What ATOL covers
ATOL — the Air Travel Organisers' Licence — protects UK consumers buying packages that include a flight. It is a financial-protection scheme funded by a £2.50 ATOL Protection Contribution per booked passenger and administered by the Civil Aviation Authority. If your operator goes bust before you travel: full refund. If the operator goes bust while you're abroad: you are repatriated and accommodation is honoured to the end of your trip.
How to verify a booking is ATOL-protected
Three things must be true: (1) the booking includes at least one flight; (2) you receive an ATOL Certificate within 24 hours of payment; (3) the ATOL number on the certificate is searchable on caa.co.uk and matches the operator. If any of these fails, the booking is not protected. The certificate is a separate PDF — not just a line in the confirmation email.
What ATOL does not cover
Flight-only bookings (these are protected by airline insolvency rules instead, which are weaker). Accommodation-only bookings without flights. Currency exchange. Travel insurance claims for cancellation, illness, or lost baggage — those need a separate travel insurance policy. Local in-resort excursions paid in cash.
How Hidden Turkey works
We are not an ATOL holder ourselves — we are a concierge service that designs your trip and helps you book components. For UK clients, we recommend booking your flights with a UK ATOL-licensed operator (British Airways, Jet2 Holidays, Loveholidays) or with our partner ATOL-licensed agent who issues the protected booking. Accommodation we book directly with the property; we never take payment for flights ourselves.
Travel insurance: the parallel protection
ATOL covers operator failure; insurance covers everything else. We require all clients to have travel insurance covering medical emergencies (£10m+ cover), trip cancellation, baggage loss, and any specific activities (balloon, paragliding, hill-walking, sailing) you've booked. We recommend Allianz, Saga, Staysure, or Direct Travel for Turkey bookings.