CAA postpones deadline for responses on Atol reform

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has extended the deadline for industry responses to its ‘Request for further information’, or call for evidence, on Atol reform to the end of this month.

The CAA confirmed today that the deadline has been pushed back by a week to March 31 “to allow the industry more time to respond”.

The original deadline for submissions was today (March 24).

The CAA announced the postponement of the deadline on Twitter, saying: “Our call for evidence has been put back by a week to allow the travel industry more chance to respond.

“Please let us know your views on Atol reform by Friday 31 March. More details and how to respond are on our website.”

In an email note to Atol holders and industry stakeholders, the CAA said: “We would encourage everyone to complete the survey and give us their views if they haven’t already.”

The CAA published an update on Atol reform and its request for further information on January 24 as it looks to finalise proposals following an initial consultation in the first half of 2021.

The document set out options for the segregation of customer money and how these might work, the factors which might underpin a variable Atol Protection Contribution (APC) to replace the current flat rate fee, and the likely next steps along with a summary of CAA research on consumer attitudes to Atol financial protection.

CAA head of Atol Michael Budge has said a follow-up consultation should appear “this year” ahead of a proposed start date for a revised regime of April 2024.

Senior industry figures have questioned whether such an early launch date would be feasible, depending on the extent of the reforms, and also argued for a lengthy transition period.

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