Coronavirus Travel Advice
Still Current: May 18th
The Coronavirus situation is having a huge impact on holidays and we understand that you may have questions about up-and-coming summer holidays. We want to reassure you that we’re working hard to help our customers and our advice is always guided by the FCO and ABTA, with whom we are working very closely.
Our home working teams are experiencing high volumes of enquiries but if you need to contact us then email ukoperations@alpineelements.co.uk.
The general situation
Due to the Covid-19 situation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) altered their advice on 6 April 2020 and now advise against non-essential travel without specifying when this restriction will be lifted.
Alpine summer 2020 holidays between May and July 1st
With the unprecedented situation we are facing with the Covid-19 crisis, we are unsure when these travel restrictions will be lifted so we have therefore decided to cancel all holidays departing in May and June 2020.
Choose one of the following 2 options:
1/ Reschedule your holiday and we’ll refund your balance
You may amend and reschedule your holiday to Summer 2021 for no extra cost* and we will refund your holiday balance. We only require a deposit to be held, (£175pp per week) so if you have paid your full balance, we can refund you the difference within 14 days of you rescheduling.
*See ‘Reschedule your holiday’ below
2/ Apply for a cash refund
If you choose not to amend your booking until 2021, following recent ABTA guidance, we will issue you with an ATOL protected Refund Credit Note (RCN) with a value equal to the amount you've already paid to us.
The money you have paid remains safe as a RCN and has the same financial protection as your original holiday. You can use the RCN to make a future booking with us until Jan 31st 2021. Alternatively, you can contact us on or after Jan 31st 2021 and request a full cash refund in line with ongoing advice from ABTA.
Alpine Elements summer 2020 holidays after July 1st
The French Alps are busy getting ready to be open in June, with a lot of good feeling and positivity from local Tourist Offices, activity suppliers, guides and hotel and restaurant owners.
Our summer alpine holidays are planned to run as normal from July 1st and we are looking forward to seeing you in the resort.
To give you more peace of mind we recently amended our final balance collection date until six weeks prior to departure (instead of 12 weeks). However we do understand that there is some uncertainty over travelling this summer, and so we have reduced our cancellation charges. if you would like to cancel.
You have 2 options to consider:
1/ Continue with your booking and pay remaining balance
You may pay for the remainder of your holiday balance, safe in the knowledge that your monies are fully financially protected by ATOL and ABTA. Any unpaid balances will be treated as cancellations and our reduced charges will apply.
2/ If you choose not to travel and would like to cancel
You are of course free to cancel your booking at this time and as a gesture we have reduced our cancellation charges.
Reschedule your holiday
We are very happy to reschedule all our May & June guests' holidays to another date in 2021, and many guests are already doing this. We will waive any amendment charges and simply hold on to your £175 deposit (per person, per week). Any additional monies you have paid against your account will be refunded within 14 days
When rescheduling your holiday, you can make changes to the date, passenger names, resort or beach club; and if you choose a holiday that’s cheaper than the one you originally booked, you’ll pay the lower amount. If you choose a holiday that’s more expensive, you’ll need to pay the difference in price. You can even change your summer holiday to a winter ski holiday.
For customers with EasyJet flights an amendment fee may apply, see our travel page for more.
I am uncertain about travelling and would like to reschedule my holiday
If you are due to travel in May or June and decide to reschedule your holiday to another date in 2021, we will waive any amendment charges and simply hold on to your £175 per person, per week booking deposit. Therefore, any additional monies you have paid against your account will be refunded.
If you choose a holiday that’s cheaper than the one you originally booked, you’ll pay the lower amount. If you choose a holiday that’s more expensive, you’ll need to pay the difference in price.
If you choose to reschedule, the same number of passengers will need to be booked, but you may change the date, resort or beach club. For customers with EasyJet flights an amendment fee may apply, see more below
I am concerned about travelling, should I cancel my summer holiday?
We do understand that there is some uncertainty over travelling this summer and some of our guests are asking about cancellation. So, to give you more peace of mind we have temporarily amended our final balance collection date until six weeks prior to departure and we have relaxed our cancellation charges for a temporary period.
Can I book a new holiday for a date in the future?
Yes of course! If you would like to plan your next holiday for 2021, we are happy to help. You can book with confidence, your money will be financially protected - even if the situation changes in the coming weeks.
My balance due date is approaching. Do I have to pay?
If there are no restrictions in place by the FCO for your date of travel, so our holidays are planned to run and balances need to be paid; or holidays can be cancelled or rescheduled. We have temporarily reduced our cancellation charges to make it easier to decide. Do remember that you can pay your holiday balance, safe in the knowledge that your monies are fully protected by ABTA and ATOL.
Should I be concerned about booking a holiday?
We can understand that the situation is causing some concerns, but we would never operate a holiday to a destination which is unsafe to do so, and if any travel restrictions come into force then we will contact you as soon as we know to discuss your options.
What will happen if my summer holiday is affected?
You should check the FCO travel advice for the country you are travelling to. Should their travel advice change to advise against travelling to your destination and your holiday is affected, we will contact you to discuss your options.
Rescheduling EasyJet bookings
If you have booked a package holiday this summer with EasyJet flights (instead of self-drive or our charter flights) then if you have been given the option to reschedule your holiday, you may carry over any holiday payments you have made towards 2020 less any amendment fees due to EasyJet, (to reschedule your flights).
If your rescheduled booking is more expensive, the price difference will be charged. You may change the date, your chalet/hotel/beach club or resort and even passenger names (except the group leader). There will be nothing more to pay at this time.
If you would like to contact us
We are experiencing an extremely busy time at present and our home working teams are working to help our guests. If you would like to contact us, or to reschedule your holiday then please email ukoperations@alpineelements.co.uk and we will respond shortly.
