Thomas Cook has ceased trading immediately.
Information for those affected by the collapse of the travel company is available on the Civil Aviation Authority/Thomas Cook dedicated website page.
The following statement was issued by the UK Civil Aviation Authority today:
“Thomas Cook Group, including the UK tour operator and airline, has ceased trading with immediate effect. All Thomas Cook bookings, including flights and holidays, have now been cancelled. There are currently more than 150,000 Thomas Cook customers abroad, almost twice the number that were repatriated following the failure of Monarch.
We know that a company with such long-standing history ceasing trading will be very distressing for its customers and employees and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this news.
The Government has asked the UK Civil Aviation Authority to launch a repatriation programme over the next two weeks, from Monday 23 September to Sunday 6 October, to bring Thomas Cook customers back to the UK. Due to the unprecedented number of UK customers currently overseas who are affected by the situation, the Civil Aviation Authority has secured a fleet of aircraft from around the world to bring passengers back to the UK with return flights.
Passengers in a small number of destinations may return on alternative commercial flights, rather than directly through the Civil Aviation Authority’s flying programme. Details and advice for these passengers are available on the dedicated website.
The Civil Aviation Authority has launched a special website, thomascook.caa.co.uk, where affected customers can find details and information on repatriation flights, as well as advice on accommodation for both ATOL and non-ATOL customers.
Due to the significant scale of the situation, some disruption is inevitable, but the Civil Aviation Authority will endeavour to get people home as close as possible to their planned dates. This will apply to both ATOL protected passengers and those who are not protected.
Customers currently overseas should not travel to the airport until their flight back to the UK has been confirmed on the dedicated website.
Thomas Cook customers in the UK yet to travel should not go to the airport as all flights leaving the UK have been cancelled.
ATOL Protected passengers with future bookings are entitled to a full refund for their cancelled holiday. Passengers currently overseas may also make claims for the cost of replacing ATOL protected parts of their trip, or for out of pocket expenses as a result of delayed flights home. The Civil Aviation Authority will be launching a service to manage all refunds by Monday 30 September, once the flying operation has progressed. This refunds service will seek to process all refunds within 60 days of full information being received.
Further information will be available on our dedicated website in the coming days, but please do not submit anything to the Civil Aviation Authority in the meantime as the organisation continues to focus on the repatriation flying programme to return more than 150,000 passengers to the UK. More information will follow on how to make a claim.”
Earlier today
In the UK yesterday morning (local time – Sunday, 22 September 2019) iconic travel company, Thomas Cook, was reported to be locked in eleventh hour talks with creditors and its biggest shareholder, Fosun, in a desperate bid to attract £200m in extra funds in order to avert falling immediately into administration.
An immediate collapse of the company would affect up to 150,000 British holidaymakers currently overseas, and UK foreign minister, Dominic Raab, while avoiding any talk of a government bailout of the ailing company, told the BBC that assistance would be provided to stranded travellers in the event of Thomas Cook Airlines immediately ceasing operations.
“We would wait to see and hope that [Thomas Cook] can continue but, in any event, as you would expect, we’ve got the contingency planning in place to make sure that in any worst case scenario we can support all those who might otherwise be stranded.”
If the critical meeting reaches no accord, the company will likely be wound up, with Thomas Cook making an announcement, one way or the other, when the UK markets open at 7am [local time] on Monday morning (4pm AEST today, Monday 23 September 2019).
The company is providing updates on its website, in light of media speculation on proposed recapitalisation. Stay up to date with developments HERE.
IMAGE: Thomas Cook Airlines’ new Sleeper Seat launched earlier in 2019
