General Information

Passport
A ten-year British or EU passport is essential for any travel outside the UK and we recommended that it be valid for six months after your intended date of return – for some countries this requirement is mandatory. It is also recommended that children have their own passports, although some countries (excluding the USA) still accept a child’s inclusion on their parent’s passport. All passengers travelling to or via the USA must have machine readable passports. Also in order to comply with regulations, airlines operating to the US (and some other countries including Spain for example) are required to obtain certain information from passengers, such as country of residence and full address of your first nights accommodation, prior to the departure of your flights from the UK. It is your responsibility to ensure your travel documents, including your passport and vaccination certificates (if required), are in order and in your possession when travelling. 24 hour Passport Adviceline: 0870 521 0410

Health
Before travelling we strongly advise you to consult your own medical practitioner well in advance of your holiday for up-to-date advice.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office
To check the latest information about your holiday destination you are advised to check the internet under www.fco.gov.uk or by phoning 0845 850 2829

Travel Insurance
The booking conditions of most tour operators require you to obtain adequate holiday insurance. Such insurance should ensure that you are fully covered against unexpected cancellation charges, medical expenses arising abroad, loss of luggage or money and personal liability claims. It is strongly recommended that you accept either the BAway insurance or the insurance arrangements described in the cruise operator's brochure. 

Baggage Allowance
Free baggage allowance varies by airline and destination. The following is a guide as to the checked-in baggage allowance (per person). To confirm allowances for your flight, please refer to your ticket or contact the airline you are flying with.

Transatlantic (USA, Canada, South America, Caribbean):

• 2 pieces of luggage with a maximum weight of 23kg per piece. (US Airways have recently hanged their policy to only 1 piece of luggage and they will charge $25 for a second piece of checked luggage).

European and Worldwide flights:

• Economy – 1 piece of luggage with a maximum weight of 20kg. (For British Airways you are permitted one piece with a maximum weight of 23kg).

• Premium economy – 1 piece of luggage with a maximum weight of 20kg. (For British Airways you are permitted 2 pieces with a maximum weight of 23kg per piece).

• Business / First class – 1 piece of luggage with a maximum weight of 30kg. (For British Airways you are permitted 3 pieces of luggage with a maximum weight of 23kg per piece).

Understanding your Confirmation Document
We use many status codes during a ‘live’ booking, these include ‘on request’, ‘awaiting booking form’, ‘awaiting confirmation’ and ‘awaiting tickets’. There is nothing to worry about with these; they just help us to track the status of your booking.

Balance Due Date
Generally the balance is due two months prior to departure; however, some tour operators require the balance to be paid before this. Your balance due date will be printed on your booking confirmation on the same line as the balance due amount.

Special Requests
Please inform us of any special requests, such as low floor, adjoining rooms etc. We shall pass on your requests and try to confirm your wishes.  However, we can not guarantee all special requests will be met.

Hotel Check-in and Check-out Information
Should you have pre/post cruise accommodation booked with BAway, please be aware the general check-in times range from 2pm to 4pm and check-out between 11am and 12 noon. Subject to availability you may be able to check-in earlier.  However, early check-in is never guaranteed unless you book and pay for the night prior to arrival.

Travel Documents
Travel documents will be dispatched apporoximately14 days prior to your departure. We will call you to let you know that we have received them and that we shall be posting them to you. Please ensure you check all your documents carefully as flight times may have changed since you received your first confirmation.  Please call should you have any queries.

Pre-booking Airline Seats
Some airlines will permit you to pre-book your seats, however only about 50% of the plane can be pre-booked and the remainder allocated at check-in. As a general rule airlines do not permit the pre-booking of the bulkhead or exit row seats. British Airways have changed their policy and pre-booking of seats is only permitted if you are a British Airways Gold/Platinum card frequent traveller or checking in online 24 hours prior to your flight.

Checking-In On-line
It is recommended that you check-in on-line for your flight (where possible) within 24 hours before departure. Your airline reference code is not on your e-ticket receipt. The reference (PNR) that is on your e-ticket is the booking systems reference code; please see your itinerary for the airline reference