The major advantage of a genuine package is that the organiser is responsible for the proper performance of the travel services included in the package, even where a hotel, airline or local supplier actually delivered the defective service.
Start with the transaction and the disruption that actually occurred. Travel disputes often involve several businesses, but their responsibilities are not interchangeable.
Key points
- A package normally combines at least two different travel services for the same trip in one of the ways defined by the 2018 Regulations.
- The organiser is responsible for performance of the package travel services, subject to the statutory framework.
- Report problems while away and give the organiser a reasonable opportunity to put them right where possible.
- Remedies can include rectification, alternative arrangements, price reduction and compensation depending on the failure and its cause.
Diagnosis
First: what exactly happened?
Identify the problem before choosing the remedy or escalation route.
| What happened? | What to check first |
|---|---|
| Flight + hotel were sold together as one package | Start with the package organiser, not only the local supplier. |
| The hotel is materially worse than advertised | Report immediately, document the difference and ask the organiser to rectify. |
| An included excursion/service is missing | Identify whether it formed part of the package contract and quantify the loss of value. |
| The organiser says the hotel is responsible | Package organiser liability can cover performance of suppliers used to deliver the package. |
| You booked separate contracts yourself | You may be an independent traveller instead, with claims against each supplier separately. |
Is it legally a package?
The 2018 Package Travel Regulations use a technical definition. In broad terms, a package involves at least two different types of travel service for the same trip combined in specified ways, such as transport plus accommodation sold together.
Do not rely only on the website label. The booking flow, contracts, total price and data transfer can matter.
The organiser is the central responsibility point
One of the core package protections is that the organiser is responsible for the performance of the travel services included in the package.
That means "complain to the hotel" is not necessarily an adequate response where the hotel was part of the organiser's package. The organiser can pursue its supplier separately.
Report defects during the holiday
If the room, transfer, excursion or other service is wrong, tell the organiser or its representative while the problem can still be corrected.
Keep photos, messages and the time you reported it. A consumer who gives no opportunity to remedy an easily fixable problem can weaken a later compensation claim.
Rectification and alternative arrangements
The organiser should remedy a lack of conformity unless that is impossible or entails disproportionate cost under the statutory framework. If a significant proportion of services cannot be provided, suitable alternative arrangements may be required at no extra cost where possible.
If alternatives are lower quality, a price reduction can become relevant.
Price reduction and compensation
A price reduction can reflect the period during which the package did not conform. Compensation can also be available for damage sustained as a result of lack of conformity, subject to statutory exceptions and limits.
Keep the claim grounded: identify lost value, additional expense and any material loss of enjoyment separately.
Assistance when the traveller is in difficulty
Package organisers have duties to provide appropriate assistance where the traveller is in difficulty, including information and help with alternative arrangements in the circumstances covered by the Regulations.
Package flight rights can run in parallel
If a package flight is cancelled or delayed, UK261 rights against the operating airline can sit alongside package rights against the organiser.
Coordinate the claims and deduct anything already recovered for the same loss.
Linked travel arrangements are changing - but not yet
As at 11 September 2026, the current 2018 rules still govern linked travel arrangements. The 2026 amendment legislation is due to make significant changes from 6 April 2027, including removing the LTA category and absorbing current Type A arrangements into the package definition.
Do not apply the 2027 structure to a booking made before the commencement date.
Who is responsible?
The package organiser is the central respondent for performance of the travel services in the package. Local hotels, transfer companies and airlines may physically provide those services, but the organiser cannot ordinarily avoid its package responsibilities by pointing at subcontractors. The traveller still needs to report problems promptly and cooperate with reasonable attempts to put them right.
What can you realistically ask for?
Depending on the breach, seek rectification, suitable alternative arrangements, a price reduction, reimbursement of reasonable extra costs and compensation for proven damage. Loss of enjoyment can be relevant in package claims, but it should be tied to how much of the holiday was materially affected rather than treated as an automatic windfall.
What to say when the organiser blames a supplier
State: 'This service formed part of the package sold by you. Please address your responsibility as organiser for performance of the package, including the remedy for the lack of conformity. Your rights against the hotel/airline are a matter between you and the supplier.' Then attach the package confirmation and the evidence that the component was included.
Escalation
Use the organiser's complaint process first. If it is an ABTA member, ABTA dispute resolution/arbitration may be available. Payment recovery through Section 75/chargeback can be relevant to unpaid sums, while court can remain available where ADR does not resolve the claim. Do not duplicate the same compensation across organiser and airline claims.
Important exceptions and edge cases
Cruises, fly-drives, tailor-made itineraries and some dynamic online bookings can all be packages if the statutory definition is met. A linked travel arrangement under the current pre-April-2027 law has more limited protection than a package. A tourist service such as an attraction ticket only helps form a package in specified circumstances. Business travel under a general agreement and some very short arrangements can fall outside the regime. Use the booking information form and actual combination method rather than guessing from the word 'holiday'.
Evidence worth keeping
Travel disputes are usually won or lost on the booking chain, timings and contemporaneous evidence. Preserve the original record rather than relying on screenshots taken weeks later where possible.
Common responses - and what they do not necessarily prove
| The business says | ConsumerWise view |
|---|---|
| "The hotel is an independent supplier, so we are not responsible." | For a genuine package, organiser responsibility for performance is a central statutory protection. |
| "You did not complain until you got home." | That can weaken a rectifiable complaint, but it does not automatically erase every remedy; explain when you reported it and why earlier action was or was not possible. |
| "You received the holiday, so there is no refund/compensation." | Partial performance can still justify price reduction or compensation where services did not conform. |
| "Claim against the airline only." | Airline rights can coexist with package-organiser duties. |
What to do
A practical next-step plan
- Confirm whether the booking is a package and identify the organiser.
- Report the problem immediately while the organiser can rectify it.
- Record what was promised, what was provided and the period affected.
- Quantify price reduction, extra cost and other compensable loss separately.
- Use ABTA/ADR or court/payment routes where the organiser does not resolve the complaint.
Official sources
Check the current source material.
- Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018
- GOV.UK: Package holidays - complying with the regulations
- Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026
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.