ABTA Reviews 745

I had a problem with a holiday that was changed before we went on it. The change made by the travel company were unsuitable for us as a family, which resulted in us being unable to go.
It was complicated because the company had made two separate bookings but would only refund one.
Having saved long and hard for our holiday, I took the matter to ABTA
I have to say they were fantastic. Very helpful, excellent at communicating and the outcome was that I obtained a full refund from the company involved
I would not hesitate to go through ABTA to help with a problem and would recommend other people to go to them too

We had an issue where we weren't collected to go to the airport. So had to pay again, to start with we were refused a refund however, we went through the complaints process with ABTA and we're grateful to recieve a full refund for taxi costs.

The ABTA website is difficult to navigate. They refuse to answer my messages and are just waiting for me to go away. Waste of time . Why do they not have a properly monitored email address?

I have contacted this company on two occasions since last October not even had the courtesy of a reply

Raised a complaint against Tui who treated me as a longstanding customer, appallingly. Tui promised all sorts, lied and then to cap it all, reneged on the agreement they had made which would have gone some way to resolving my complaint. Complained to ABTA who were no help at all. It seems that the ABTA code of conduct does not extend to travel firms honouring agreements they make. No response to recent messages or emails to ABTA. Now want to submit a Subject Access Request to ABTA but no contact details on the website. They have not treated my information in line with their own terms and conditions so looks like the Information Commissioners Office is my next port of call.

for the heads up and saving me additional wasted time and expense. Now it makes total sense why Hoseasons (also Cottages.com) are so entirely happy to point blank deny my valid claim without any reasonable grounds and instead keep throwing ABTA's name at me at every given opportunity! Looking at the company details most of the multiple CEOs (odd in itself) are also CEOs of companies such as Jet2, Easyjet Holidays, Celebrity Cruises (...), Blue Bay Hotels and Travel etc. So here we go again - another shady, unscrupulous, smoke and mirrors 'authority body' in the UK, lacking impartiality and clearly setup for one purpose - to shield rogue holiday providers and maintain the lowest of standards in this country. Utterly shameful. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night working for an outfit like this. 'Travel with confidence'? Sure ABTA, sure. Legal action it is then.

The ABTA response was immediate in that the team set my expectation levels with regard to how quickly they would be able to address my complaint. However within a week I was able to speak directly to my holiday company, having tried to do this unsuccessfully for three months, before contacting ABTA. I was very pleased with the outcome and am grateful for ABTA's intervention.

I'm yet another reviewer with a complaint re Jet2 Holidays. Having returned from a thoroughly rotten Jet2 holiday I submitted a formal complaint to Jet2. It took almost 7 weeks for them to contact me personally (a phone call) It was instantly clear that I was wasting my time with Jet2 and so contacted ABTA. I assumed that ABTA was an organisation set up to support the traveller/customer, however I now know that this is not really the case. ABTA is essentially a trade union for the travel industry, they regularly refer to 'Our member' which in my case was Jet2 Holidays and definitely not me. To be fair to ABTA their web site does make it clear that they are not an ombudsman and that they cannot help re compensation etc - anyone thinking of contacting ABTA, please bear this in mind. Having submitted all details of my complaint to ABTA and waiting a full 3 months (from my original complaint to Jet2) I eventually ended up at the point where others have ended up, namely - ABTA couldn't help me but could point me in the direction of arbitration for a fee etc etc. I decided to cut my losses and treat the whole experience as an education. I'm obviously pleased that some other reviewers have found ABTA helpful but I have ended up, like many others, wondering why ABTA exists? In future I will A) disregard 'ABTA protected' and B) run a mile from Jet2 Holidays. Contacting ABTA has been a complete waste of my time.

Contacted ABTA regarding a complaint I had with Virgin holidays, they escalated my issue and gave it their priority attention. Virgin however addressed my concerns and complaint resolved. Thank you ABTA for providing the support for a very complex situation

Thank you ABTA. I raised a dispute as I felt I was taken for a toss by the Holiday Provider who gave me instructions after the event and expected me to comply. Thankfully my dispute raised with ABTA resulted in my getting a refund. Thank you for the positive intervention ABTA. I feel that your purpose, role and result for consumers like me was very well served

I made a serious complaint against Emirates. I filled in the form and filled in verification code. On 13th July 2024.
No reply from ABTA. No code to use.
I just phoned and the help line didn't work, need code.
No email address either.
Useless.

I had a holiday not as described on EasyJet holidays website. I had the pictures the videos and proof we booked a different hotel while there. We contacted easyJet holidays during the stay.

Easy jet took months to reply and basically said can’t uphold my complaint. They didn’t answer any of the questions about what I should have had during the stay. So I registered a complaint via ABTA, they wanted every bit of information so I thought that a decent investigation would take place. EasyJet failed for reply again for months. After months they replied once to say easyJet has been in touch and they are not changing the position and I can take it forward legally. They don’t even give an outcome or carry out an investigation. It’s basically a process for its members who are the big holiday companies. Whole service is poor and I will avoid any ‘members’ they have as even when you are 100% correct they do nothing and don’t even make a ruling.

I had a dispute with Princess cruises to whom we have been loyal cruises for many years. Princess were not honouring a gesture of goodwill that had been given but instead the holding letter as they called it was actually an invoice and not a “gesture of goodwill” as they had given. I got very frustrated at the responses they were giving me so I took the case to ABTA. The process was easy to raise the dispute. It did feel at times ABTA were not responding but it worked as Princess finally resolved the situation which I don’t think would have happened if ABTA hasn’t been involved. I know there are a lot of negative reviews but don’t give up. If you know the company is wrong and you are right, then this is the only way that change may happen.

Thank you most sincerely to everyone who has posted reviews about their terrible experience of dealing with ABTA. I was just about to spend over £300 on their Gold travel insurance policy, but will now look elsewhere. If ABTA behaves as the reviews indicate in relation to mediating with travel companies and being the industry watchdog, then I have no doubt they will be equally poor in the event of an insurance claim. Organisations that wear you down with inadequate service should be chased out of town.

I'm trying to raise a dispute on the ABTA Website. I entered the company that I'm disputing, Jet2 Holidays, into the Search box and came back with "Doesn't recognise this company, and the company may not be a member of ABTA." This has stopped me from raising the dispute.

The assessment of ABTA's handling of our dispute resolution process raises significant concerns about their practices and consumer protection standards. As a CTSI-ADR approved body, ABTA's decision to direct consumers to HUNT ADR - a non-CTSI approved arbitration service - appears to undermine their own standing and responsibility to consumers. While ABTA processed our initial claim, their chosen arbitration partner focused solely on contractual aspects while failing to address the fundamental standpoints of our complaint. Most concerning is ABTA's apparent endorsement of a dispute resolution system that requires consumers to pay substantial fees (£350 plus VAT) to challenge decisions, exceeding typical small claims court costs for self-representation. For an organization that positions itself as a consumer protection body and holds CTSI-ADR approval, ABTA's choice to partner with a service that lacks equivalent consumer protection standards and imposes significant financial barriers to appeals seems to contradict their stated commitment to consumer interests. The lack of transparency in this process is particularly troubling, as consumers entering ABTA's dispute resolution system are not adequately informed upfront about these limitations and potential additional costs. Furthermore, ABTA's approach appears to create a two-tier system where access to justice becomes dependent on a consumer's ability to pay substantial fees, rather than the merits of their case. Their partnership with HUNT ADR effectively forces consumers into a position where they must either accept potentially incomplete decisions or face disproportionate costs to seek a fair review - a situation that seems to conflict with ABTA's role as a consumer protection organization. This raises serious questions not only about ABTA's judgment in selecting arbitration partners but also about their commitment to maintaining the high standards expected of a CTSI-ADR approved body.

I have experience of using ABTA twice with different companies.
I found the process of registering the dispute fairly easy via the website.
The previous dispute went to arbitration and I'm pleased to say my dispute was upheld and the company were required to provide compensation so well worth spending the money to take to arbitration.
My recent dispute was settled by the company after I registered the dispute with ABTA, despite them saying on numerous occasions that they would only offer money off another cruise!

Abta are toothless. Cannot believe they accepted the cruise company to distort what was said. Abta are no more than a batting service for its members. I would recommend that you don’t waste your time if you are looking for any compensation as the chances are at best a snowball chance

I recently had an excellent experience with the ABTA team that I want to share. While planning a trip with three friends, we discovered that one passenger's name was incorrectly listed on the e-ticket we purchased from World Airfares.
Unfortunately, World Airfares was unhelpful in resolving the issue.

Frustrated, we reached out to ABTA, and they quickly took our concerns seriously. The team was proactive and communicated effectively with World Airfares on our behalf. Thanks to their efforts, WorldAirfares agreed for the correction of the name on the e-ticket.
I am incredibly grateful for ABTA's dedication and professionalism. Their support made a potentially stressful situation into a smooth experience, allowing us to focus on enjoying our trip.
I highly recommend ABTA for their exceptional customer service and advocacy in travel issues. Thank you, ABTA, for making our journey stress-free!

The service provided was subpar and did not meet the expected standards. It is concerning that compensation is not awarded when a holiday experience goes awry, as this allows companies to engage in unacceptable behavior without consequence.