Booking Terms and Conditions
We accept your booking on the basis of the terms and Conditions below, which
are designed to clarify the contractual obligation between us. It is important
that you read these conditions together with the holiday and insurance
information pages, as they not only define our obligation to you but also
impose some important commitments upon you. Your contract is with Sona
Tours Ltd. In these booking conditions, “you” and “your” means all persons
named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a
later date). “We”, “us” and “our” means Sona Tours Ltd
Your contract with us
1. Your Booking:
When making a booking, you must complete and sign the booking form
enclosed with this brochure or on our website. Once accepted, a contract will
exist as soon as we issue our confirmation invoice. Once you have received
your confirmation invoice, it is your responsibility to check that the information
and booking details, including the spelling of all passenger names, as stated
on your invoice are correct.
We regret we cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of any errors
(by us) in any document within five days of our sending it out. We will do our
best to rectify any mistake notified to us outside these time limits but you must
meet any costs involved in doing so. The only exception to this requirement to
meet costs is where the mistake in question was made by us and there is good
reason why you did not tell us about it within these time limits. We reserve the
right to refuse to accept and/or not proceed with any booking at any time at our
sole discretion. The contract is based on the information given on our website
and in our brochure, and the terms laid out in the following Booking Conditions
a) When you purchase a package that includes a flight, all monies you pay
to the travel agent are held by him on behalf and for the benefit of the Trustees
of the Air Travel Trust at all times. This is subject to the agent’s obligation to pay
it to us for so long as we do not fail. If we fail, any money held at that time by the
agent, or subsequently accepted from you by him, is and continues to be held
on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any
obligation to pay that money to us. However, when you purchase a package that
does not include flights all monies you pay to the travel agent are held by him
on our behalf at all times.
b) All contracts between Sona Tours Limited and its clients are made on the
terms of these booking conditions which are governed by English Law and both
parties shall submit to the jurisdiction of English Courts at all times unless the
holiday was booked in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
N.B: We can only accept a booking if the lead name is a minimum of 18
years on or before the date of departure. If under 18 years at the time of the
booking, the written consent of a parent or guardian is required
2. Your Payment
Your Confirmation of Reservation includes an invoice showing the full value
of your booking (including any surcharges referred to in ‘our contract with
you’ clause 10). Any monies paid will have separate receipts respectively. The
outstanding amount must be paid by the due date. Should we not receive
payment by this date we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled,
in which case you could be liable to pay cancellation charges according to
the scale set out in Clause 4 below. Please note transaction charge varies
for different credit and debit cards and this will be advised to you at time of
payment. The following Forex Cards/Pre-Paid and UK Corporate/Business
cards incurs a surcharge of 3% for total amount. International (Non-UK or
EU) Credit/Debit cards 7%. For all UK & EU cards the maximum transaction
permitted is £1500 per booking. There after the balance will be payable by
bank transfer / cheque or cash.
If you make a booking after the date on which the final balance of the
holiday is due, full payment will be required at time of booking. If the deposit
and/or balance are not paid in time, we reserve the right to cancel your travel
arrangements. If the balance is not paid in time, we shall retain your deposit.
All monies you pay to the travel agent are held by them on your behalf
until we issue our confirmation invoice. After this the travel agent holds the
monies on our behalf. In line with most major operators we make a charge for
balances paid by credit/debit cards as this reflects the charges levied on us by
card companies Clause 2 above.
It is your responsibility to remember to pay the balance; if you do not
pay the balance by due date then we may cancel your holiday and apply the
cancellation charges as set out in Clause 4 below.
N.B. (i)The person making the on-line booking does so on behalf of
all persons named on it, and he/she becomes directly responsible to the
Company for the payment of the total holiday price and if applicable, and where
appropriate, for the cancellation charges and disbursements of any funds.
(ii) If any cheque payment from a client is dishonoured, we reserve the right to
treat your booking as cancellation by the client and if such booking is reinstated at
our discretion, any bank charges incurred to be added to the holiday
Low deposit scheme
On selected Coach tours, Europe by Flight tours, International Tours or
Cruise tours, you may be offered the option to pay a Low or Reduced Deposit
(referred to in these conditions as a “Low Deposit”).
Where you choose this option, the following terms and conditions apply.
Making a Low Deposit payment shall mean you (the Lead Name on the
booking) have accepted these conditions for yourself and each member of your
party. The Low Deposit is an amount lower than the full deposit of the tour
cost. The full deposit is the tour operator’s standard deposit amount and is the
minimum amount you must pay if you cancel your booking. If you cancel your
holiday booking before your departure date, you agree to pay a cancellation
charge as shown on clause 4 – Your cancellation.
Even if you cancel your booking prior to the date on which the remainder
of the Full Deposit must be paid, you will still be liable to pay the remainder
of the Full Deposit (because a cancellation charge equal to the Full Deposit
amount is the minimum cancellation fee that will apply), and payment of
that sum will become due immediately when you instruct us to cancel your
booking. If you fail to pay the remainder of the Full Deposit by the due date,
we will be entitled to cancel your booking and you will then be liable to pay
the remainder of the Full Deposit to us.
to us.
You agree to pay, the difference between the Low Deposit and the Full
Deposit (shown below), followed by the remaining balance of your holiday
The current Low Deposit and Full Deposit amounts payable are shown below.
(These amounts can change so if you’ve previously booked please check your
documentation for the amounts payable or with the office).
Coach Tours: Low Deposit of £50 per person (Full Deposit of 30% before 42 days /
6 weeks and remaining balance by 28th day / 4 weeks before tour departs)
Europe by Flight: Low Deposit of £100 per person (Full Deposit of 50%
before 56 days / 8 weeks and remaining balance by 42nd day / 6 weeks before
tour departs)
International Tours : : Low Deposit of £500 per person (Full Deposit
of 50% before 84 days / 12 weeks and remaining balance by 56th day / 8
weeks before tour departs
Cruise Tours: : Low Deposit of £500 per person (Full Deposit of 50% before 119
days / 17 weeks and remaining balance by 91st day / 13 weeks before tour departs)
3. Your Alterations
Once a contract exists between us, you may wish to change your travel
arrangements. For example, your chosen dates of travel, accommodation etc.
and we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be
possible. “Note: Certain travel arrangements (for example, flights, cruises,
certain accommodation / services) may not be changeable after a reservation
has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge
of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements. Any request for changes
to be made must be from the person who made the booking or your travel
agent. You will be asked to pay an administration charge of £50 per booking
and any further cost we may incur in making this alteration. You should be
aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that
changes are made and you should therefore contact us as soon as possible. All
amendments must be notified to us in writing, or by e-mail to info@sonatours.
co.uk, by the person who made the original booking. (We can only allow a
maximum of two amendments to an individual booking).
4. Your Cancellation
You or any member of your party may cancel your booking or part of it once it
has been confirmed but the cancellation will only be valid if made in writing
direct to the Company. If the cancellation results in a person travelling alone,
a single room supplement is payable. The amount payable on cancellation
depends upon when we receive your written instructions the more notice you
give, the less we will charge. The different periods before departure date within
which written instructions are received by Sona Tours Ltd. and amounts of
cancellation charged in each period (shown as a percentage of the total holiday
price excluding insurance premium which is not refundable) are as follows:
Depending on the type of holiday you have chosen or the season that you are travelling
there may be a variation to these cancellation charges. These will be advised to
you at the time you book your holiday and detailed on your confirmation.
N.B.(i) If any member of your party is prevented from travelling, the person(s)
concerned may transfer their place to someone else (introduced by you) providing
we are notified not less than 14 days before departure. Where a transfer to a person
of your choice can be made or is possible, then all costs and charges incurred by
us and/or incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers as a result together with
an amendment fee as shown in the table above (per person) and the balance of the
holiday cost if due but not paid, must be paid before the transfer can be effected.
(ii) If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance
policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.
(iii) If one person sharing a twin/double or triple room should cancel, the remaining
participants would then be required to pay the relevant single supplement or forfeit
the triple reduction.
(iv)Cancellation policy also apply if a) tour participant cannot adhere to the tour
payment schedule set out above, b) in the event that his/her visas for any country(ies)
are not granted or c) In the event that any tour participant is unable to travel
for any reason whatsoever, including medical grounds.
(v) All Special Offers / Discounts including Early Bird offers will have different payment
terms as stated at the time of booking. Special offers have mandatory payment amount, time specific.
Details can be found on relevant promotions. All offers are non-combinable. Only one offer per tour can
be applied at a time. Noncompliance of mandatory payments will render all offers applicable null and void.
This will not result in cancellation of the booking. Normal cancellation policy applies.
(vi) Changing your holiday due to Covid-19. We will have no liability for any
refunds, compensation, costs, expenses, or other losses of any kind incurred
by you (including, where applicable, the cost of medical treatment), in the
following circumstances:
a) If you, or anyone in your booking party, test positive for Covid-19 and
have to quarantine for a period of time, or are notified or otherwise become
aware that you have, or suspect you may have, come into close contact with
someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 (or where they otherwise
suspect they may have Covid-19) and have to self-isolate for a period of time. If
this happens within 14 days of your departure date, you must contact us as you
may no longer be able to travel. We will offer you the following options where
possible and subject to availability: If not everyone on the booking is affected,
you will have the right to transfer your place on the holiday to another
person nominated by you, subject always to the requirements of clause 3(i).
Cancelling your holiday, in which case our standard cancellation charges
will apply as at the date of cancellation by you. You may be able to claim
these costs back from your travel insurance provider. If this happens whilst
you are on your holiday, please notify us without delay and we will provide
such reasonable assistance as we can in the circumstances. However, we will
not be responsible for covering the cost of any curtailment of your holiday,
missed transport arrangements, additional accommodation required, or other
associated costs incurred by you. You must ensure you have travel insurance
which covers these costs.
b) You fail any tests, checks or other measures imposed by a supplier,
airline, port or airport, border control authority or other government body
or local authority or fail to submit for testing or assessment when requested
to do so, and as such you are denied entry to board the flight, entry to the
destination, access to the services or you are otherwise unable to proceed with
the holiday, or that portion of the holiday. You are responsible for complying
with any official guidance from governments or local authorities, both in
the UK and whilst on your holiday. You also acknowledge that the suppliers
providing your holiday, including airlines, hotels and excursion providers,
will need to comply with national and/or local guidance and requirements
relating to Covid-19, and have implemented certain measures as a result.
This will likely include specific requirements regarding personal protective
equipment, such as use of facemasks by staff (and you may be required to
wear a facemask as well), social distancing, maximum number restrictions on
the use of certain facilities, designated alternative entrance and exit routes,
mandatory hand sanitisation, limited entertainment options and limited
food/drink availability. We do not expect these measures to have a significant
impact on your enjoyment of the holiday and all measures will be taken with
the purpose of securing your safety and those around you.
5. Your Special Request
If you have any special request, you must advise us at the time of booking.
Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the
relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met.
Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our
part. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the
supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation or invoice
or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met.
Unless and until specifically confirmed in writing, all special requests are
subject to availability. We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings,
i.e., any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a
particular request. All such bookings will be treated as “standard” bookings
subject to the above provisions on special requests.
N.B. (i) there are of course only a limited number of front seats on
coaches, low floor rooms in hotels etc. We cannot guarantee to meet all
requests but will do our best to oblige.
(ii) Requests for a twin or double bed should be made clearly; otherwise,
it will be assumed that either type is suitable. Three or four bedded rooms are
normally twin or double rooms plus an extra bed/folding beds, which may not
be suitable for an adult and space will be inevitably be restricted.
6. Your Fitness to Travel
We strive to give all our customers full care and attention, but we do need to
know at the time of booking if there are any special needs or requirements.
Should any member of your party suffer from any disability or medical
condition that may affect their holiday, you must provide full details
before booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen
arrangements. Full details must also be confirmed in writing at the time of
booking and in the event of any change in the disability or medical condition.
At the same time, you must also provide written confirmation that any
assistance the person concerned requires will be provided by other members
of the same party, as outside assistance will not be provided. If we reasonably
feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person
concerned, we will not confirm the booking in writing. If you have suffered
from a serious medical condition recently, then you should consult with your
Doctor about your fitness to travel.
7. Your Complaints
In the unlikely event that you have problems whilst on holiday; you MUST
report the matter to the hotel or our representative IMMEDIATELY during your
holiday. If the matter is not then satisfactorily resolved, you must then follow
up any complaint in writing within 28 days of your return, including a copy of
any original report given to the hotel or the representative. We operate a strict
code of conduct which also conforms to UK regulations on package travel and
take any complaints received seriously. However, to be fair to all concerned,
failure to follow above procedure may affect your claim.
8.Your Travelling Conditions
Where as part of the holiday you have booked your travel by air, land or sea,
such travel will be subject to the terms and conditions of carriage of the
airline, shipping, rail or coach company providing the transport. In most
cases, the conditions will limit the carrier’s liability to you in accordance with
international law. Should anyone be refused admission to the coach, ferry or
flight or to the destination country by the transport or government authority,
then we are powerless to assist and cannot be held responsible. This includes
any passenger who fails to advise us of any medical condition or disability.
If you are prevented from travelling as a result, our responsibility for your
holiday thereupon ceases. Full cancellation charges will apply, and we will be
under no obligation whatsoever for any refund, compensation, or loss you may
incur. If you’re in difficulty whilst on holiday and ask us to help we will provide
appropriate assistance, in particular by providing information on health
services, local authorities and consular assistance; and helping you to find
alternative arrangements and any necessary phone calls/emails. You must
pay any costs we incur, if the difficulty is your fault.
Our contract with you
9. Our Confirmation of Reservation
When we have received your booking and deposit we will send you a
Confirmation of Reservation which details exactly what is booked for you.
From this moment Sona Tours Ltd has accepted your booking on the terms set
out in this Contract.
10. Our Price of Your Holiday
Changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, duties, taxes or
fees chargeable for services and exchange rates, mean that the price of your
travel arrangements may change after you have booked. However, there will
be no change within 20 days of your departure. We will absorb this and you
will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel
arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment
charges. You will only be charged if the amount is over 2%. If the increase goes
over 8% of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a
change to another holiday, if we are able to offer one (if this is of equivalent or
higher quality you will not have to pay more but if it is of lower quality you will
be refunded the difference in price), or cancelling and receiving a full refund
of all monies paid for the holiday, except for any amendment charges that you
may have made or personal expenses incurred
Should the price of your holiday go down due to the changes mentioned
above, by more than 2% of your holiday cost, then any refund due will be
paid to you. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always
purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact
on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.
Information provided within this brochure is factually accurate at the time
of print. We have tried our best to provide an accurate description of all the
services, amenities, exchange rates and places of interest within this brochure.
However, circumstances can change which are beyond our control and thus we
cannot take responsibility for the same.
N.B. Booking made less than 30 days may be higher than brochure price,
this is because we have to renegotiate hotels rooms, all tours and travel and
the price for each element may have increased. We will advise you at time of
booking of any increased cost
11. Our System Errors
In the event of your Confirmation of Reservation showing an incorrect price
for your holiday, the price that will prevail is the price shown in our reservation
system. Accordingly, you may not seek to rely on system errors with a view to
obtaining a holiday at less than the correct price, and any contract entered upon
a mistake, such as a wrong costing due to system errors, is not valid or binding.
12. Our Alterations or Cancellations
On occasion, it may be necessary to change the arrangements you have
selected and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Your tour holiday is
planned many months in advance, and it is possible that we may need to
change parts of your holiday or correct errors.
(a) If we make a minor / insignificant change to your holiday we will
try to notify you of this before departure but you will not be entitled to any
compensation as a result of such a minor change
Examples of insignificant changes include, but are not limited to, changes
to airline carriers; changes to aircraft type; alterations of your onward/return
flights which do not result in a change to date of departure; a change to
departure and return point within London Airports (Heathrow/Gatwick/ City/
Luton/Stansted); change of accommodation to another of the same or higher
standard; flights becoming indirect; closure of hotel facilities for improvement;
building works; changes to advertised amenities; changes to itineraries;
changes to included and optional excursions and entertainment; change to
travel time; a change to your seat number
(b) ) If we make a significant change to your holiday before departure e.g.,
change to UK airport unless we change from one recognised London airports
- Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, City or Stansted to another, time of departure or
return of more than 12 hours or a change to lower quality accommodation or
a significant change to the itinerary or cancel before departure or your cruise
being cancelled by the cruise company or shipping line. Then you will be
offered the following options:
(i) accepting the changed arrangement as notified to you;
(ii) or purchasing another available holiday from The Company. If it is more
expensive you will have to pay the difference, but if it is cheaper then we will
refund you the difference;
(iii) or cancelling your holiday and receiving a full refund of all money that
you have paid us.
Please note that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for any
consequential loss or expenses you may incur from arrangements you have
made with any other party or parties
(c) In order for us to run each holiday, there must be a minimum number
of passengers who wish to travel. If the minimum number of passengers is
not achieved on the holiday, then we may cancel it provided that we send you
or your Travel Agent notice of the cancellation no later than the day of final
payment is due prior to departure (minimum of 28 days for Coach Tours, 42
days for Europe Flight Tours, 56 days for International Flight Tours and 91 days
for Cruise tours before departure). In that case, we shall refund all the monies
that you have paid us in respect of the holiday. In this situation, if possible, we
will endeavour to offer you the same holidays on an alternate day or offer a
similar alternative holiday.
(d) Force Majeure: This means that we will not pay you compensation if
we have to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way because
unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These can include, e.g.
war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or
nuclear disaster, fi re, adverse weather conditions, airport closure, political
unrest or similar events beyond our control.
13. Our Right of Refusal
We may refuse to accept a booking or terminate your holiday in the following
circumstances:
(a) if you fail to advise us in writing at, (or promptly after) the time of
booking of any relevant medical condition or disability from which you suffer
and for which you seek special assistance or attention from us or our suppliers;
(b) If, during the course of the holiday, we reasonably consider that you are
unable to cope with the demands of the holiday;
(c) If you act unreasonably and we reasonably consider that your actions
or behaviour are likely to cause distress, damage, danger or annoyance to
our customers, employees or third parties or to the property of any person.
If you are prevented from travelling or from completing your holiday in the
circumstances set out in clause 13 our responsibility to you for your holiday will
cease when we terminate the holiday.
You will not be entitled to any refund where we terminate your holiday in
the circumstances set out in this clause and we will not be liable to pay any
compensation to you as a result of terminating your holiday.
14. Our Complaints and Dispute Procedures
a) We do our best to give passengers travelling on our holidays an enjoyable;
trouble free holiday, but occasionally plans do go wrong. If you have any
complaint, please share it with your tour manager as soon as possible who
will endeavour to resolve the matter. You must also report it to the supplier
of the service(s) in question immediately, who will endeavour to put things
right. If the situation is not resolved to our satisfaction, then you must
notify the company within 28 days of the end of your holiday in writing. It is
strongly recommended that you communicate any complaint to the supplier
of the services in question as well as to our representative without delay
and complete a report form whilst in resort. If you fail to follow this simple
procedure, we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and
rectify your complaint whilst you were in resort and this may affect your rights
under this contract. Please also see clause 16 on ABTA
b) We both agree that English Law (and no other) will apply to your
contract and to any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which
arises between us (except as set out below). We both also agree that any
dispute, claim or other matter of any description (and whether or not involving
any personal injury) which arises between us must be dealt with by the Courts
of England and Wales only unless, in the case of Court proceedings, you live
in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In this case, proceedings must either be
brought in the Courts of your home country or those of England and Wales. If
proceedings are brought in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may choose to
have your contract and any dispute, claim or other matter of any description
which arises between us governed by the law of Scotland/Northern Ireland as
applicable (but if you do not so choose, English law will apply).
15. Our Responsibility
a) We promise to make sure that the holiday arrangements we have agreed
to make, perform or provide as applicable as part of our contract with you
are made, performed or provided with reasonable skill and care. This means
that, subject to these booking conditions, we will only accept responsibility
if, for example, you suffer death or personal injury or your contracted holiday
arrangements are not provided as promised or prove deficient as a result of
the failure of ourselves, our employees, agents, or suppliers to use reasonable
skill and care in making, performing or providing, as applicable, your
contracted holiday arrangements. Please note it is your responsibility to show
that reasonable skill and care has not been used if you wish to make a claim
against us. In addition, we will only be responsible for what our employees,
agents and suppliers do or do not do if they were at the time acting within the
course of their employment (for employees) or carrying out work we had asked
them to do (for agents and suppliers).
b) We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (for
example loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of
any description whatsoever which results from any of the following: -
(i) the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected or any member(s)
of their party or
(ii) the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the
provision of your holiday and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable or
‘force majeure’ as defined in clause 12d above.
c) Please note, we cannot accept responsibility for any services which
do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional
services or facilities which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide
for you where the services or facilities are not advertised in our brochure and
we have not agreed to arrange them and any excursion you purchase in resort.
During your holiday your driver tour leader, guide, hotel, or other service
providers may offer services or excursions which are not included in the price
of your holiday or listed in our brochure. Since they do not form part of your
contract with us, we do not accept any responsibility for their cancellation
or curtailment or for any loss damage injury or death that you may suffer. In
addition, regardless of any wording used by us on our website, in any of our
brochures or elsewhere, we only promise to use reasonable skill and care as
set out above and we do not have any greater or different liability to you.
d) The promises we make to you about the services we have agreed to
provide or arrange as part of our contract - and the laws and regulations of the
country in which your claim or complaint occurred - will be used as the basis
for deciding whether the services in question had been properly provided. If
the particular services which gave rise to the claim or complaint complied
with local laws and regulations applicable to those services at the time, the
services will be treated as having been properly provided. This will be the case
even if the services did not comply with the laws and regulations of the UK
which would have applied had those services been provided in the UK. The
exception to this is where the claim or complaint concerns the absence of a
safety feature which might lead a reasonable holiday maker to refuse to take
the holiday in question.
e) As set out in these booking conditions we limit the maximum amount
we may have to pay you for any claims you may make against us. Where
we are found liable for loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal
possessions (including money), the maximum amount we will have to pay
you is £50 per person affected unless a lower limitation applies to your claim
under this clause or clause 15(f) below. For all other claims which do not
involve death or personal injury, if we are found liable to you on any basis
the maximum amount we will have to pay you is refund of your holiday cost,
the limit must be no more than 2 times the value of the original cost of travel
arrangements (excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges)
paid by or on behalf of the person(s) affected in total unless a lower limitation
applies to your claim under clause 15(f) below. This maximum amount will
only be payable where everything has gone wrong and you have not received
any benefit at all from your holiday.
f) Where any claim or part of a claim (including those involving death or
personal injury) concerns or is based on any travel arrangements (including
the process of getting on and/or off the transport concerned) provided by any
air, sea, rail or road carrier or any stay in a hotel, the maximum amount of
compensation we will have to pay you will be limited. The most we will have
to pay you for that claim or that part of a claim if we are found liable to you on
any basis is the most the carrier or hotel keeper concerned would have to pay
under the international convention or regulation which applies to the travel
arrangements or hotel stay in question (for example, the Warsaw Convention
as amended or non-amended and the Montreal Convention for international
travel by air and/ or for airlines with an operating licence granted by an EU
country, the EC Regulation on Air Carrier Liability No 889/2002 for national
and international travel by air], the Athens convention for international
travel by sea).
Please note: Where a carrier or hotel would not be obliged to make
any payment to you under the applicable International Convention or
Regulation in respect of a claim or part of a claim, we similarly
are not obliged to make a payment to you for that claim or part of
the claim. When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any
money which you have received or are entitled to receive from the
transport provider or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question.
Copies of the applicable International Conventions and Regulations are
available from us on request.
g) We cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other
sum(s) of any description
(i) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your
booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer
or incur if we breached our contract with you or
(ii) which did not result from any breach of contract or other fault by
ourselves or our employees or, where we are responsible for them, our
suppliers. Additionally, we cannot accept liability for any business losses
16. Financial Security
We provide full financial protection for our package holidays. When you buy
an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from Sona Tours Ltd you
will receive an ATOL Certificate (or via our authorised agent through which
you booked). (ATOL no. 9146) This list what is financially protected, where you
can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things
go wrong. We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide
you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative).
In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons
of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services
you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree
to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform
those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by
you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also
agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL
holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL
scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).
If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to
provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative
ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air
Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the
ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you
assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have
arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any
claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable).
You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if
that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.” For
further information, visit the ATOL website at www.caa.co.uk.
When you buy a package holiday that doesn’t include a flight, protection
is provided by way of a bond held by ABTA. We are a Member of ABTA,
membership number Y3020. We are obliged to maintain a high standard
of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. 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.
Important Information.
17. The Booking Form
Providing clear, correct information when making your booking is essential, for
it is from this information that we make your reservation and our contract with
you. The person, to whom all correspondence, invoices and joining instructions
are to be sent, should be entered as the first name on the Personal Details
booking page. It is also their address and telephone number(s) that should
be shown and it must be they who accept these Terms and Conditions
before completing an on-line booking. Other names are required by airlines,
insurance companies, hoteliers etc., so please be accurate. For foreign
holidays, it is essential that these names match those on the passports. If any
member of your party, e.g. newlyweds, changes their name between booking
this holiday and travelling, it is important to enter the details for the date of
travel on the Personal Details booking page so that we can issue the tickets
in the new name. If there is not time to amend the passport the marriage
certificate should be carried in the passport. We also need to know the number
of infants under 2 for advising the hotel and airline.
18. Brochure and Website Information
We have made every effort to ensure that all the information and prices
contained on our website and within this brochure is as accurate as possible
at the time of printing. But in view of the fact that the brochure is prepared in
advance, advertised facilities may be changed. All the details contained within
this brochure are thoroughly and carefully checked before printing. However,
despite the accuracy we strive to maintain, regrettably errors do occasionally
occur. You must therefore ensure you check the price and all other details of
your chosen arrangements with us or travel agent at the time of the booking.
This brochure is our solely responsibility. It is not issued on behalf of and
does not commit any independent organization/carriers whose services are
featured in it. We reserve the right to change any website or other information
before your booking is confirmed and the amended information will then form
part of your contract with us.
19. Your Travel Insurance
Because of the importance of having adequate insurance cover we make
it a condition when booking on all our holidays that you are covered by an
insurance policy. If you elect not to take out insurance, you agree to indemnify
Sona Tours Ltd. for any costs that arise which would otherwise have been met
had you had your own travel insurance. Furthermore, if you require medical/
any other form of assistance whilst on holiday you may not be covered and you
may in turn incur significant costs. Please read your policy details carefully,
ensure that you are familiar with the scale of your cover and take the relevant
documentation with you on your holiday.
20. Health Requirements
Health facilities, hygiene and disease risks vary worldwide, you should
obtain health advice on your specific needs as early as possible. It is your
responsibility to ensure that you have fully complied with all health and
immunisation requirements of the countries you may be visiting. You can
contact your GP for further information.
21. Passport and Visas
a) You should ensure that you allow sufficient time (currently 8 weeks from
posting a correctly completed application form) to apply for a passport.
UK CITIZENS – Travelling on holiday, you must have a passport, valid for
at least 6 months from date of departure. At present, British passport holders
do not require visas for countries within Europe, only a valid passport. For
all other countries, it is advisable that you check with relevant embassies or
consulates.
NON-UK CITIZENS - Your specific passport and visa requirements, and
other immigration requirements are your responsibility, and you should
confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. We do not
accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied
with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. At SONA Tours, we
provide a visa service at an extra cost for certain cases, which is separate
to your holiday cost. You must submit all documents required together.
Applications with documents pending will not be accepted. It is your
responsibility to submit all documents to us at the correct time. Though we
try our best to obtain the visa on your behalf, it is solely the discretion of the
relevant consulate to accept this application; we can therefore not take any
responsibility if the visa has been refused for whatever reason. We will try
to process your visas as early as possible; however, we reserve the right to
choose that date of submission of the application. It is responsibility of the
passenger to ensure they have the correct visa in place before travel. In the
event passengers are not able to travel due to not having the correct visas, the
cancellation policy set in clause 4. will apply
22. Visas through Sona Tours
Sona Tours offer a Visa service for UK Citizens & Residents. If for any reason
the visa is rejected the visa fee and service charge is non-refundable. At
time of your booking, we will advise what the process will be for each visa
requirements. Prices quoted may therefore vary to the time you actually book
your holiday
23. Customs & Immigrations Delays
Sona Tours will not be held responsible, if you are stopped or held by any
government department, e.g. Police, Customs, Immigrations or any other
authorities of the destination country. The tour will continue and no financial
or any other kind responsibility will be accepted by Sona Tours
24. Delays
Occasionally trains, ferries and coaches may be delayed due to circumstances
beyond our control. In such cases, we will do our utmost to help you and keep
you fully informed. In the event of extended overnight delays, depending upon
circumstances, we will endeavour to provide accommodation. In the case of
a major delay to your homeward journey, we shall endeavour to delay the
departure from your hotel.
25. Your Itinerary
You will receive your final Itinerary and Journey Instructions five to seven days
prior to departure, provided all payments have been made.
26. Your Journey
The coach companies we use have been selected to be relied upon to provide
modern, comfortable coaches and careful, considerate drivers. On some
holidays, it may be that your journey commences on a feeder coach, before you
join the main coach, and feeder coaches are often not of the same standard
size. Whilst the coaches on UK holidays will be of a high standard, they
may not have all the facilities of a continental coach. We plan the seating
arrangements close to departure date to ensure that families, friends and
groups are seated as close as possible. You retain these seats throughout
the tour. Smoking and alcohol consumption is prohibited on all our coaches.
Regular comfort stops are made. Where the brochure indicates that your
Channel crossing will be by ferry, we reserve the right to substitute a crossing
via the Eurotunnel and vice versa
27. Your Flights
Any change to the operating carrier(s) after your booking has been confirmed
will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check in or
at the boarding gate. Where we substitute the airline or aircraft we had
originally intended to use in connection with your holiday, it may as a result
not be possible to provide any in- flight catering which had been informed/
advertised. Any such change will be a minor change not entitling you to any
compensation payment.
We are not always in a position at the time of booking to confirm the
flight timings which will be used in connection with your flight. The flight
timings shown in this brochure and detailed on your confirmation invoice
are for guidance only and are subject to alteration and confirmation. The
latest timings will be shown on your tickets which will be despatched to you
approximately two weeks before departure. You must accordingly check your
tickets very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct
flight times. It is possible that flight times may be changed even after tickets
have been despatched - we will contact you as soon as possible if this occurs.
Any change in the identity of the carrier, flight timings, and/or aircraft type will
not entitle you to cancel or change to other arrangements without paying our
normal charges except where specified in these conditions
28. Taxes
Sona Tours will include all mandatory pre-paid taxes. Countries may
also charge departure taxes that can only be paid locally. It is therefore
recommended that clients retain sufficient local currency to meet such
charges.
29. Holiday Extras Not Booked With Sona Tours
We cannot be held responsible for compensation in respect of any extras
which are booked (e.g. travel insurance, currency, taxis etc.) with a third party,
if we subsequently cancel your holiday for whatever reason.
30. Data Protection Policy
For the purpose of the Data Protection Act 2018, we are a data controller.
To ensure that your holiday runs smoothly, we (and your Travel Agent, if you
use one) need to use information such as name and address, special needs,
passport details, birth dates etc. We will apply appropriate security measures
to protect this data; however, we must pass it to suppliers of your travel
arrangements, including airlines, insurers, hotels and transport companies.
We may also supply it to security or credit checking companies and to the
public authorities such as customs and immigration.
If your holiday is outside European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data
protection in your destination may not be as strict as in UK. We will only pass
data, including sensitive information regarding disabilities or dietary and
religious requirements, to people responsible for travel arrangements. If we
cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers in the EEA or elsewhere,
we cannot provide the booking.
When you make this booking, request a brochure / information, or sign up
for our email updates then we will securely store your contact details in order
to contact you with details of products and services we think you might be
interested in. We will contact you by post, telephone, email or other means.
At any time, you can opt out of receiving such information. You can update
these preferences by emailing us. Please note that we shall not pass your
details to other non-related companies. When you make this booking, request
a brochure or sign up for our email updates then we will securely store your
contact details in order to contact you with details of products and services
we think you might be interested in. Please note that we shall not pass your
details to other non-related companies.
31. Photo, Video or Recoding of You
When you are travelling with us, we may take video and images of you that
may be use in any of the media advertising that we use and on our website.
All participants on Sona Tours trips authorise Sona Tours to use his/her image
(such as photograph, videotape, film or pictorial representation or recorded
voice). If you do not wish for this to happen, please notify Sona Tour in writing
at email address or to Marketing,
[email protected].