Great Little Escapes has lost its ATOL licence, meaning some holidaymakers could be left out of pocket
A leading UK travel firm has collapsed after losing a vital accreditation, causing widespread concern among holidaymakers facing cancellations. Customers disgruntled by the loss of another affordable travel option expressed disdain, suggesting that opting for budget can lead to paying more in the end, remarking: “Go cheap, pay twice.”
Great Little Escapes, a Berkshire-based agency offering a range of holiday options from “adventure holidays to relaxing spa holidays, beach holidays to city breaks, adults-only to fun-filled family resorts”, found itself stripped of its ATOL protection. It’s important to note that this company is not connected to the similarly titled Great Little Breaks and shares no link with them.
The tried-and-tested guidance for holiday bookings is to use credit cards to protect your money should the underlying business collapse. Despite this, over 100 UK travellers might be left empty-handed as they risk their booked foreign vacations being scrapped after Great Little Escapes lost its ATOL accreditation.
Expressing sympathy yet a sense of inevitability, one upset customer mentioned: “Feel sorry for those who will lose their holidays, but then again, they clearly took their chances to get a cheap deal.” They continued: “Not ATOL protected and if they didn’t pay by credit card, then no way to get the money back.”
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Following the company’s slide into insolvency, the relevant authorities are now advising prospective customers to delay lodging any claims while further details of Great Little Escapes’ operations are investigated.
The authority has issued explicit guidance for travel agents linked with Great Little Escapes LLP, stating, “If you are a travel agent of Great Little Escapes LLP and you are currently holding consumer payments which you have not yet paid to Great Little Escapes LLP, you must not use these funds to refund consumers until you have received instructions from the Air Travel Trust.
“Travel agents will be individually contacted by the CAA with specific instructions for these bookings.”
The sudden downfall of yet another travel firm is likely to shake the confidence of holidaymakers hunting for bargain getaways. Echoing this sentiment, one netizen recommended caution, suggesting some travellers may be “Better off booking with the big travel agents. More expensive, but..”
This grim announcement arrives hot on the heels of another distressing revelation just a month prior when a different UK travel enterprise faced its demise, impacting countless travellers’ vacation plans.
Jetline Travel, a London-based entity founded in 2000 and also known as Jetline Cruise’s parent company, ceased its operations as an ATOL holder the previous month. TTG reported the business has now gone into administration.
Alan Clark of Carter Clark financial recovery specialists and Neil Bennett from the insolvency experts at Leonard Curtis were appointed administrators on 28 March.
Administration is a procedure that transpires when a company can no longer fulfil its debt commitments, resulting in the appointment of a licensed insolvency practitioner. This expert will either reorganise the business and negotiate with creditors, or liquidate assets, settle debts and dissolve the business.
In its 25 years of service, Jetline Travel has facilitated holidays for hundreds of thousands of travellers. Over this quarter-century, the firm also operated under various other monikers including Bargain Late Holidays, Best Priced Holidays, Cruise and More, Elegant Getaways, Our Best Holidays and Save on Sun.
