I feel for anyone caught up in Goldtrail going bust. This happened to us for our flights last June when custom flights went bust. It is early days yet but when custom flights went bust the CAA transfered peoples flights to new operators. I would sit tight for a few days and see what the CAA announce next week, hopefully they will do the same this time and find new operators for you all. If this did happen you would still need to complete a claim form so the new operator gets paid for the flight but at least you wouldn't have to shell out for a new flight.
I am not gauranteeing this will happen but just urging people not to give up hope as it is very early days and I don't think a proper plan is in place yet of how they are going to handle this.

Steve

Gemz if you paid by credit card contact your card provider. Or you bank/card provider if it is visa debit.

Scarsboromoggy, Visa Debit Cards have their own protection.

Simon M, going to have to go through card provider for holiday as she wasn't booked on a package holiday.

Hi leisure lad well it makes all my otherposts somewhat irrelevant now! i got my wish not to fly with viking what a price to pay!!! i have opted to cancel the accomadation as offerred they say most companies are sympathetic (hotels4u) and hopefully we will get a refund however im sure OTB will charge as you know first experience booking this way and last!!! looks like we will have to go through CAA for our flights to be refunded although somepeople say go through your debit card provider?? another question is whos who in relation to tour operator, travel agent OTB or goldtrail????it asks this on the claim form im not in a position to book more flights although we dont go till september so have a bit of time to sort things out all i know is OTB will not get any more money from me to pay for another holiday the question is who is safe to book with!!!

Me & my family are due to fly out to turkey but i booked through the company called airflights, but flying with onur air.
I wont be affected will i ?!

Sandy - Visa Debit is the one that has some protection. So try that if it is that.

Under the scheme you have 120 days to make a claim.

My agent has forwarded a claim form but I'm a bit confused, I will complete this form but people have mentioned claiming from their credit card companies. Is this an either or situation or should I also claim on the card company ...?

can anyone help me im due to fly out next month with my family booked through airflights and flying with onur air apperently the principals is Holidays 4 You, would i be affected by this?

Kimmm No, They are a seperate company.
Oska: If I remember rightly from previous times (either XL/Zoom/Globespan) then it has been recommened those who paid on a credit card, claim of the credit card company.

Thank you, but people have said that holidays4u work with goldtrail or something?
because i rung the caa line and they said onur air have not been affected but weve booked through airflights and the principals is Holidays 4 You? so...

thanks is that 120 days from now or when you paid for it i used 2 different debit cards which is the easiest claiming on the cards or through the CAA

kimmmm ... take a look at this page on the Airflights website:
http://www.airflights.co.uk/help/failures/GTR/

If your booking confirmation does not display the principal as Goldtrail, then hopefully you are not affected. Unfortunately you have just missed Airflights, they closed at 8pm, but why not give them a ring tomorrow if you are still worried: 0800 083 7007

David

Visa Chargeback from a quick google, under the ash situation it was 120 days for the date of the return flight.
TBH chargeback means getting the money back from Goldtrail's bank, so I'm not sure how that will work out with them in Administration

EDIT: More info 120 days from 16/7/2010. And the money comes from the bank not the company going insolvent
From Money Saving Expert

David HT Mod, thanks for that link you gave me i went on that site earlier and rung that number and thats the caa number or something like that. They told me onur air would not be affected by this but im worried cuz on my emails ive had from airflights about my payments and that say the principal is Holidays 4 You, so have these been affected? because i have never had information on goldtrail so i take it goldtrail is not in my chain link anywhere. but i will ring them tomorrow

Thats why it proves time and time again to go into a travel agent, book with a ABTA bonded tour operator and when it goes bust/volcanic ash problems etc, go back to the travel agent and try and change to a different holiday or get money back.
Its doesn't always pay to book direct or separately ie: hotel direct or flight direct just to cut money .Sorry

it was my first time booking this way NEVER again
anyone know how long refunds may take?? my dad has offerred to loan me what we have lost but i dont want him waiting years!!!! thanks in advance

sandy 149 i was speaking to caa yesterday i havent lost my flights but they said it could take up to 2 years to get money back!

The CAA is expected to issue further information tomorrow about the claims process, expected timescale for refunds, etc.

David

thanks just dont want my dad to be waiting 12 months will just see what happens obviously its not as big as the XL collapse but reading past posts people have been waiting a long time!!

Sorry to anyone who has booked with Goldtrail but you only have to look back over the pages on HT to see this outfit were never going to survive. The writing has been on the wall - the internet in this case - for a long, long time.

But then over the last couple of years there have been a lot of others. Excel was probably the most high profile and the question that needs to be asked, not only for the Goldtrail customers, but all the other potential disasters that are looming. What good are ABTA, ATOL, CAA. Their job, at least as far as the general public are concerned, is to police these companies and prevent such things. They are failing big time. It is no comfort to be told "you will get your money back" when it will take up to 2 years to do so. We actually pay a levy on our holidays for the so called protection that we do not seem to be getting.

Three years ago when I returned from a holiday to find the company I had booked my next one with had gone down I was in the fortunate position of being able to afford to rebook it whilst I waited for my money back. A few weeks as it happens as I claimed against my CC supplier and had no problems, but I was one of the lucky ones. Those paying by debit card are in an even worse position. No doubt we will soon see reports of people paying money over only a matter of hours before the announcement. Companies do not go bust in a couple of hours. The management know well in advance yet continue to take peoples money.

All these people have worked hard to raise the money to pay for these holidays and they deserve much more than what they are getting.

fwh