When you are trading in the travel industry and require flights as part of your packages, or if you wish to sell flights as a stand-alone product, then you are legally required to hold your own ATOL licence. ATOL is the shorthand for Air Travel Organiser’s Licence. An ATOL licence ensures that the consumer’s money is kept safe whilst travelling via airline, and thus all travel companies are legally required to be ATOL protected before they can sell flights to consumers. Most tour operators consider ATOL too expensive to attain when starting a travel business, but by joining Protected Trust Services, we can provide an affordable ATOL with an application fee of just £758.00.
Why Would I Want An ATOL?
The small ATOL application fee offered to PTS members is a great benefit and is an integral part of the whole travel business solution PTS has developed. The ATOL stamp and logo is one of the most trusted brands in the travel industry. As such, it holds great value to potential clients and can sway consumers to choose your travel business to book their holiday with. In addition, you must hold your own ATOL if you wish to sell flights to consumers, so holding an ATOL licence provides the opportunity to increase your package offering by providing flights as part of the deal.
When an ATOL application is processed through PTS, the applicant company will receive its own ATOL membership number alongside its own PTS number. Start-up tour operators joining PTS can add ATOL at any time. The ATOL application does not need to be processed at the initial sign-up point, so if you don’t currently sell flights as a part of your packages, you can always move to do so by applying for a licence at a later date. For reference, smaller travel companies often choose to add ATOL in year two or three of trading, and the PTS team will support each PTS member to work in alignment with their individual business plan. Some tour operators and travel agents may make the commercial decision not to sell flights, which is quite common. If the travel company is not selling flights at any time, then an ATOL is not required and the standard PTS membership will suffice to be compliant with EU package regulation laws. Rest assured that should you ever choose to add an ATOL licence, PTS will remain the most cost effective way to license your business.
What Makes Our ATOL So Affordable?
When applying directly with the CAA for a small business ATOL, you will receive an ATOL that only allows you to sell up to 500 flight tickets per year. You will also be required to have a minimum of £30,000 ordinary share capital, a £50,000 bond, and you will have to pay an application fee of £1,161.00. Conversely, PTS offer a small business ATOL that allows you to sell up to 1,000 flights per year, without the need for either a minimum share capital or bonding. The PTS trust account solution functions as financial protection, and as such, it takes the place of the large bond that the CAA generally require for an ATOL license application. This makes the PTS offering a highly affordable ATOL, with an application fee of just £758.00. What’s more, PTS will also assist you every step of the way in completing the application process with the CAA. Once your ATOL has been approved, PTS have a £25.00 per month fee for your ATOL.
The Air Travel Trust (ATT) is principally funded by ATOL Protection Contributions (APC). The Civil Aviation (Contributions to the Air Travel Trust) Regulations 2007 enable the ATT to collect APCs from ATOL holders for each person who books air travel covered by an ATOL. For clarity, the APC is charged at £2.50 per passenger.
PTS are pleased to offer one of the most affordable ATOL licences in the travel industry. If you’d like to find out how PTS can help you acquire your licence, please visit our ATOL licences page. Alternatively, you can contact our friendly team via phone on 020 7190 9988, or via email to ask@protectedtrustservices.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
