The association is "urgently" seeking clarity from the CAA over the status RCNs after 30 September passed. 

Back in July, the CAA confirmed RCNs for Atol-protected bookings cancelled owing to coronavirus, issued between 10 March and 30 September, would benefit from Atol protection until 30 September 2021.

But the CAA is yet to confirm whether the 30 September deadline has been been, or will be, extended, and whether RCNs issued as of 1 October will continue to carry Atol protection.

Speaking at the virtual Abta convention today, Mark Tanzer told TTG: “We are pressing but we haven’t heard. It’s under director’s review at the moment but they [the CAA] haven’t come out definitively to say they are going to carry on.”

He added though: “Even when they hadn’t announced previously that refund credit notes were protected we referred back to the original payment policy of the trust fund that said deferred refunds are covered. 

“It would be really good to have the confirmation but I think their payment policy says they should be protected anyway.”

It comes after Tanzer told the convention it was still seeking an update on insolvency protection. 

“We have also seen how precarious is the position of airlines, the core piece in the jigsaw of global tourism, and yet there is still no airline insolvency provision in place for repatriation or refunds. 

“We called for it after the failure of Monarch in 2017, and after the failure of Thomas Cook last year. You only have to read the public statements of the airlines to see the depth of the crisis they are facing, and the idea that airlines don’t fail is surely gone forever.”