Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing Act 2017

Key Points

• The bill establishes a licensing regime for air travel organisers under the ATOL framework to safeguard consumers if a travel company collapses.
• The Air Travel Trust is reinforced as the backing mechanism for refunds and repatriation of customers when a licensed organiser fails.
• Proposed extensions to coverage, notably for linked travel arrangements (and flight-only arrangements), were debated but ultimately not accepted.
• Several Brexit-related and transparency measures were proposed (such as impact assessments and clearer consumer-protection reporting), but these amendments were withdrawn and did not become part of the law.

Progress

The bill completed its passage and received Royal Assent on 16 November 2017, becoming law. Amendments proposed during its passage were largely withdrawn and did not change the final Act.

Voting

In the Commons, opposition parties supported the proposed amendments to widen protections, but government MPs voted them down, and all three recorded amendments were defeated during Committee/Report stages.