Who Needs an ATOL License? Below is a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority who enforce Air Travel Operators Licensing, ATOL Q.-How can I tell if a flight or air holiday package should be ATOL Protected? A.-If you pay any money - even a deposit - to a holiday company in the UK for a flight or an air holiday package, the sale usually has to be ATOL protected. The travel company you’re booking with must either hold an ATOL or be an agent of a travel company that does, in which case it must tell you when you book which ATOL you’re protected by as soon as you pay any money, and issue a receipt, called an ATOL Receipt, to you Now the ATOL rules can become complicated so the United Kingdom Government has released guidance notes on the Package Holiday Regulations, that include the regulations referring to who should hold a license. These regulations are embodied in law and are not a matter to be ignored. Click here for the Guidance Notes.      Q. Do I need an ATOL license if I am organising a holiday for a few friends or my social group?           A. below is the answer from the guidance notes. “The marketing, sale and performance of package holidays sold or offered for sale in the United Kingdom are regulated by The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 (SI 1992 No 3288). The Regulations apply to anyone who organises packages whether they are for profit or not, and whether they are for business or club purposes” If the package tour that you are organising contains a flight element and your are offering for sale that tour, even for a social group, then you need an ATOL license or you need an ATOL license holder to package the tour for you, i.e. become the “Principal”. For a package tour without a flight element and that last more than 24 hours, other means of financial protection are legally required. My group is traveling by Coach, do I escape the ATOL regulations What is an Package Holiday?    A Package Holiday, put simply is as follows. Lasts more than 24 hours, includes, transportation and accommodation and applies to all holidays    or tours sold in the United Kingdom, when the package is offered for sale. This includes coach tours lasting more than 24 hours, coach tours that include accommodation, flights, or flights with accommodation or other service. See the Guidance Notes above. If there is no flight element you escape the ATOL regulations, but if the coach tour is more than 24 hours and includes overnight accommodation you do not escape the Package Travel Regulations, and therefore you require Financial Protection for the monies paid. What is meant by the term “Principal”? When you offer for sale a Package holiday, you become the “Principal”, which means you are responsible for all elements of the tour package and are also responsible for the ‘Health and Safety” of all of those traveling in our package. The above notes are only intended to inform that the package travel regulations exist and Vapour Trails interpretation of those laws. For further information use the Guidance Notes above, call our office using the contact page, or seek independent professional advise. Who is the Principal, click here? 0151 448 9726