A tour operator exposed by TravelMole for allegedly selling wedding packages to Las Vegas without an ATOL has joined Midcounties Co-operative Travel and will trade under the latter’s air travel organiser’s licence.
James Love of yourvegaswedding.co.uk said the company had applied to join Midcounties in January, but it did not officially join the partnership until March 18.
The Civil Aviation Authority told TravelMole yourvegaswedding was one of 100 companies it had investigated following the introduction of new Flight Plus regulations requiring all travel agents selling flight-inclusive trips to have an ATOL (see earlier story).
A spokesman said that a third of the investigations are still ongoing, but only two businesses have been prosecuted. He said that in the majority of cases companies have co-operated with the CAA and become compliant with the regulations.
Gillian Travis, business development manager for Midcounties, said: "We are pleased to welcome yourvegaswedding.The consortium is attracting a wide variety of travel agents and we are always happy to hear from others who share our vision and want to work with us."
Midcounties became an accredited body under the ATOL scheme on January 24, which means that members can sell flight-inclusive holidays without having their own licence.
Love said: "We believe the consortium will give us the benefits and the back up and support to help us grow our business while retaining our independence."
