Here you will find the answers to many of the frequently asked questions we recieve from our customers before and after booking their long haul holiday with Hays Faraway.
We have experienced travel advisors available 7 days a week who can confirm your booking. Just call 0800 412 5292 between the hours of 9am - 9pm Monday - Friday and 9am - 8pm Saturday & Sunday.
We collect balances for all holidays 14 weeks (98 days) before the day of your holiday departure
Hays Faraway accept payment by American Express, Maestro, MasterCard Credict & Debit card, Solo, Visa Credit card, Visa Debit & Delta card and also Visa Electron. We do not make any charges for payments by Visa Credit cards or Visa Debit cards.
To amend your Hays Faraway booking you can simply call our customer service team on 0333 033 9985. Depending on the changes that you wish to make to your booking we can charge up to £50pp per change. Should the changes to your booking increase the overall value of your booking then you will be liable for the additional cost.
To cancel your Hays Faraway booking the lead passenger must notify us as soon as possible by calling our customer service team on 0333 033 9985, and any notification by telephone must also be confirmed in writing or by e-mail within 24 hours, again by the lead name. Cancellation will take effect once the written confirmation is received.
The following charges will be payable depending on when the notification of cancellation is received. References to the deposit include all sums paid or payable at the time of booking. Time of cancellation (Days prior to departure) & Cancellation charge per person:
Cancellation charges if your holiday does not include a cruise:
84 days or more - Loss of deposit
83-70 days - 40% of total holiday cost *
69 - 42 days - 60% of total holiday cost *
41 - 33 days - 70% of total holiday cost *
32 - 15 days - 90% of total holiday cost *
14 days or less - 100% of total holiday cost
* or loss of deposit if greater.
Cancellation charges if your holiday includes a cruise:
112 days or more - Loss of deposit
111 - 50 days 75% of total holiday cost *
49 days or less 100% of total holiday cost
* or loss of deposit if greater.
Higher cancellation charges may apply in cases where we know that the costs to us of cancelling your travel arrangements will exceed the standard charges. If this is the case we will inform you at the time of booking.
We hope and expect to be able to provide you with all the services we have confirmed to you at the time of booking. We plan arrangements a long time in advance of your holiday using independent suppliers, such as airlines and hotels, over whom we have no direct control. On occasions changes do have to be made, and we reserve the right to change or cancel your holiday at any time. If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible.
1. A significant change includes a change of accommodation to that of a lower category or price for the whole or a major part of your time away, a change of flight time of more than 12 hours, a change of UK departure airport (except between London airports), or a significant change of resort area.
2. We will only cancel your confirmed booking after you have made full payment where we are forced to do so by a Force Majeure Event (see7)or if the minimum number of clients required for a particular travel arrangement is not reached.
3. Where there has been a significant change to your holiday, if there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of the following options:
1. accepting the changed arrangements; or
2. accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value); or
3. cancelling, in which case you will receive a full refund.
4. If we have to make a significant change or cancel we will pay you the compensation payments set out in the table below, unless:
1. we are forced to make a change or cancel by a Force Majeure Event (see7);
2. we have to cancel because the minimum number of bookings necessary for us to operate your holiday has not been reached;
3. we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any significant requirement of these booking conditions (such as making payment on time).
Time of significant change or cancellation (days prior to departure) & Compensation per person
More than 60 days - Nil
60 - 42 days - £20
41 - 33 days - £30
32 - 15 days - £40
14 days or less - £50
6. No compensation is due for changes that are not significant changes. Examples of minor changes include change of flight time of less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type and change of accommodation to another of the same standard.
7. Force Majeure
We shall not be in breach of our contract with you nor liable for delay in performing, or failure to perform, any of our obligations under our contract with you if such delay or failure results from events, circumstances or causes beyond our reasonable control (Force Majeure Event), including but not limited to, whether actual or threatened, war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, epidemics, fire or unavoidable technical problems with transport.
Hays Faraway are fully bonded with ATOL (number 10531). This means that your holiday arrangements are covered by the CAA (Government body).
ATOL is a financial protection scheme for holidaymakers. In the event that an ATOL tour operator fails, the ATOL scheme ensures customers contracted with the ATOL holder for an air package, do not lose any money paid or are not stranded abroad. To obtain an ATOL bond, all travel companies are required to comply with strict financial criteria, with ATOL ensuring that members adhere to full ATOL checks before granting an ATOL licence.
To contact our customer services team you can call us on 0333 033 9985, e-mail us at customer.support@hays-travel.co.uk or contact us in writing at: Hays Faraway Customer Services, Hays Tour Operating Ltd, 28 Olive Street, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, SR1 3PE.
Hays Faraway will send all documents at least 3 weeks prior to your departure date with the aim of you receiving them at least 10 weeks prior to travel.
An E-ticket is a paperless electronic ticket which most airlines use. This means that when we make a flight reservation as part of your package holiday we will receive a booking reference (Airline locator code) which you will use to travel.
In the event that you lose your tickets prior to travelling then please contact us as soon as possible by contacting our customer service team on 0333 033 9985. Some suppliers can charge to re-issue tickets and depending on the circumstances of the loss and the proximity to you departure date then there could be a fee incurred. Tickets will be dispatched to you in accordance with your instructions and we accept no responsibility for their delivery.
Usually our hotel check-in time is between 13:00 and 15:00 and our average check-out time is between 10:00 and 12:00. You can ask one of your travel consultants if early check-in and/or check-out options are available at your chosen hotel. All hotels are different and you will be advised at time of booking
Usually anyone aged under 12 years, 0 days will be classed as a child however this depends on the airline and hotel restrictions. One of our travel consultants will be able to inform you specifically about the child policy while pricing your holiday.
We recommend that you check in at least 3 hours before departure for all flights. We won't accept responsibility if you arrive later than check in and are unable to travel.
With some airlines you can pre-book flight seats, to find out whether this is avilable on your flight then speak to one of our travel consultants who can advise you on this.
Hays Faraway offer a range of insurance policies from single trip to multi-trip and family to single traveller policies. Our travel consultants can inform you of the policies which we offer and inform you of the prices before you make the decision to choose our insurance policy. Please note that we can quote insurance prices and in the event that you have any pre-existing medical conditions then we will refer you to the medical screening line to identify if there any additional costs which will need to be paid directly to the insurer.
Hays Faraway will always pass on any special requests to our hotel and airline partners to make your holiday as special and memorable as possible. Requests cannot always be guaranteed.
If your baggage is damaged whilst in transit by an airline please approach the airline customer service desk in the airport as soon as you notice the damage to report it. Should the damage occur whilst transferring to your hotel then please inform the transfer driver / company.
If your baggage is lost at the airport or during transit by an airline then you must approach the airline customer service desk in the airport as soon as possible to report it.
Should your baggage and personal belongings be stolen whilst you are on holiday then you must inform the local police authority immediately to obtain and a crime reference number as this will enable you to claim on your insurance policy.
Our Privacy and data protection policy can be found in section 34 to 37 of our terms of business which can be found here
Information on our complaints policy can be found in section 25 to 26 of our terms of business which can be found here
Your airline locator will be clearly displayed on your booking confirmation.
Should you require airport assistance then please inform your Hays Faraway travel consultant at the time of booking. Your travel consultant will then work closely with the airline and airport representatives to cater to your specific needs.
Invoices are sent within 24 hours of your holiday reservation being made, usually by email. This time can be slightly longer if you require a paper invoice to be sent via post.
If you notice an error on your documentation then please call a member of our customer services team on 0333 033 9985 where the mistake can be investigated and rectified.
Hays Faraway will send the 1st remminder 1 week before your balance is due, 1 day after the balance was due an immediate payment letter will be sent.
All documents including transfer vouchers and hotel vouchers will be provided atleast 2 weeks prior to departure. You must travel with these vouchers.
API stands for Advanced Passenger Information and this must be provided directly to the airline by using the relevant airline's 'manage my booking section' or the API must be given to our customer services team at least 14 days prior to departure.
Baggage allowances vary by airline and are changing regularly. For the most up to date information please select your airline from the below list:
British Airways American Airlines Delta Air France KLM Etihad Qatar Emirates Singapore Airlines Thai Airways Qantas Air Canada US Airways Virgin Atlantic Air Transat Vietnam Airlines Air Seychelles Air Mauritius South African Airlines Lufthansa Aer Lingus
Please note that internal flights which build part of your package may have to be paid for locally. Luggage allowances can be checked at the time of booking with your Hays Faraway travel consultant.
Scheduled airlines will generally not have loaded their seats to sell until approximately 10 months before departure. Should this apply we will inform you at the time of booking and calculate the price in anticipation of seats being available. We will issue an invoice recording the arrangements reserved for you and will take a deposit. The price payable by you will be that applicable when the airline releases the seats. The timings and other flight details may be different to those advised at the time of booking. When the airline seats become available to book we will tell you the price and other flight details and give you 7 days to tell us whether you wish to continue with the booking on the basis of the confirmed price and other details or cancel and receive a full refund. If you wish to continue with the booking, we will issue a revised invoice. In the event that flight seats do not become available, you will receive a full refund of your deposit. We will have no other liability and will not be responsible for refunding the cost of any services booked in conjunction with the flights.
Usually we can book holidays at least 11 months in advance and by using our advanced flights we can pre-book upto as far as 15 months in advance.
Most airlines require a certificate after 28 weeks, confirming that the pregnancy is progressing normally, that there are no complications and the expected date of delivery. Airlines do not allow travel after 36 weeks for a single pregnancy and 32 weeks for multiple pregnancies.
Each airline is different and we would recommend that you advise your Hays Faraway travel consultant of the pregnancy and allow them to investigate with each individual airline.
