During Covid, USAirtours were closely monitoring bookings, where we were unable to provide the booking a full refund was provided. However due to the uncertainty of the situation, USAirtours was only able to cancel bookings 14 days prior to travel as that time we were certain that we would not be able to provide the holiday. Where customers chose to voluntarily cancel their booking outside of this time, then they were not entitled to a refund in accordance with our standard terms and conditions. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic we did provide customers with the option of either cancelling and re-booking their holiday at a later date or to take a Travel Voucher for the value of the funds that we received (minus liabilities). We offered those options on the basis that the customer is aware that neither the Travel Voucher nor any re-booked holiday can be exchanged for a cash refund in the event of any future cancellations.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your documents are in order when travelling overseas. For visitors to the USA each member of your party (including children) must have their own machine-readable full and valid British passport. It must be valid for at least 90 days from your arrival date if you intend to apply through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) using the U.S. Visa Waiver Scheme. If your passport does not show that you are a British Citizen (for example British Subject), you will need a visa for entry into the U.S.A.
All visitors must supply certain information online through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) if they wish to enter the USA using the current Visa Waiver Program (the alternative is to obtain a Visa from the US Embassy). ESTA is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and currently charge $21 payable online for authorisation that will be valid for two years. A link to the ESTA website can be found here for the latest information. We strongly recommend that you complete the online ESTA process as soon as you have booked (and at least a minimum of 72 hours before departure) because in the unlikely event that you do not receive an ESTA approval for travel, you will need to apply directly to the US Embassy for a Visa. Visitors to Canada will require an ETA.
Children aged 17 and under must hold a valid visa or ESTA on arrival. They must be able to provide evidence about the purpose of their visit, duration and place of stay if questioned by immigration officials.
If a child (17 and under) is travelling unaccompanied, with only one parent or someone who is not a parent or legal guardian, they will be asked on arrival to provide written consent to US Customs and Border Protection from both parents, or the parent who is not accompanying the child. Check the USA Government website for more information on what is required. Any questions should be directed to the US Embassy.
The US authorities can stop any person from entering the USA if they have safeguarding concerns. If this happens, the US authorities will take the child into their care. Their return from the USA could take months. The FCDO cannot speed up the return of British nationals under the age of 18 from the USA.
Before making your reservation, please see the ‘Passport and Visas’ section of our booking conditions. Should you need the U.K. Passport Agency to issue new passports, we recommend you allow a minimum of 6 weeks for this process. At the time of going to press the US Government has stated that visitors with valid machine-readable passports may continue to travel without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. The UK Passport Service suggests that ‘if you are 16 or over and haven’t yet got a passport, their recommendation is that you should apply for one at least six weeks before your holiday. The UK passport service has to confirm your identity before issuing your first passport and will ask you to attend an interview in order to do this.’ For up-to-date information, please contact the British Passport Office on 0870 521 0410 or www.ukpa.gov.uk or the US Embassy on 09042 450 100 or www.usembassy.org.uk If you are flying to or landing in any other country, please be sure and check the government website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
Please be aware that if you have travelled to or been in Cuba any time since 1 January 2021, you can not apply for an ESTA to travel under the US Visa Waiver Program. You will instead need to apply for a US visa. You should consult the US State Department website to determine which US visa you will need.
The United States Customs and Border Protection require that all airlines collect and transmit certain passenger information prior to departure, using their Advanced Passenger Information Systems (APIS). The information required includes your country of residence, the full address (including the zip/postal code) for your first night’s accommodation in the US. Please ensure that you enter this information via your airlines website before leaving for the airport to ensure that you do not encounter any unnecessary delays. Finally you are also required to supply Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD) at the time of booking which is passed to the US authorities for security reasons. This includes your full names as they appear on the passport, dates of birth and an emergency phone number of the passenger. It essential that this information is provided accurately within 72 hours of making your booking otherwise your airline may cancel your booking and you would not be entitled to a refund on any of your holiday or be entitled to compensation.
Your holiday price does not include travel insurance and it is vital that you purchase a policy that has sufficient cover for both medical expenses and costs relating to bad weather. Travel insurance provided by most credit card companies does NOT offer sufficient cover.
Whether travelling within the UK or overseas, there are associated risks that you should be aware of. Consequently, we strongly recommend that you check the Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth website both before you book and before you travel for the latest advice.https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
Travellers who are more than 24 weeks pregnant on the date of their return flight should check with their Doctor as to the advisability of flying, the airline carrier as to their eligibility to fly and their travel insurance provider to ensure that the policy is valid. Airlines reserve the right to ask customers to provide a ‘Fit to Fly’ letter from the Doctor and can refuse boarding if not provided.
With the increase in pre-flight security screening you are advised to be at the check-in desk at least 3 hours before the scheduled departure time. As the scheduled departure may be brought forward for operational reasons you must re-check your departure time by completing your online check in directly with your airline, 24 hours before departure. Please also allow sufficient time to get from the check-in desk to your departure gate at least 30 minutes before your departure time.
Please see our useful information at https://usairtours.co.uk/important-information/flights/
Name changes (including minor spelling) are not permitted by the airlines and will usually incur a cancellation penalty.
We are happy to make requests on your behalf for a range of items. Where customers would like specific airline seats we ask that you visit the airline website and select the manage my booking option, Please note some airlines may charge for this service or require tickets to be issued which means that your balance may need to be brought forward, Meal requests can also be made with the airline prior to travel.
While airlines will always try and seat all traveling members of the party together, this cannot be guaranteed and may be charged even after confirmation. Please also note that to offer the lowest priced fares, we will often quote special group flight seats and these seats cannot be pre-booked in advance and will be only be allocated at check in.
Where certain room requirements are preferred, we are happy to reach out to the hotel on our behalf, please note that we do not have any control as to if the requests can be met and therefore special requests cannot be guaranteed.
Where a request is due to a medical condition, it is essential that we are made aware of this at the time of booking where we will ask that you complete the checklist at https://usairtours.co.uk/special-requests/.
For flight requests, please visit https://usairtours.co.uk/flight-special-requests/ and view the relevant airline.
Medical – Further travel health advice can be found here
Unavoidable changes to scheduled flight times can occur, and occasionally flights are changed without notification to us, therefore we recommend that you reconfirm every flight within the relevant airline 24 hours prior to departure. If your itinerary consists of several different flights and you do not intend to use any one of them you must contact the airline in advance. Not using them in the correct sequence will result in the balance of the itinerary being cancelled.
The free luggage allowance on international flights is more generous than for flights taken within the USA. Many airlines now charge extra for checked luggage and this must be paid locally. Your booking confirmation will show the number of pieces included with your flight. Where the information shows 0PC this means that no luggage allowance is included. For details of the amounts charged please visit the airline website.
Please ensure that when you receive your travel documentation, you check that you have all necessary tickets and ticket confirmation, car rental confirmation numbers, accommodation/tour vouchers, insurance certificate and itinerary, and take them with you when leaving home. If you believe them to be incorrect or you have queries, contact us immediately. It’s a good idea to photocopy your passport and other documents, keeping them separate from the originals, in case of loss.
These times vary, but generally you will be expected to check-out between 10am and noon and check in no earlier than 3pm. You may be able to request a ‘late check-out’ with the hotel front desk on the day of departure, but some hotels make a charge for this, which must be settled locally.
Many worldwide hotels charge a resort fee to cover items such as newspaper delivery, in-room safe, the use of a gym etc. They are usually between $15 and $50 per day, can only be paid locally and can be changed by the hotel from time to time – please contact your agent for the latest information if required. These fees are optional at certain hotels and mandatory at others and as not everyone wants to use these facilities. Resort fees are not included in our rates unless we stipulate otherwise. A number of hotels assume that all guests will be happy with the resort fees and will automatically add it to your reservation. Please discuss this with hotel staff at check-in to ensure that there are no unwanted additional charges on your bill when checking out. Your hotel is also likely to make a daily charge for both valet and self-parking and this will be payable locally. Please note that your hotel will normally require you to give them a credit card when you check in so that you can charge items such as room service, mini bar, phone calls, restaurant meals etc to your room bill. It is standard requirement for the hotel to get a pre-approved credit limit authority for a reasonable amount depending on your length of stay and standard of hotel. While the hotel will not be making any charges to your credit card until you check out, their pre-approved credit authority may reduce the available spending limit on your card. We suggest that you agree the amount of the pre-approval with the hotel staff and if necessary, make arrangements to temporarily increase your card limit before leaving the UK.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of description, information and prices. However, it is possible that an advertised facility may be withdrawn or changed: whenever practical, we will advise of such changes. All pictures shown represent the standard of travel products provided but we reserve the right to provide alternatively similar products depending on availability. The hotel reviews in this brochure are subjective and all reasonable effort has been made whilst preparing material, however no warranty is given that the information displayed is complete or accurate. USAirtours does not assume and hereby disclaim all liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the information displayed, whether they result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. We recommend that you read the latest reviews and score rating on all the hotels that you have booked with us on the TripAdvisor website immediately after receiving our booking confirmation. If you feel there any of the accommodation confirmed is not suitable, please contact us immediately to make the necessary changes.
Please see our dedicated Villas page at https://usairtours.co.uk/important-information/usairtours-villas/
Please see our dedicated Car Hire page at https://usairtours.co.uk/important-information/car-rental/
Although you have made a booking through one of our appointed travel agents, your contract is directly with us. Consequently, you are required to let us have your mobile phone number that will also be passed on to any airline(s) to enable them or us to contact you regarding any itinerary changes prior to, or during your trip and in order to provide the services contracted where necessary. If we are not provided with a mobile number that you can be contacted on, it could prevent us from fulfilling our contract with you and may involve in additional travel related costs that you will not be able to recover from us. Your contact details will not be used for future marketing or passed to a third a party. They will be held securely in accordance with a GDPR policy.
Should you have any problems whilst you are away, your first action should be to take up the matter with the onsite or local office. If the problem is not solved immediately, you must ensure that you contact USAirtours straight away on our 24 hours assistance line 0044 208 418 8202. This gives us the opportunity to resolve any problem promptly. our duty office at all other times who will provide the appropriate telephone number of our local office and alert our Duty Manager.
If you are going to take part in potentially hazardous activities such as skiing, canoeing and diving (sky or sea), follow all the relevant safety guidance and check that your medical insurance covers you fully in the event of an accident.
Do not swim when warning flags show, take care at all times and never dive into water without checking that it’s deep enough. An adult who can swim well should always supervise children. Young children should never be left unattended near any stretch of water – not even a paddling pool.
Cleanliness and health is generally of a high standard throughout the resorts that we book, however at certain times of the year, particularly in humid climates it is likely that you will see certain harmless insects inside your living accommodation. If you feel this is a problem for you, please inform the local site manager to address it for you.
It is possible that your travel plans could get interrupted while overseas for a variety of reasons including adverse weather conditions, airport closures or flight cancellations. In circumstances where you are unable to travel, we will be happy to assist you and can re-book local accommodation when requested. However you will responsible for paying the hotel and any consequential additional costs. If the delay has been caused by a flight cancellation back to the UK on a European based airline, you should be able to reclaim reasonable additional expenses relating to hotel, meals and refreshments directly from the airline providing your keep your receipts. It is essential that you purchase travel insurance that covers you for any additional expenses incurred and consequential loss caused by weather delays or flight cancellations.
Before confirming your booking with USAirtours some customers (or their travel agent) may have made an earlier reservation with the same airline on the same flight with another company. Should that occur we will not be aware of the earlier reservation and the airline reserves to right to automatically cancel any duplicate reservation including confirmed bookings with USAirtours. If for any reason we were unable to re-book your reservation in these circumstances, we will refund any payment received for the flight portion before ticket issue, but the balance for any non flight elements would be non-refundable and we would not be liable for any additional costs. Please ensure that any reservations made are cancelled prior to booking with USAirtours.
The information on these pages is valid as of 11/04/2023 and replaces the previous information provided. As it can be updated at any time, we suggest that you revisit this section our website immediately prior to departure.
