IMPORTANT TERMS & CONDITIONS

Using Journey Latin America’s Low-Fare Booking Engine means that you understand and accept these terms.

COULD WE HAVE BOOKED YOU THE SAME THING CHEAPER?

1. Any prospective traveller may use this booking-engine to book and pay for flights. However, if you are also booking other services with Journey Latin America, you may be eligible for cheaper fares than we are permitted to quote here – it’s always worth checking with us first.

TICKET RESTRICTIONS

2. Most fares/tickets do not permit changes (to dates or routes of travel) and are non-refundable once issued. If you need more flexibility than this, before using this booking engine, please contact us by e mail, or telephone during office hours 020 8747 3108 (or (+4420 8747 3108 from outside UK) before making a reservation.
3. All airline tickets sold and issued by Journey Latin America are electronic tickets (e-tickets)
4. Tickets are non-transferable (to another person) and name changes, however minor they may be, are not permitted. All flight reservations must be made using the name exactly as it appears in the traveller’s passport.
5. You should not expect the airline to pay for accommodation at intermediate stops where no through connection is available. They may not even pay when a missed connection or flight is not your fault. Journey Latin America accepts no claims for additional costs or contingent liability in these cases.
6. The airline reserves the right to change the flight schedule at any time. Carriers specifically state that timetables or routings, or type of ‘plane (“equipment”) are not guaranteed; nor do carriers assume responsibility for making connections even if they are shown on the ticket documentation.
7. Flights must be used in order of sequence (for example, failure to use the first sector of your itinerary could invalidate the rest of your ticket)
8. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have provided correct contact details for travellers, as requested during the booking procedure.

SPECIAL REQUESTS - SEATING AND MEALS

9. Journey Latin America cannot guarantee that specific seats will be available on departure, even if pre-booked with the airline. We recommend you check in early.
10. Any special requests (meals, disabled facilities etc) will be requested but cannot be guaranteed.

PAYMENT TERMS

11. Full payment is required at time of booking. Payment may be made only by credit or debit card. A surcharge of 2% will be made for any payment by credit card; no charge is levied for debit card payments. Journey Latin America will not be liable for any additional costs incurred should there be a problem with your transaction.
12. All fares are charged in GB pounds sterling. In some cases the fare calculation may have been done by conversion from another currency at the exchange rate applicable on date of issue.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

13. We strongly advise you to arrange insurance cover for your trip. Medical costs incurred in South America can be very high and petty theft is depressingly common. Journey Latin America recommends Campbell Irvine.

RECONFIRMATION OF RESERVATIONS

14. It is not necessary to reconfirm outward reservations from the UK. However, it is your responsibility to reconfirm return flight reservations and timings (ideally within 24 hours of the schedule departure time, to ensure for example that the airline has not changed the flight timings). The same applies to onward reservations if you break your journey, eg for a stopover.

TAXES

15. Some taxes, including UK Airport Departure Tax (APD) and certain ‘transit’ taxes are paid in UK when you pay for tickets. However, in addition, airport taxes for both domestic and international travel are charged at check-in by most South American airports. Journey Latin America can accept no liability for tax collected incorrectly in Latin America. If you break your journey for a stopover in the USA or Europe you may be asked to pay local airport taxes. Where travel originates at the other end (‘inbounds’), many South American countries charge a substantial exit tax (in addition to airport tax) and these cannot usually be collected at the UK end when tickets are paid for.

PREGNANT WOMEN; INFANTS & CHILDREN; SPECIAL REQUESTS

16. Regulations vary with each airline, but many do not carry women in their 28th week of pregnancy or beyond without a certificate from a doctor. Please check with us before continuing with your booking.
17. Infants aged under 2 years must sit on an adult’s lap - you may request (by calling us) a bassinet for an infant under 6 months, but the size of the infant may also be taken into consideration. If a seat is required for an infant, child fare is normally charged; if two infants travel with one adult, one infant must occupy and pay for a seat. Infants are not usually entitled to baggage allowance, but the accompanying adult is usually permitted to carry a reasonable amount of baby stuff. Infants turning 2 or children turning 12 during the course of their journey (eg for onward or return flights) may have to pay a higher fare. Please contact us for details (see below).
18. For bookings for unaccompanied children (under 12), young persons (under 16), or for one or more adults travelling with more than two children apiece, please contact us
19. Please contact us, rather than book online, if you have requirements for special meals or airport assistance.
20. It is implicit in your using this this online booking service that you be over the age of 18 years, and be using a payment card with the permission of the cardholder.

BAGGAGE

21. For information on what you can and can’t take on the ‘plane, see the link Security Guidelines (after You’ve finished). For departures from the UK, all airlines, and therefore passengers, must abide by the regulations (or emergency measures) imposed by the Department for Transport .
22. Any advice or information which Journey Latin America may offer regarding baggage must be regarded as general. Airlines frequently change their allowances to passengers, and there are often inconsistencies in the way that airlines handle or charge for excess weight or unusual baggage. Unusual baggage might include, but is not limited to: bicycles, surfboards, scuba equipment, golf clubs or any bulky or unusually shaped items. Journey Latin America accepts no claims for compensation or contingent liability associated with any part of airlines’ performance, delivery of service, or application of charges associated with baggage handling.
23. If luggage goes missing, the airline responsible for processing the claim is the final carrier, regardless of which carrier might have caused the problem in the first place.
24. Some airlines (usually EC carriers who are IATA members) limit their liability for lost, damaged or delayed items under the terms of the Montreal Convention, where the maximum payable is approx EUR 1200 per passenger. Other IATA airlines apply the Warsaw Convention, where the maximum payable is approx. EUR 20 per kilo of checked-in baggage and approx EUR 400 in total for unchecked baggage. Time limits apply, within which the airline must be advised of damage, loss or delay.

SEAT AVAILABILITY

25. Certain smaller airlines do not maintain up-to-date availability in the GDS (shared airlines’ booking system) and in some instances airlines may cancel bookings, because what appeared to be available when booked in fact wasn’t, because the airline had not kept the GDS up-to-date.
26. In exceptional circumstances, Journey Latin America may not be able to issue tickets for confirmed sectors owing to UK ticketing restrictions. In these circumstances we will try to contact you within 24 hours of confirmation and make alternative arrangements or, failing that, refund you for this sector. These alternative arrangements may be more expensive and you will be asked to pay the difference should you choose to take up this offer.

ROUTINGS, PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS AND VISAS

27. Some itineraries will require a change of aircraft. We urge you to check your itinerary carefully. Flight routings shown on your invoice/itinerary indicate where a change of ‘planes is necessary. There may be other touchdowns in addition to the ‘plane changes. Direct flights involve no change of ‘plane; non-stop flights involve no scheduled intermediate touchdowns. All airlines reserve the right to alter the routing of your flight to enable them to get you to your destination.
28. It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visas for all countries to be visited or transited, and that all your passport details are correct. Transit means a change of ‘plane at an airport where you are not intending to break your journey (but nevertheless may be obliged to pass through passport control).
29. Most Latin American countries require your passport to have a minimum of six months before expiry, beyond your return date home. Journey Latin America can accept no responsibility for a person using any ticket being refused entry on arrival at destination or in the UK.
30. All passengers entering or transiting USA must have a machine-readable passport (MRP). It is your responsibility to ensure you have one – British passport holders can find information on the FCO website - but all nationalities are affected.
31. Before travel and whilst you are away, we strongly advise you to check FCO Travel Advice website or call 0870 606 0290. This travel advice is specific to each country and is updated regularly.
The BBC website is also useful

AIRLINE REGULATIONS, CONVENTIONS AND YOUR RIGHTS

32. EU regulation 889/2002 requires EC carriers to apply the provisions of the Montreal Convention. Under its terms, there are no financial limits in respect of death or bodily injury. EU regulation 261/2004 relates to all flights departing from the EU and all flights into the EU on EU carriers. It sets down rules governing compensation and assistance which must be provided to disrupted passengers and specifically covers cancelled flights, long delays, denied boarding and downgrades. The exact remedies to be offered under the legislation depend upon the circumstances of the disruption. Affected passengers should ask at the airport for details of their rights under the legislation and on claiming compensation. Some non-EC IATA airlines apply the Warsaw Convention where there are limits to the liability in the case of death or injury. These vary from a maximum of approx EUR 10,000 to not less than USD 75,000 depending on carrier, and route. Carriers may also be liable for damage caused by long delays.
33. Carriage and other services provided by the airline are subject to conditions of carriage, which are hereby incorporated by reference. These conditions may be obtained from the issuing carrier.
34. The itinerary summary/receipt constitutes the passenger ticket for the purposes of Article 3 of the Warsaw convention, except where the carrier delivers to the passenger another document complying with the requirements of article 3.
35. If the passenger’s journey involves an ultimate destination or stop in a country other than the country of departure, the Warsaw Convention may be applicable and the Convention governs, and in most cases limits, the liability of carriers for death or personal injury and in respect of personal damage to baggage. See also notices headed 'advice to international passengers on limitation of liability' and 'notice of baggage liability limitations'

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CARRYING AIRLINES, AND BETWEEN JOURNEY LATIN AMERICA

Journey Latin America acts as agent for the airline(s), and not the principal. This means that you should seek any redress, whether financial or otherwise, directly from the airline(s). Sometimes airlines are referred to as carriers.

Airlines have joined forces in various strategic alliance groups. The main implication for passengers is Code Sharing: you may think, for example, that you have booked on British Airways, but you find yourself travelling on Iberia or LAN. Journey Latin America has no influence over this.

Journey Latin America has no control over the behaviour of the staff of an airline, and can offer no refund or compensation for poor service.