What does ATOL cover?
ATOL (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) is the UK's financial protection scheme for trips that include a flight. If the travel company fails while you are away, ATOL protection can include help to stay in your holiday accommodation, reimbursement of money you have to spend replacing the protected parts of the trip, such as accommodation, car hire or transfers, and arranging your flight home.
A protected booking comes with an ATOL certificate. Its section headed "Who is protecting your trip?" names the ATOL holder, and you can check a company on the CAA's website.
When is a Christmas ski week not ATOL protected?
If you buy a flight on its own and receive a valid e-ticket when you pay, from an airline or a travel company, the ATOL scheme does not cover that flight. That is the usual case when the flight, the chalet and the transfer are each booked separately.
ATOL is not travel insurance. It does not cover illness, a missed flight or a ski injury, and the ATOL site advises buying travel insurance as well.
Separate bookings or a package?
| Booked as a package with a flight | Flight, chalet and transfer booked separately | |
|---|---|---|
| ATOL protection | Yes, with an ATOL certificate | Not for a flight with an instant e-ticket |
| Choice of each part | Limited to what the package offers | Free |
| Who to go to if something fails | The package organiser | Each company separately |
Separate bookings give the most choice. A package gives one company to deal with and ATOL cover.
What changes in April 2027?
The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026 come into force on 6 April 2027, after Christmas 2026. They remove linked travel arrangements from the rules, and treat travel services bought under separate contracts as a package where a single trader has helped you choose and pay for each one on a single visit or contact. For bookings for Christmas 2026 the current rules apply.
Booking Christmas week from here
Our resort pages link to flights on Kiwi.com, chalets on Booking.com, and Expedia's flight + hotel search as the package option. The protection that applies is the one each partner states when you book; check the confirmation for an ATOL certificate if you need one.
Sources
- ATOL — what ATOL protection means; flights with a valid e-ticket at payment not covered; ATOL certificate; ATOL is not travel insurance
- legislation.gov.uk — Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026, in force 6 April 2027; new package category where a single trader facilitates separate selection and payment
- GOV.UK — government response, 2 December 2025: absorb one type of linked travel arrangement into the package definition and remove the other