Is a flight bought on SatFares a package? No: here is why it matters

What counts as a package under EU law?

Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2015/2302 lists four types of travel services:

1. carriage of passengers, such as a flight;
2. accommodation that is not for residential purposes;
3. rental of cars and some other motor vehicles;
4. any other tourist service, such as a guided tour.

A package is a combination of at least two different types of travel services for the same trip. Examples:

• services combined by one trader before a single contract;
• services bought from a single point of sale and selected before paying;
• services sold at an inclusive or total price.

Why is a SatFares flight not a package?

Because you buy only one type of travel service: the carriage of passengers. A return trip, or a trip with a connection, is still one type of service.

• We sell flights only. We don't sell hotels, car rentals, tours or other tourist services.
• There is no basket that mixes a flight with something else, and no combined total price.
• We don't suggest another service after you pay: not on the confirmation page, not in our messages.
• We don't link to sites that sell hotels or other travel services.

Each payment covers one flight booking for the travellers named in it. Your flight booking will be bound by the fare rules and Conditions of Carriage of the airline(s).

What is a linked travel arrangement, and does it apply?

A linked travel arrangement is a weaker form of combination, defined in Article 3(5) of the same directive. It covers at least two types of travel services bought under separate contracts for the same trip. The trader must facilitate it in one of two ways:

• during one visit, the separate selection and payment of each service; or
• in a targeted way, the purchase of another service from another trader, booked within 24 hours.

It does not apply to SatFares. We sell one type of service, and we don't point you to any other trader for a hotel or a car.

What changes with Directive (EU) 2026/1024?

Directive (EU) 2026/1024 amends the 2015 directive. It was adopted on April 29, 2026 and entered into force on May 28, 2026. EU countries must transpose it by September 29, 2028, and apply it from March 29, 2029.

The reform removes the linked travel arrangement as a separate category and brings these situations into the definition of a package. For SatFares nothing changes: we sell a single travel service, with no other service attached or suggested.

What does this mean for you as a traveller?

Package rules give extra protection that a single flight booking does not have:

• No organiser is responsible for a whole trip. Under Article 13, a package organiser is liable for every service in the package. Here, the airline is responsible for the flight, under its Conditions of Carriage.
• No package insolvency protection. Under Article 17, organisers must secure refunds, and repatriation when transport is included, if they become insolvent.

What protects you instead:

• your balance is held, not charged, until the airline issues the e-ticket number, so you pay nothing for a ticket that does not exist;
• if the ticket can't be issued in time, or you decline a higher final total, the held amount is released;
• after an airline cancellation, you get a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose;
• air passenger rights, such as Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 in the EU and 14 CFR 260.10 in the United States.

The full table is on the refunds page.

Are SatFares flights ATOL protected?

No. Flights sold by SatFares are not ATOL protected. ATOL is a UK protection scheme run by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Under the CAA rules for airline ticket agents, a flight-only seller without an ATOL must meet strict conditions. One of them is to issue confirmed tickets immediately upon payment. Our model holds your balance first. Then our team books the ticket on request, so the ticket is not issued at the moment you pay. For this reason, flights to or from the United Kingdom are paused.

Can I cancel within 14 days because I bought online?

No. EU consumer law excludes passenger transport from the 14-day right of withdrawal. Article 3(3)(k) of Directive 2011/83/EU leaves out passenger transport contracts, except for three articles.

Your own cancellations follow the fare rules of your ticket, and any refund is credited to your balance. If you may need to change your plans, choose a fare with flexible rules: see flexible tickets.