(a) “Seller of travel” means a person who sells, provides, furnishes, contracts for, arranges, or advertises that he or she can or may arrange, or has arranged, wholesale or retail , either of the following:
(1) Air or sea transportation either separately or in conjunction with other travel services.
(2) Land or water vessel transportation, other than sea carriage, either separately or in conjunction with other travel services if the total charge to the passenger exceeds three hundred dollars ($300).
(b) Seller of travel does not include any of the following:
(1) An air carrier.
(2) An ocean carrier.
(3) A hotel, motel, or similar lodging establishment where in the course of selling, providing, furnishing, contracting for, or arranging transient lodging accommodations and related services for its registered guests, it also arranges for transportation and does not directly or indirectly receive any money or other valuable consideration for arranging or providing that transportation.
(4) A person or organization certified under Part 5 (commencing with Section 12140) of Division 2 of the Insurance Code, except such a person or organization shall comply with the registration and fee provisions of Sections 17550.20 and 17550.21 for each location at which air or sea transportation is sold either separately or in conjunction with other travel services.
(5) A motor or rail carrier or water vessel operator holding the required permit, license, or other authority to operate from a state, federal, or other governmental entity.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a reference in this article or Article 2.7 (commencing with Section 17550.35) to air or sea transportation or to an air or sea carrier, includes land or water vessel transportation, as described in subdivision (a), and a motor carrier or water vessel operator.
(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 628, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2007.)