with existing medical problems, pregnant women and anyone who has
recently visited other countries should check requirements with their general practitioner.
When assessing whether holidays will operate we use information from our local offices in
conjunction with advice from the British Foreign Office and other relevant government bodies.
It is your responsibility to acquaint yourself with the travel advice provided by these government
bodies. For more information, please visit our Travel Aware page and government websites at
www.gov.uk/travelaware and www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for your destination country.
12. Privacy Policy
Specialist Holiday (Travel) Limited is part of the Travelopia group of companies (https://
www.travelopia.com/). Here at Sovereign, we understand the concerns about how data
may be stored, sent and used by companies. We are committed to complying with all data
protection laws and want you to feel confident in the measures we are taking to uphold your
data privacy rights.
This quick guide provides a brief summary of our data practices but you can always find out
more detailed information in our full privacy policy.
WHAT INFORMATION MIGHT WE COLLECT FROM YOU?
The information we collect depends upon how you are interacting with us. For example, if you’re
making a booking with us, we are likely to ask for more information than if you’re only requesting
a brochure. Depending upon the circumstances, we might need to collect the following
information from you: personal details such as name, address, e-mail address, date of birth,
telephone number, payment details, details of identification documents, health details and
travel preferences. For more details, please see our full privacy policy.
Where we need to collect personal data by law or under the terms of a contract we have with
you and you fail to provide that data when requested, we might not be able to provide you
with your booking.
WHEN DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL DATA?
In order to provide you with your booking you have requested (such as holidays, flights or tickets
to a sports event) we may need to share your personal information with third parties such as
airlines, tour operators, transport companies, excursion providers, airport authorities, insurance
companies, car hire companies, ground handling agencies, cruise companies, airlines, hotels,
airports and other suppliers we work with in connection with your business. We do not pass your
information to other parties for marketing purposes unless you agree to us doing so.
WHAT ARE OUR MARKETING PRACTICES?
We would like to keep you up to date with latest offers, partnerships, sales, promotions,
competitions from Sovereign or those of other Travelopia companies providing similar products.
However, we will only do so if you have signed up to receive these marketing communications
from us or made a booking and you have not told us that you do not want to hear from us. You
can opt-out of marketing at any time by clicking on the ‘unsubscribe’ link included in all of our
e-mails or by contacting us.
WHAT PERSONAL DATA RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE?
You have a range of legal rights over your data. You can find out more in our full privacy policy.
HOW CAN CONTACT US ABOUT YOUR DATA PRIVACY?
We have appointed a data protection officer (DPO)/data privacy manager who can assist with
queries you have in relation to our data practices. If you have questions, please contact the
DPO/data privacy manager using the details set out below.
The Data Protection Officer/Data Privacy Manager, Specialist Holidays (Travel) Limited, Origin
One, 108 High Street, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 1BD
This privacy notice version was last updated on 10th May 2018.
13. Departure Documents
We issue Departure Documents for your booking. All the information contained therein will be
deemed to be part of the contract. Your Departure Documents will be sent to you by email or
post, depending on the type of booking you have made, approximately 21 days before your
holiday. Further copies can be obtained from us by contacting Customer Services (see above)
or from Specialist Holidays (Travel) Limited, The Atrium, London Road, Crawley, West Sussex,
RH10 9SR. Departure Documents contain up-to-date definitive information about the itinerary
and travel arrangements. Should there be a discrepancy between the information in the
brochure or website, prior documentation and the final Departure Documents we send to you,
the information in the Departure Documents supersedes the previous information and will be
considered the most up-to-date and accurate.
14. Special Requests
We will consider special requests such as vegetarian meals, high or low floor preferences in the
accommodation, when you book. We will tell you whether there is a charge for the request. We
can only guarantee requests for which there is a charge, or those that are confirmed in writing. It
is your responsibility to advise us of any special requirements.
15. Participation Requirements
All clients are expected to satisfy themselves prior to booking that they are fit and able to
complete the itinerary of their chosen holiday as described in this brochure. Anyone suffering
from mobility impairment, illness or disability or undergoing treatment for any physical or
medical condition must declare the true nature of such condition at the time of booking and
make arrangements for the provision of any medication or other treatment which may be
required during the holiday. Failure to make such disclosure will constitute a breach of these
booking conditions and result in such persons being excluded from the holiday in which case all
monies paid will be forfeit.
Unaccompanied passengers under the age of 18 years need a letter of consent from a parent or
legal guardian. The minimum age of unaccompanied travel is 16 years on the date of departure.
For stays in the USA, at least one person per room staying at any hotel must be at least 21 years
of age on the date of travel and a credit card with credit to be held as a deposit is required
to check in.
Credit cards are required in many hotels and for all vehicle hire for all destinations. A deposit
amount will be held. You must ensure you have a card and the relevant credit available.
16. Law & Jurisdiction
If you booked your holiday in any jurisdiction other than in Scotland or Northern Ireland
(including any booking via the internet), this contract, and any other claim or dispute arising
from or related to this contract, will be governed by English law and the courts of England and
Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim arising out of it. If you booked your holiday
in Scotland, this contract, and any claim or dispute arising from or related to this contract, will
be governed by Scottish law and the courts of Scotland shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any
claim arising out of it. If you booked your holiday in Northern Ireland, this contract, and any claim
or dispute arising from or related to this contract, will be governed by Northern Irish law and the
courts of Northern Ireland shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim arising out of it.
17. Brochure Validity
We published this brochure in December 2018 and the details contained in it are valid from 27th
December 2018 until publication of any revised edition. Our travel advisor will be able to confirm
the price before you book. Holidays in this brochure operate from 1st March 2019 to 31st March
2020, subject to availability.
Call our Trusted Advisers on 01293 831799* or visit sovereign.com
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Terms and Conditions
unconnected with your holiday and is unforeseeable or unavoidable, or is attributable to our
employees, agents, subcontractors and suppliers and their staff whilst acting outside the scope
of their employment, or is due to information, however obtained, from outside sources such as
independent third party websites, or is due to unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond
our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had
been exercised, or an event which neither we, nor our agents or suppliers could have foreseen or
forestalled, or related to any consequential loss not directly connected to the contract with us.
If any international convention applies to, or governs, any of the services or facilities included in
your holiday arranged or provided by us, or provided by any of our suppliers, and you make a
claim against us of any nature arising out of death, injury, loss or damage suffered during or as
a result of the provision of those services or facilities, our liability to pay you compensation and/
or the amount (if any) of compensation payable to you by us will be limited in accordance with
and/or in an identical manner to that provided for by the international convention concerned
(in each case including in respect of the conditions of liability, the time for bringing any claim
and the type and amount of any damages that can be awarded). International Conventions
which may apply include, without limitation: in respect of international air travel, the Warsaw
Convention 1929 (as amended) or the Montreal Convention 1999; in respect of rail travel, the
Berne Convention 1961; in respect of carriage by sea, the Athens Convention 1974; in respect of
carriage by road, the Geneva Convention 1973; and, in respect of hotels, the Paris Convention
1962. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that we are to be regarded as having all
benefit of any limitations of compensation contained in any of these Conventions or any other
international conventions applicable to your holiday. Other than as set out above, and as is
detailed elsewhere in these booking conditions, we shall have no legal liability whatsoever to
you for any loss or damage.
Under EU law, European Community Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, you have rights in some
circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding,
cancellation of or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at EU airports
and will also be available from airlines. However, you should note that reimbursement of the
cost of a flight that forms part of your holiday is the responsibility of your holiday airline and will
not automatically entitle you to reimbursement of the cost of your travel arrangement from us.
Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in these Booking Conditions. If any
payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline will be deducted from
this amount. If your airline does not comply with these rules you should complain to the Aviation
Consumer Advocacy Panel on 020 7240 6061 or at www.caa.co.uk.
If you purchase any optional activities that are not part of your pre-booked itinerary, the contract
for the provision of that activity will be between you and the activity provider. The decision
to partake in any such activity is entirely at your own discretion and risk. If you do have any
complaint about, or problem with, any optional activity purchased in resort your claim should
be directed to the activity provider and not to us. However, should you or any member of your
party by misadventure suffer illness, injury or death during the period of your holiday from an
activity which does not form part of the arrangements made by us or an excursion purchased
through us, we shall, where appropriate and subject to our absolute discretion, try to help if
we can. We may help everyone on your booking up to a total cost of £5,000, as long as the
following conditions are met:
(i) you must ask us for such assistance within 90 days of the misadventure;
(ii) You must make a claim under your insurance policy’s legal expenses or other appropriate
section. You must show us proof that your insurance company has received your claim; and
(iii) in the event of there being a successful claim for costs against a third party or a suitable
insurance policy or policies being in force, you must repay us the costs actually incurred by us
in giving this assistance.
We may operate holidays in regions where standards of accommodation, transport, safety,
hygiene, medical facilities and other infrastructure may, at times, be lower than those you
normally expect. The outline itineraries given for each holiday must be taken as an indication
of what should be accomplished, and not as a contractual obligation on our part. Changes
in itinerary may be caused by local political conditions, flight cancellations, mechanical
breakdown, weather, border restrictions, sickness, or other unforeseeable circumstances. Pro
rata refunds will be given for services not utilised wherever possible.
Please note that the timings of air, sea, road or rail departures are estimates only. These timings
may be affected by operational difficulties, weather conditions or failure of passengers to
check in on time.
Orient Express Bookings
In making any bookings for any rail travel (including but not limited to travel by the Orient
Express) then your contract also incorporates the train owner / carriers (collectively, the
“Carrier”) terms and conditions (the “Passenger Conditions of carriage”) which shall govern
the relationship, responsibilities and liabilities as between you, the passenger, and the Carrier.
A copy of the Passenger Conditions of Carriage can be provided on request. By making your
booking and accepting these terms you also agree to these Passenger Conditions of Carriage
and accept the conditions therein, you agree that any dispute or claim that you raise with us will
be subject to this Agreement and not the Passenger Conditions of Carriage and to the extent
there is a conflict between this Agreement and the provisions of the Passenger Conditions of
Carriage as they relate to you and us, this Agreement shall prevail and supersede the provisions
of the Passenger Conditions of Carriage.
8. Air Carrier Liability for Passengers and their Baggage
Flight notice, flight information and EU blacklist. This is a notice required by European
Community Regulation (EC) No. 889/2002. This notice cannot be used as a basis for a claim for
compensation, nor to interpret the provisions of European Community legislation or the Montreal
Convention, and it does not form part of the contract between the air carrier(s), us and you. No
representation is made by the air carrier(s) or us as to the accuracy of the contents of this notice.
This information notice summarises the liability rules applied by European Community air carriers
as required by European Community legislation and the Montreal Convention.
Compensation in the case of death or injury. There are no financial limits to the liability for
passenger injury or death. For damages up to approximately 113,100 Special Drawing Rights
(“SDRs”) the air carrier cannot contest claims for compensation. Above that amount, the air
carrier can defend itself against a claim by proving that it was not negligent or otherwise
at fault.
Advance payments. If a passenger is killed or injured, the air carrier must make an advanced
payment, to cover immediate economic needs, within 15 days from the identification of the
person entitled to compensation. In the event of death, this advance payment shall not be less
than 16,000 SDRs .
Passenger delays. In case of passenger delay, the air carrier is liable for damage unless it took
all reasonable measures to avoid the damage or it was impossible to take such measures. The
liability for passenger delay is limited to 4,694 SDRs .
Baggage delays. In case of baggage delay, the air carrier is liable for damage unless it took
all reasonable measures to avoid the damage or it was impossible to take such measures. The
liability for baggage delay is limited to 1,131 SDRs.
Destruction, loss or damage to baggage. The air carrier is liable for destruction, loss or damage
to baggage up to 1,131 SDRs. In the case of checked baggage, it is liable even if not at fault,
unless the baggage was defective. In the case of unchecked baggage, the carrier is liable
only if at fault.
Higher limits for baggage. A passenger can benefit from a higher liability limit by making a
special declaration at the latest at check-in and by paying a supplementary fee.
Complaints on baggage. If the baggage is damaged, delayed, lost or destroyed, the passenger
must write and complain to the air carrier as soon as possible. In the case of damage to
checked baggage, the passenger must write and complain within seven days, and in the case
of delay within 21 days, in both cases from the date on which the baggage was placed at the
passenger’s disposal.
Liability of contracting and actual carriers. If the air carrier actually performing the flight is not
the same as the contracting air carrier, the passenger has the right to address a complaint or to
make a claim for damages against either. If the name or code of an air carrier is indicated on
the ticket, that air carrier is the contracting air carrier.
Time limit for action. Any action in court to claim damages must be brought within two years from
the date of arrival of the aircraft, or from the date on which the aircraft ought to have arrived.
Basis for the information. The basis for the rules described above is the Montreal Convention
of 28 May 1999, which is implemented in the European Community by European Community
Regulation (EC) No. 2027/97 (as amended by European Community Regulation (EC) No.
889/2002) and national legislation of the Member States.
In accordance with European Community Regulation (EC) No. 2111/2005, Article 9, we are
required to bring to your attention the existence of a ‘Community list’ which contains details of air
carriers that are subject to an operating ban within the European Community. The Community list
is available for inspection at www.air-ban.europa.eu.
In accordance with European Community Regulation (EC) No. 2111/2005 we are required to
advise you of the actual carrier operating your flight/connecting flight/transfer if your booking
includes flight(s). We do this by listing carriers to be used or likely to be used on the Flights
information section of our FAQs at www.sovereign.com.
