Hurricane Policy
Hurrican Policy information for Sunquest, Sunwing, Transat, Signature, Nolitours.
Sunquest Hurricain Policy:
SUNQUEST’S HURRICANE POLICY
Allows Customers to Book with Peace of Mind
TORONTO – In an effort to protect our customers’ personal safety, as well as to protect their travel plans during the months considered part of the hurricane season in the Caribbean and Mexico (June 1-Nov. 30), Sunquest’s Hurricane Policy will take effect if an official hurricane watch or warning (Category 1 or higher) is issued by the relevant local government or by the National Hurricane Center.
If a hurricane is forecasted to affect a destination within the watch or warning area during a Sunquest customer’s scheduled holiday, or if a hurricane passes through the destination within one week prior to departure, Sunquest offers the following options:
- Change the departure dates – this option allows the customer to change the dates for the same flight, hotel and duration, with the customer covering the difference in price if it is higher (no refund will be issued if the cost is lower). Travel must be completed by Dec. 8, 2008 (two-week holiday) or Dec. 15, 2008 (one-week holiday);
- Change destinations – this option allows the customer to select another Sunquest destination that is not affected by the hurricane. The new departure date must be within four weeks of the original date and the customer must pay the difference in price if it is higher (no refund will be issued if the cost is lower);
- Continue with existing travel arrangements – as long as Sunquest is still operating into the destination, a customer can decide to continue with their existing travel plans. No compensation or refund is offered if this option is selected;
- If the flight is not operating within 24 hours of the original departure time, the customer will be given a full refund.
If a customer is in destination and he/she is evacuated either due to an impending hurricane or due to conditions following a hurricane, or if the customer chooses to make his/her own way home following a hurricane watch or warning or after a hurricane has passed, Sunquest will offer a future travel credit for the unused accommodation portion of the holiday that will be valid for one year. This does not include airfare or incidental expenses and does not apply to air-only passengers.
SIGNATURE VACATIONS HURRICANE POLICY - CLICK HERE
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Never worry about hurricanes spoiling your clients’ vacation again, with Signature Vacations’ no fee hurricane policy.
All customers who book a holiday with Signature Vacations to the Caribbean or Mexico for departures between June 1st and November 30th 2008 are automatically enrolled in Signature’s hurricane policy, taking the worry out of their holiday. If a Category 1 or higher hurricane has passed through the resort your customers are visiting within a week prior to departure or if the U.S. National Hurricane Centre has issued a Hurricane Warning for a potential Category 1 hurricane or higher and the Canadian Government has issued a Travel Advisory for the country or area your customers are visiting, they will have four options to ensure that their holiday plans are not spoiled:
1. Change the departure date: Change the date of the holiday for the same flight, hotel and duration as offered by Signature Vacations at applicable system cost*. Departures must be completed by December 16, 2008 or December 9th, 2008 for two-week holidays.
2. Change the destination: Change to any other Signature destination unaffected by the hurricane, provided the new outbound date is within four weeks of the original departure date. The customer is responsible for any additional upgrade costs if the new airfare or package is more expensive than the original holiday.
3. Receive a full vacation credit**: Receive a full credit of all payments made with Signature Vacations (excluding any costs associated with travel insurance purchased by the customer). Vacation credit must be applied to bookings made through the travel agent who originally booked the vacation.
4. Keep on Travelling: Provided Signature is still operating to the region, your customers can continue travelling as planned. No refund, full or in part can be given once they decide to travel to the country or region.
This policy is free and your customers are automatically given this peace of mind once they book a holiday with Signature Vacations for departures between June 1 and November 30, 2008. This insurance only applies to Signature vacations in the Caribbean (English Caribbean, Cuba & the Dominican Republic) and Mexico.
Your customers can have that worry-free vacation that they have been looking forward to. Qualifying hurricanes are defined as Category 1 or higher storms on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, the method used by the US NHC in Miami (www.nhc.noaa.gov). Travel Advisories issued by the Government of Canada can be found at www.voyage.ca. Both authorities must have issued hurricane warnings for this insurance to be active.
If your customer is in destination when a hurricane occurs or if they choose to return home, or are evacuated from the destination, they will receive a refund in the form of a Signature travel voucher for the portion of their accommodation costs that have been disrupted. These vouchers are valid for one full year. Costs related to the air and transfer portion of customers holidays will not be refunded. Any additional expenses related to the hurricane are the sole responsibility of the customers. For customers travelling “Air Only”, Signature is not liable to refund part or in full any unused accommodation costs incurred by the customers.
This offer is subject to change or cancellation. All bookings and vouchers provided are non-transferable. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions of the current Signature brochure for additional details.
*If new system rate is lower than original system rate, there will be no refund offered.
**Travel credit will be valid for 6 months and all travel must be booked at least 30 days in advance. Signature Vacations, a division of First Choice Canada Inc. |
Sunwing Hurricane Guarantee
Sunwing eases agents' jobs with No Charge Hurricane Threat Guarantee
Agents across Canada can book their sun destination clients all season long thanks to Sunwing Vacations’ Hurricane Threat Guarantee. This free of charge program is offered for new bookings effective today on all departures July 1 through November 30 to all Sunwing destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. It automatically applies to all bookings (except groups) once the deposit has been received. With the Guarantee, clients have four choices. They can defer their package (same itinerary) up to December 15 this year; change to another sun destination of their choice departing within four weeks of their original departure date (if higher priced, clients will be required to pay the difference); cancel with a full refund; or travel as planned if it is deemed safe to do so. The Guarantee goes into effect if the Canadian Government has issued a Travel Advisory relating to a hurricane; the U.S. National Hurricane Center/Tropical Prediction Center five-day forecast shows a potential hurricane; or a hurricane has already passed through the intended destination within a week of the scheduled departure. “We feel this no-cost guarantee is a very fair way to deal with both consumers and travel agents,” says Daryl McWilliams, Sunwing’s vice-president of sales and marketing. “And we hope that agents will recommend Sunwing to any client who expresses concern about traveling during the late summer and fall.”
Transat Holidays' and Nolitours Hurricane Policy is available free of charge to Transat Holidays passengers and is automatically applied for departures between June 1 and Nov. 30 for passengers travelling to Mexico, Cuba, the D.R., Jamaica and St.Maarten/St. Martin. Should a hurricane warning affect their destination, as per Transat's specific guidelines, passengers can choose to travel at a later date, travel to another destination, continue with their travel plans to the booked destination or cancel with a full-refund.
Nolitours passengers can be assured their holiday is fully checked out when travelling to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean or Florida. As part of our mission to provide quality vacations, passengers are automatically protected at no additional charge by our hurricane policy.
The policy is part of our everyday commitment to our passengers travelling during the hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, 2006. In the event that the vacation is affected by a hurricane, passengers will have the option to:
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Travel at a later date
Passengers who choose to travel at a later date can do so at no additional cost. Travel must be completed on or before December 15, 2006 (or December 8, 2006 for 14 night durations.) The destination, hotel and room category must remain the same.
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Travel to another destination
Passengers who choose to travel to another destination can do so by selecting another Nolitours destination that is not at risk of a hurricane. Travel must be taken within four weeks of the original departure date. In the event the package price is higher than the original booking, the passenger will be responsible to pay the difference.
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Travel to the booked destination
Passengers who want to continue travelling to the booked destination may do so, provided Nolitours is still operating to the destination. A refund will not be issued if this option is taken.
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Cancel with a full-refund
Passengers who choose NOT to travel, may cancel with a full refund (excluding travel insurance costs, if purchased).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Nolitours hurricane policy is automatically applicable to any reservation made for departures June 1 to November 30, 2006 for passengers travelling to Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador and Florida. The above options are only available when the Canadian Government has issued a travel advisory and the U.S. National Hurricane Centre/Tropical Prediction Centre (NHC/TPC) shows a potential hurricane or a hurricane has already passed through the intended destination within one week of the scheduled departure. The hurricane must be registered as a Category 1 Hurricane or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale used by the NHC/TPC. The requirements from both the Canadian Government and the NHC/TPC must be enacted for the policy to be effective. Refer to www.nhc.noaa.gov for more information on hurricane status.
In the event passengers are repatriated to Canada, or evacutated from a destination due to a hurricane while on a Nolitours vacation, they will be eligible for a credit voucher (valid for one year) for unused days on the accommodation portion of the package. Costs related to the air and transfer portion of the holiday will not be refunded. Additional expenses related to the hurricane are at the expense of the passenger. Passengers travelling "Air Only" will not be eligible for a refund for unused accommodations or transfers.
The hurricane policy is subject to change and/or be withdrawn at anytime without notice. For complete terms and conditions refer to the Nolitours Fully Checked Out brochure
CONQUEST HURRICANE POLICY - TRAVEL WITH PEACE OF MIND:
The following policy applies to all passengers who are booked to travel June 1, 2008 through November 30, 2008. There is no additional fee charged for this service.
If a hurricane has affected a destination area within a week of departure, if the Canadian Government has issued a Travel Advisory or if the U.S. National Hurricane Centre forecasts a potential hurricane, passengers will be afforded the following options:
a. Change of departure date: Passengers may change their departure date at no additional cost. Departures commence no later than December 12, 2008 for one week of holidays and December 5, 2008 for two week holidays. Rescheduled departures must be for the same flight routing and the same hotel as originally offered by Conquest Vacations
b. Change of destination: Passengers may change their holiday to any other Conquest destination providing travel dates commence within four weeks of the original scheduled departure date. Passengers choosing this option will be responsible for any additional upgrade costs should their new vacation be more expensive at the time of booking than the amount paid for the original booked vacation
c. Full Refund: Passengers may opt for a full refund (excluding insurance costs).
d. Travel as planned: Passengers may opt to continue with their original travel plans should Conquest continue to operate. No refund in full or in part will be issued should passengers decide to travel to the affected area.
For the purposes of this coverage, a “hurricane” is as announced by the U.S. National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami, under either the “Atlantic” or “Eastern Pacific” categories, registering at least Category One on the Saffir-Simpson Scale (see www.nhc.noaa.gov). If the passenger travels and the NHC determines that a hurricane passed through the destination during their vacation, and the relevant local government has issued an accompanying Hurricane Watch or Warning, the passenger is entitled to a refund for their accommodation for any disrupted days. As well, if they choose to return home early, or are evacuated from the destination, a credit for all unused accommodation costs will be provided. The credit will be in the form of a Conquest future travel voucher and will be valid for one year. Other expenses passengers may incur including airfare, food and beverage, transportation services as well as any incidental expenses are excluded from this offer. Passengers who have purchased air only will be covered for the air portion of their holiday and will not be refunded for any unused accommodation costs that they may incur.
This offer is subject to change and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. All bookings and future travel are non-transferable. For additional details refer to the terms and conditions contained herein.
US Hurrican - National Hurricane Center - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
