New Vantage Travel Owner to Credit Customers for Lost Vacations

Vantage Travel customers who lost money when their trips were unexpectedly canceled earlier this year — and after the company declared bankruptcy in June — will be able to use the full value of their canceled trips for future travel with the tour company’s new management, according to several news sources.

The sale of Vantage Travel to Pacific Travel Partners is still being finalized, and follows an auction that lasted two days.

According to Fox Business, the sale agreement, outlined in federal bankruptcy court this week, gives customers until November 30, 2028 to book travel with the new company. Credits can be used for deposits or for later payments, but cannot be used for purchasing airfare from the operator.

As part of the agreement, caps will be imposed for how much value can be applied to individual services. For instance, credits will be capped at 50% for oceangoing travel, while credits toward river cruises and land travel will be capped at 20%.

Customers may also transfer credits to friends or family, and spread them across multiple trips.

Vantage Travel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 29 and had an agreement in place to be acquired by Singapore-based United Travel Pte. Ltd. However, in this week’s auction, Pacific Travel Partners outbid United Travel. (Pacific Travel Partners is an affiliate of Australia-based Aurora Expeditions.

The trouble for Vantage Travel started in April when it claimed it was hit by a ransomware attack. In the subsequent weeks and months, the company canceled several cruises and tours.