Travel | ConsumerWise

Travel problems

Start with what actually went wrong.

Travel law is fragmented. A cancelled flight, a poor package hotel, an insolvent organiser, a rejected insurance claim and a rail delay can arise on the same trip but use different rules and different escalation bodies.

Key points

Identify whether you bought a flight, package, standalone accommodation, rail journey, insurance policy or combination.
Work out which business is legally responsible rather than complaining to every company in the chain.
Separate refund, compensation, expenses and consequential loss - they are often different remedies.
Use Section 75 and chargeback as payment-recovery routes where appropriate, not as substitutes for understanding the underlying travel right.

Which travel route fits your problem?

If this happened	Start here
Your flight was cancelled, delayed or you were bumped	Use the flight disruption guides and claim against the operating airline first.
The hotel, transfer or excursion in a package was poor	Use Package holidays: the organiser is the central responsibility point.
A standalone hotel or holiday let was cancelled or not as described	Use Hotel & accommodation disputes and identify the actual contract.
The agent/platform and supplier blame each other	Use Travel agents & booking platforms to map the contract and money chain.
The travel company has stopped trading	Use Failed travel providers: check ATOL/ABTA, card and insurance routes.
Your insurer rejected the claim	Use Travel insurance, then the Financial Ombudsman route if unresolved.
Your train was cancelled or late	Separate unused-ticket refunds from Delay Repay and wider complaints.

Flights

Flight disruption and airline rights

Flight cancellationsRefund or rerouting, care, compensation and airline refusals.Flight delays & missed connectionsCare, five-hour refunds, missed connections and fixed compensation.Denied boarding & downgradesBumping, volunteers, rerouting and cabin reimbursement.Airline refunds & expensesSeven-day refunds, agents, vouchers, hotels, meals and replacement travel.Lost, delayed or damaged baggagePIR reports, deadlines, essentials, proof of value and insurance.

Packages & accommodation

Package and accommodation disputes

Package holidaysOrganiser responsibility, poor performance, price reduction and compensation.Package changes & cancellationsSignificant changes, price rises, cancellation, transfer and 14-day refunds.Hotel & accommodation disputesCancelled rooms, overbooking, poor accommodation, deposits and booking terms.Travel agents & booking platformsAgent versus organiser, refund chains, listings and intermediary responsibility.

Failure, insurance & escalation

When the normal booking route breaks down

Failed travel providersATOL, insolvency, repatriation, cards and insurance.Travel insuranceCancellation, medical claims, delay, baggage, exclusions and FOS.Travel complaints & ADRCAA, aviation ADR, ABTA, Rail Ombudsman, FOS and court.Rail delays, cancellations & complaintsRefunds, Delay Repay and Rail Ombudsman escalation.

Build the travel complaint as separate strands.

A strong travel complaint does not simply say the trip was a disaster. Separate what happened into the service/refund right, reasonable expenses, fixed statutory compensation where applicable, consequential loss and complaint-handling failure. Identify which business owes each strand and attach only the evidence needed to decide it.

That matters especially where an airline, package organiser, hotel, agent, insurer and card issuer are all involved. One event can legitimately create several routes, but each route should have a defined job and there should be no double recovery.

Payment recovery

When the travel business does not refund or has failed.

Do not duplicate these subjects inside Travel: ConsumerWise already has substantial canonical guides for card recovery.

Section 75Qualifying credit purchases, intermediaries, supplier breach and FOS escalation.ChargebackCard-scheme recovery, time limits, merchant defences and bank complaints.

Package-travel law is changing in 2027.

As at 11 September 2026, the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 remain the current framework. The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026 are due to change the treatment of linked travel arrangements from 6 April 2027. ConsumerWise therefore dates the rule to the booking/event rather than applying the future framework early.

Official sources

Check the current source material.

Travel rights can depend on route, airline, booking structure, country, provider membership and the date of the event. Check the live official source before relying on a formal deadline, compensation amount or scheme rule.