The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is a government authority and public corporation that works to approve and regulate civil aviation on a national level, also referred to as an aviation regulator. In simple terms this means that they oversee all civilian air travel in the UK.
The CAA are also the creators of the Air Travel Operator’s License (ATOL) scheme that provides millions of consumers with air travel protection for their holidays every year.
The CAA works to ensure that the aviation industry is as safe as possible, consumers are protected and treated fairly, environmental impact is constantly given the attention it deserves, and security risks within the industry are managed appropriately and efficiently.
They also regulate some airports and specific elements of air traffic control.
If you have any concerns or complaints about CAA staff or aviation activity such as issues with aviation laws or air safety, you can get in contact with the CAA through their complaints page.
You can also go to their ATOL Number Checker page to ensure that the travel company you’re booking a package holiday with holds a valid ATOL. This is something you might want to confirm when using a new travel company where you want to be certain of your safety, though travel companies are obliged by law to provide an ATOL certificate on all holidays they sell to you with flights as an element.
To learn more about the CAA and get more detail on what they do and their responsibilities, visit
their website at https://www.caa.co.uk/home/.
Take a Look at Other Related Topics
If you’ve looked into any consumer protection in travel, I’m sure you’ve come across the term ‘ATOL’. An important part of consumer protection for travellers since 1973, ATOL is at the core of air travel for businesses selling, and consumers buying, package holidays with flights, and even in some flight-only cases too.
When it comes to paying a decent amount of money in advance for something such as travel, and something that takes you somewhere unfamiliar at that, it becomes even more evident how important being properly protected is. The big question is: how is your holiday actually protected? And, how is it done so through Protected Trust Services (PTS)?