The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is calling on travellers to redeem vouchers received during the Covid-19 pandemic before the financial protection expires next year.
The body said that unspent refund credit notes now total £131.7 million, and the protection for such notes will expire on September 30, 2022.
The Atol scheme covers refund credit notes issued from March 10, 2020, for cancelled Atol-protected holidays. The vouchers were issued to holidaymakers as an alternative to cash refunds during the pandemic. These can be used towards new bookings or exchanged for a cash refund.
Additionally, the body says that firms will no longer be able to issue Atol-protected refund credit notes from December 20, 2021, for holidays cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Michael Budge, Head of ATOL at the CAA, said:
“With over £130m of ATOL refund credit notes yet to be redeemed, and international travel opening up again, we want to remind consumers to redeem any unused credits to make sure they do not lose out.
“Refund credit notes have been a fantastic tool to reassure consumers and support the industry. The decision to end the scheme reflects the changing of international travel restrictions with significantly increased demand from consumers over recent months due to the opening up of more destinations.”
