General Booking Terms and Conditions
Before making any bookings with us, it is important that you carefully read and comprehend the subsequent terms and conditions. By proceeding with your booking, you agree and are bound by these terms and conditions. Whenever mentioned in these booking terms and conditions, “us”, “we”, and/or “our” shall refer to KTC Worldwide Pty Ltd t/a Business First Travel. These terms and conditions apply to all bookings that you make with us. Please note that we will consider the person making the booking to have the authority to act on behalf of all other travellers included in the booking, and therefore will bind all such travellers to these terms and conditions.
Travel documents and insurance
Travel documents include airline tickets, hotel and tour vouchers, and other documents used to confirm arrangements with service providers. These documents may have restrictions, such as being non-refundable or non-transferable, and may have fees for cancellation or changes. All tickets must match the passport or photo ID of the traveller. Review your documents carefully and notify us promptly of any errors in names, dates, or times. An incorrect name on a booking may result in an inability to use that booking and the booking being cancelled.
International travellers must have a valid passport meeting the entry requirements of their destination country. For most countries, this includes 6 months validity and a machine-readable passport. We assume all travellers have a valid Australian passport; if not, notify us. You are responsible for ensuring your travel documents meet immigration requirements. Please contact your Travel Manager for assistance with visas, passports, and other travel documents. We can provide general information and obtain specifics from an external visa service, but we don’t warrant their accuracy or assume any liability.
If you’re visiting the United States or Canada, pre-register for the visa waiver programs ESTA and ETA, respectively. Australian passport holders may require a visa if they don’t meet eligibility criteria.
Travel insurance is strongly recommended by us and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for overseas travel. Insurance should cover cancellation, medical expenses, personal injury, loss of baggage and money, and personal liability. 3rd party tour operators or suppliers may request evidence of insurance. Credit card or reciprocal medical cover may not be comprehensive. Your Travel Manager can provide more information and a quote.
For general travel advice and destination-specific information, including safety alert levels, we suggest contacting the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or visiting their website at www.smartraveller.gov.au. DFAT also offers a service to register your travel plans, making it easier to contact you in case of an emergency.
Health
It is important that you are aware of any health requirements and recommended precautions, including those related to COVID-19, relevant to your travel, and carry all necessary vaccination documentation. Failure to present required vaccination documentation may deny you entry into a country. We recommend consulting with your local doctor, travel medical service, or specialist vaccination clinic before commencing your travel. You can also find general health advice for your destination, including information related to COVID-19, from DFAT at smarttraveller.gov.au.
Booking deposits, fees, amendments & cancellations
When booking, you may be required to pay a non-refundable deposit, which your Travel Manager will advise you of. Final payment is due no later than 6 weeks prior to departure unless otherwise stated, with some airfares or services requiring full payment at the time of booking.
Please note that prices quoted are subject to availability and may be withdrawn or changed without notice. Airline taxes are also subject to change and are confirmed at the time your airline ticket is issued. Prices are only guaranteed once paid in full. There may also be a local tax charged at some airports.
For travel products and services where the suppliers pay us less than 5% commission, all prices quoted will have a service margin of 5% ex GST. In addition, our schedule of fees below will also apply:
- For travel products and services where the suppliers pay us less than 2% commission, all prices quoted will have a service margin of 6% ex GST.
- In addition, our schedule of fees below will also apply:
- (Fees are applied on a per person per booking basis)
- Domestic bookings – $30
- Bookings within the same geographical continent – $60
- Bookings involving long haul intercontinental travel – $160
- RTW or complex itinerary surcharge – $100
- A non refundable $200 deposit per person may be required for ad hoc bookings or new clients prior to an agreement in place.
All bookings are subject to change and cancellation fees, which vary depending on the type of booking. Changes to bookings will incur a fee of $25 per passenger per booking, in addition to supplier fees. Domestic and Trans-Tasman booking cancellations will incur a fee of $40 per passenger per booking, plus supplier fees. For all other international bookings, the cancellation fee is $200 per passenger per booking, plus supplier fees. Supplier fees may also apply if tickets or documents are re-issued or a booking is changed. Cancelled bookings may incur supplier fees of up to 100% of the booking cost, regardless of travel commencement.
Corporate clientele may have their own negotiated schedule.
If we incur liability for a supplier cancellation fee due to a booking that you cancel or change, you agree to indemnify us for the amount of that fee. In the event of a cancelled booking refund, we will not issue a refund until we receive funds from the supplier. These fees and refund policies are subject to your refund and remedy rights under Australian Consumer Law.
Payments and monies not held in trust
When paying by credit or debit cards, surcharges of 1.25% for Visa and Mastercard, and 1.8% for American Express, Diners, JCB, and Unionpay will apply. By designating your credit or debit card, you authorise us to charge all related fees. You must immediately pay all amounts due if payment is not received from the card issuer or its agents.
We are PCI compliant and as such, you can securely store your credit card details with us for future transactions, including those agreed by phone or email. You may remove your saved credit card details at any time. EFT payments have no additional fees, but they take a business day to process. You must notify your Travel Manager of your payment once it has been made, and make the payment at least one business day prior to the actual due date.
Please note that cheque and cash payments are not accepted by Business First Travel.
We will own all funds that you pay to us, and they will become a debt owed to the travel service provider once the services have been provided. You understand and accept that we are not obligated to hold these funds in trust for you and that we may place them in any account of our choosing, including alongside other customer funds.
Agency and liability
As an agent, we sell travel-related products on behalf of various service providers, including airlines, hotels, and wholesalers. Our role is to make bookings and arrange contracts between you and these providers. While we carefully select reputable service providers, we have no control over their services or liability for them. Your legal rights in connection with travel services are against the specific provider, not us, unless the issue was caused by our fault. We guarantee that our booking and advisory services will be provided with due care, skill, and within a reasonable time. If we fail to meet these guarantees, you have rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
KTC Worldwide, trading as Business First Travel, and its related bodies corporate, directors, employees, and agents are not liable for any injury, damage, loss, delay, additional expense, or inconvenience caused directly or indirectly by third-party providers over whom we have no direct control, force majeure, or any other event beyond our control or not preventable by reasonable diligence on our part. Our liability is limited to the extent permitted by relevant international conventions and applicable law. Under circumstances where our liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the remedies required of us under applicable law, including the Australian Consumer Law. This clause does not limit any rights you may have under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). In case of any dispute between you and us, the governing law shall be that of Australia. You agree to exclusively submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Australia, and you waive any right to object to legal proceedings being conducted in those courts.
Privacy
We’ll protect your personal information according to our Privacy Policy, available online at www.businessfirst.travel/privacy. By providing us with your personal information, you consent to us collecting, using, and disclosing it as detailed in our Privacy Policy. This includes allowing us to disclose your information to overseas recipients, such as airlines and accommodation providers, when facilitating your travel booking. We may also share your information with service providers within and outside of Australia. We won’t be accountable for how these recipients handle your information, and “disclose” includes transferring, sharing, sending, or otherwise making your information available to others.
Acknowledgement
You acknowledge that you are 18 years of age or older and that you understand and agree with the above General Booking Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy.
