The case continued this week for Travel Republic and director Kane Pirie, on trial for breaching ATOL regulations and selling unlicensed package holidays. Pirie took to the stand on Thursday 22nd October and insisted that the online retailer did not sell package holidays.

He told the Court: “What we do is sell flights and hotels separately, and do everything to make clear that they are separate. We sell them separately and at the same time.”

The case centres on a dispute between the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Travel Republic over what constitutes a package holiday. “ABTA was very happy with our [Travel Republic’s] approach,” said Pirie, “I hoped the CAA would be happy for us to carry on.”

The CAA were not happy for Travel Republic to carry on trading without an ATOL and charged the firm of almost 40 offenses of selling holidays without the licence aimed to help protect consumers of package holidays. 

Pirie told the court that the firm had began an internal investigation into the number of holidays it offered with both flights and accommodation available, but had stopped counting at 10 million. Under cross-examination Pirie was asked what he meant by “10 million holidays” but said: “I do not see them [flights and accommodation] as in combination.” He went on to say that almost half of Travel Republic bookings include a flight, accommodation or another holiday element.