tmcmatchATOL vs ABTA: what each one is, what it protects, and which applies to your booking
ATOL and ABTA are usually mentioned together, and they are not the same kind of thing. ATOL is a licensing scheme set in law and run by the Civil Aviation Authority: it protects package trips that include a flight. ABTA is a trade association for travel businesses. The legal duty to protect customers’ money on packages without a flight comes from a third place — the Package Travel Regulations 2018. And a lot of travel, including most flight-only e-tickets and most business travel booked under a corporate account, is covered by none of them.
Key points
- ATOL = licence, run by the CAA, for packages that include a flight. You get an ATOL Certificate.
- ABTA = trade association, not a statutory regulator.
- Non-flight packages must be protected under PTR 2018 reg 19, whatever badge is shown.
- Neither is insurance, and neither pays out for an ordinary delay or cancellation.
- Business travel under a general business travel agreement sits outside both regimes.
ATOL and ABTA, question by question
| Question | ATOL | ABTA |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A licensing scheme in law (Civil Aviation (ATOL) Regulations 2012) | A trade association for travel businesses |
| Who runs it | The Civil Aviation Authority | Its members, through the association |
| Required by law? | Yes, to sell flight-inclusive packages in the UK (reg 9) | Membership is not a legal requirement |
| What it protects | Package trips that include a flight | Its own scheme; see below for what we could not verify |
| The legal duty behind non-flight packages | — | Package Travel Regulations 2018, reg 19: effective security |
| Proof you are covered | An ATOL Certificate | — |
| Flight-only e-ticket from an airline | Not covered | — |
| Cancelled or delayed flight, company still trading | Not an ATOL claim | — |
| Business travel under a general business travel agreement | Outside ATOL (reg 10(1)(h)) | Outside package protection (PTR reg 3) |
| Is it insurance? | No | No |
| Where to check | CAA ATOL holder search | ABTA member search |
ATOL, in the CAA’s words
ATOL(which stands for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) is financial protection when you book a package trip that includes a flight. It is not travel insurance. The scheme is run by us at the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).Read it on legislation.gov.uk
- The certificate: “When you purchase an ATOL protected trip which includes a flight, you should be given an ATOL Certificate.”
- Flight-only: “If you purchase an airline ticket from an airline or travel company and you receive a valid e-ticket in exchange for payment, the ATOL scheme does not cover this flight.”
- Agents: “ATOL holders can sell flights and packages through travel agents and therefore travel agents do not need to hold their own ATOL.”
- Claims: “We must receive your claim within 12 months from the date of the ATOL holder’s failure.”
- Not for disruption: “You will not be able to submit an ATOL claim for a cancelled flight.”
Behind the scheme is a prohibition in law. Regulation 9 of the Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) Regulations 2012:
A person must not in the United Kingdom make available flight accommodation unless that person is—(a) the operator of the relevant aircraft; (b) an ATOL holder acting in accordance with the terms of its ATOL; (c) a person who is exempt from the need to hold an ATOL by reason of regulation 10; or (d) a person who is exempted by the CAA under regulation 11 from the need to hold an ATOL.Read it on legislation.gov.uk
ABTA — and the law that actually protects non-flight packages
ABTA is a trade association, not a statutory regulator. Membership brings its own code and its own arrangements; we tried to read ABTA’s description of its protection scheme at source and could not (its website refused our request), so we do not summarise it here. The ABTA member search, linked below, is the way to check whether a business is a member.
What we can quote is the legal duty that sits behind any package that does not include a flight:
The organiser of a package who is established in the United Kingdom must provide effective security to cover, in the event of the organiser's insolvency, the reasonably foreseeable costs of— a refunding all payments made by or on behalf of travellers for any travel service not performed as a consequence of the insolvencyRead it on legislation.gov.uk
Failing to do so is a criminal matter: “An organiser who fails to comply with any provision of paragraphs (1) to (5) commits an offence”. The Regulations list the ways the security can be provided (bonding, insurance and trust arrangements, in regulations 20 to 24). The first is a bond paid to an “approved body”:
the organiser must ensure that a bond is entered into by an authorised institution under which the institution, in the event of the insolvency of the organiser, binds itself to pay to an approved body of which that organiser is a memberRead it on legislation.gov.uk
And the definition: ““approved body” means a body which is for the time being approved by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this regulation;” The minimum bond is “not less than 25% of all the payments which the organiser estimates that the organiser will receive under or in contemplation of package travel contracts in the 12-month period from the date of entry into force of the bond”, or the maximum held at any one time if smaller.
The two regimes are arranged so they do not overlap. Packages that need an ATOL are carved out of the reg 19 duty — the exception covers a package “the package is one— i in respect of which the organiser is required to hold a licence under the Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) Regulations 2012;”. So flight-inclusive packages are protected through ATOL, and non-flight packages through the PTR security, whatever logos the seller displays.
Which applies to your booking
- Package with a flight, from an ATOL holder: ATOL. Keep the certificate.
- Package without a flight (hotel + coach, rail + hotel): PTR reg 19 security — ask how it is provided.
- Flight-only, e-ticket issued straight away: neither. Delay and cancellation rights come from UK261.
- Hotel only: not a package — under PTR reg 2(5) “a “package” means a combination of at least two different types of travel services for the purpose of the same trip or holiday” — so neither applies.
- Business travel under a general business travel agreement: outside ATOL by reg 10(1)(h) and outside package protection by PTR reg 3. The detail is on ATOL, ABTA and IATA in business travel.
We are paid a fixed fee per enquiry, agreed in advance, identical whichever supplier receives it. ATOL and ABTA are here because suppliers show both logos, and for a company booking business travel neither may apply at all.
Need to know what protects your company’s bookings?
Describe the requirement once. It goes to no more than three suppliers, once each.
How to check a travel company
- Search the CAA ATOL holder register for the company’s legal entity, not its brand.
- Search the ABTA member list the same way.
- For a non-flight package, ask how the reg 19 security is provided: bond, insurance or trust.
- For a business account, ask whether bookings are made under a general business travel agreement — if so, ask what protects prepayments instead.
This page quotes the CAA and the regulations as read on 2026-09-28; it is not legal advice.
Common questions
What is the difference between ATOL and ABTA?
ATOL is a licensing scheme set in law and run by the Civil Aviation Authority; it protects package trips that include a flight. ABTA is a trade association, not a statutory regulator. For packages without a flight, the legal duty to protect customers’ money comes from the Package Travel Regulations 2018, not from either name.
Is ABTA the same as ATOL?
No. One is a licence under the Civil Aviation (ATOL) Regulations 2012; the other is membership of a trade association. A company can hold an ATOL, be an ABTA member, both, or neither.
What does ATOL protect?
The CAA: “ATOL(which stands for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) is financial protection when you book a package trip that includes a flight. It is not travel insurance.” If the ATOL holder fails, the scheme helps travellers continue their trip or get home and reimburses ATOL-protected costs.
Is a flight-only booking ATOL protected?
Not if you get an e-ticket straight away. The CAA: “If you purchase an airline ticket from an airline or travel company and you receive a valid e-ticket in exchange for payment, the ATOL scheme does not cover this flight.”
Can I claim from ATOL if my flight is delayed or cancelled?
No. The CAA: “You will not be able to submit an ATOL claim for a cancelled flight.” Delays and cancellations fall under UK261.
Do travel agents need their own ATOL?
Not always. “ATOL holders can sell flights and packages through travel agents and therefore travel agents do not need to hold their own ATOL.”
Are business trips ATOL protected?
Not if they are booked under a general business travel agreement: regulation 10(1)(h) of the ATOL Regulations takes those bookings outside ATOL, and the Package Travel Regulations take them outside package protection.
Sources cited on this page
- CAA — What is ATOL protection?
- Civil Aviation (ATOL) Regulations 2012, reg 9
- Civil Aviation (ATOL) Regulations 2012, reg 10
- Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, reg 19
- Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, reg 20
- CAA — ATOL holder search
- ABTA — Find a member
Every figure above was read from the source it is attributed to on 20 September 2026. How we check this.
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