Freedom Flights Booking Conditions

Your contract with us and all matters or disputes arising out of it are governed by English law and subject to the jurisdiction of the English courts. You may choose the law and courts of Scotland and Northern Ireland to deal with any disputes if you are resident there.

Freedom Flights does not operate the flight. The flight will be operated by the airline and your carriage on the flight will be subject to the airline's conditions of carriage (available on request) and also to any applicable international conventions.

Please note: Unaccompanied minors will not be accepted for travel. In order to travel children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.

1. When I make my reservation

All bookings are made and accepted subject to these booking conditions. At the time of booking, you must pay the deposit together with any insurance premium. An confirmation invoice will be sent to you or your travel agent for the balance of monies owing. If the departure date is within 8 weeks of booking then the total flight cost and insurance premium is due at the time of booking.

2. Do you guarantee the flight price?

Freedom Flights guarantees the basic flight price against currency fluctuations.

The basic flight price includes: (a) the fare; (b) UK airport duty; (c) security levy; (d) taxes. The basic flight price shown on your confirmation invoice, together with any applicable fuel supplement is the amount that you will pay for your flight.

You may be asked to pay the following additional amounts that are not included in the basic flight price: (a) arrival/departure taxes or security levies imposed by the destination country; (b) any charges set out in condition 5 below "What happens if I change my reservation"; (c) any additional ticket collection charge set out in condition 10 "When can I expect to receive my tickets," (d) any applicable charges for special requests (see condition 8); (e) any supplementary fee charged by the airline if you make special declaration in respect of your baggage (see condition 11).

3. What happens if you cancel or change my flight?

We plan our flying programme many months in advance, and although it is unlikely that we have to make any changes to confirmed bookings it can happen. From time to time for operational or commercial reasons it may be necessary to make changes to or cancel your flight after your booking has been accepted.

Provided you have paid the amounts due on time, we will not cancel/change your flight within 8 weeks of departure except as a result of force majeure or a Significant Change. We can cancel your flight outside this 8 week period including for operational or commercial reasons. If we do this you will be entitled to receive only a refund of any money already paid.

We do not pay compensation for, or inform you of changes other than Significant Changes. We will inform you, however, of a change in the time of your return or departure flight if the change, though not a Significant Change, is of more than 2 hours.

In the case of a Significant Change within 8 weeks of your departure you will have the choice of: (a) accepting the changed arrangements; (b) not accepting the changed arrangements and receive a full refund plus the compensation set out below. The compensation below is the minimum compensation we will pay depending on the circumstances and the exact date of change or cancellation.

Where your flight is cancelled within 8 weeks of your departure, if available, accepting an alternative flight of equivalent or higher standard (where the alternative is cheaper, the difference would be refunded to you) plus the compensation mentioned below.

The following made before day of departure constitute a Significant Change: (a) change in the departure time or return by more than 8 hours, (b) a change in UK departure airport on your outward/return flight to one which is more inconvenient to you; c) a change in your flight from a day flight to a night flight if the time of your departure and/or return has changed by more than 4 hours. A 'night flight' means one that is planned to depart from the UK between 22.00 and 05.59 and arriving back in the UK between 24.00 and 05.59.

Period before departure within which a Significant Change is notified: (excludes infants)
Compensation per full fare paying passenger :
Greater than 56 days
29 - 55 days
15 -28 days
8- 14 days
0-7 days
£nil
£10
£15
£20
£25

If you wish we can give you a credit note against a future booking with us instead of cash.

We will not make compensation payments for any cancellation/changes caused as a result 'force majeure'. Force Majeure means any inability by us to perform our contractual obligations resulting from any cause or reason whatsoever beyond our reasonable control. This includes, but is not limited, to acts of war (whether war is declared or not), the threat of war, riots, civil disturbances, industrial disputes, terrorist activity, natural disasters, fire, technical problems to transport, airline failure, closure or disruption to airspace or airport or airline failure.

4. What is Freedom Flights Liable for?

We accept responsibility for the acts and/or omissions of our employees and agents while acting within the scope of, or in the course of their employment or agency with us. We also accept responsibility for any deficiencies in the services that we are contractually obliged to provide, or the failure of such services to reach a reasonable standard. We do not accept responsibility in respect of death, bodily injury or illness of any person taking one of our flights, except when caused by the negligent acts and/or omissions of our employees or agents while acting within the scope of, or in the course of their employment or agency with us. All our flights and arrangements have been purposely designed to allow for some un-scheduled changes. You will appreciate we cannot be held responsible for changes outside our control resulting in a missed or delayed connection. At all times a representative or
agent will be on hand to ensure that any problems are overcome as quickly as possible.

Your carriage on the flight will be subject to the airline's conditions of carriage (available on request) and also to any applicable international conventions. Your right to compensation for any loss that you might suffer as a result of any cancellation or delay in your flight will be determined by the airline's conditions of carriage and any applicable international conventions.

Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 requires the airline that operates or intends to operate your flight (NOT Freedom Flights) to pay you compensation/provide you with assistance (refreshments and accommodation) where you are denied boarding, your flight is delayed or is cancelled. In such situation, the airline in question is required to provide you with written notice of the rules for compensation and assistance.

Please note that you are not entitled to receive compensation from us in addition to receiving compensation from the airline.

In all respects, our liability is limited in the manner permitted by the relevant international conventions and the conditions of carriage of the airline, which are available upon request from this office.

5. What happens if I change my reservation?

If you wish to change your reservation in anyway and we can accept the change, the following charges will apply. Time scales refer to the date of receipt of your instructions in writing, and cancellation charges are detailed below. More than 42 days before departure - £20.00 per change. Less than 42 days before departure - cancellation charges apply except for a name change, which is charged at £40.00 per name, except the day of departure when a charge of £50.00 per name will be levied. Name changes made within 14 days of departure, but not on the day of departure itself, will incur an additional ticket collection charge, details of which are available on our Website at www.freedomflights.co.uk (or on request). The following exceptions apply:

a. no changes are allowed from a full priced flight to a special offer flight

b. for any change to a booking, the basic price will either remain the same as the price quoted at the time of booking provided the booking price has not increased or, if there is such increase, you will be liable to pay the difference between the original booking price and the changed booking price (excluding supplements)

6. What if I cancel my reservation?

If you wish to cancel your flight, this must be done in writing by the person in whose name the booking was made and to whom our invoice is addressed. The cancellation will take effect only when we receive your written notice of cancellation.

We make the following charges to compensate us for the expected loss and expense, which we will incur as a result of your cancellation, as we start to incur costs from the moment you make your booking. The following charges apply:

Period before departure date that written Instruction is received:
Cancellation charge:
42 or more days
41 - 29 days
28 - 22 days
21- 15 days
14 - 0 days
deposit only
50% of total flight cost
60% of total flight cost
80% of total flight cost
100% of flight cost

If the reason for your cancellation falls within your insurance policy, normally the insurance company should refund any charges to you.

7. What happens if I complain about my flight?

If a problem arises during your flight, it is important that you advise the supplier and/or representative at the earliest opportunity, who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint cannot be resolved locally, to allow a proper investigation of it, please submit a written follow up complaint within 28 days of your return to the UK to our head office quoting your booking reference number.

8. Special requests

Freedom Flights contracts airline seats in bulk. Client bookings are made within bulk allocations, but no specific seats can or will be confirmed. Freedom Flights will make every effort to meet your requests although they cannot be guaranteed. Any special meal requirements must be made at time of booking.

9. How do I book, what do I pay.... and when?

The person in whose name the booking is made acts on behalf of all other persons named, and becomes responsible to us for all payments in respect of the booking. Your reservation will be confirmed at the time of booking when we give you your unique Booking Reference number. Infants under the age of 2 years on the return date are charged an administration fee of £20 for flights, whose scheduled duration is less than 6 hours and of £40 for flights whose scheduled duration is 6 hours or more providing they do not occupy a seat. It is a condition of booking that you are adequately insured on your flight, please contact us for details.

Your flight is confirmed as soon as verbal confirmation is given over the telephone or you confirm the booking hrough our website and we give you your booking reference number. If, therefore, you subsequently cancel your booking, you will be liable to pay the cancellation charges at condition 6 “What if I cancel my reservation?

10. When can I expect to receive my tickets?

Normally, your tickets will be dispatched 14 days prior to the departure date. However, if your reservation is made within 14 days of your departure date then there will be an administration fee per person charge applied to collect your tickets at the point of departure. Details of this charge are available on our Website at www.freedomflights.co.uk (or on request)

11. What happens if I lose a piece of baggage?

Under the terms of various international conventions, whilst your personal effects and baggage are in the hands of the airline, the airline is liable for the safety of such baggage. If your baggage is lost or damaged between the time of airport check in, and the recovery of the baggage from the carousel at the end of the flight then the airline is under a duty to pay compensation. The amount of any compensation is determined by the international convention, details of which are on the reverse of your flight tickets. In case of loss or damage a property irregularity report must be completed before you leave the airport. Should your claim be in excess of the airline's compensation level then you should approach your insurers to see if they will pay the difference. Where the value of your baggage is more than £800 you should inform the airline at the check-in desk or ensure that it is fully insured prior to travel, as without this neither Freedom Flights nor the airline will accept liability for loss or damage for amounts above £800.

12. What about health and travel documentation?

Where travel and health documents are necessary to comply with the requirements with any country you may wish to visit, then it is your responsibility to procure them. If failure to obtain any such documents results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed upon Freedom Flights then you will be liable to reimburse Freedom Flights accordingly. You must ensure, by consulting your own doctor if necessary, of specific health precautions deemed prudent for the country / resort you intend to visit, and the requirements for appropriate medication/ inoculations complied with.

13. Should I reconfirm my inbound flight?

It is imperative and a strict condition of booking that you confirm your inbound flight details with the local office noted on your itinerary (not the airport authorities) not more than 48 hours and not less than 18 hours prior to the previously notified flight time. We can accept no liability if you fail to comply with this condition and, due to a flight change, miss your return flight.

14. Regulations

Many airlines specify that both the outbound and inbound portions of the air ticket must be used and in the event that the outbound flight is not used, the passenger will not be allowed to return on the inbound charter flight. Should anyone check in less than 90 minutes before the ticketed departure time, admission to the flight is likely to be refused. Should anyone be refused admission to the flight or to the destination country by the airline or government authority, then we are powerless to assist and cannot be held responsible. In all such cases we will not be liable for any costs or damages involved.

These Booking Conditions are valid for bookings made from 01 October 2006 until further notice.