Thomas Cook in serious trouble

[CharlieOneSix]

Why are they idiots? I often made flight only bookings with Thomas Cook et al when we used to stay with friends who lived overseas. I knew we weren't covered by ATOL but I don't think I was an idiot for making such a booking.

[Boac]

It all hinges on whether the booker received an ATOL certificate for the flight-only booking. Some are eligible, some are not.

Ex-A - why 'idiots'?

[Ex-Ascot]

Chaps, yes but you probably take out or have 12 month travel insurance.

Edit, as indeed Cape says pay by CC.

[Capetonian]

A tad unfair as it's hardly their fault if they booked months ago when there was no expectation that TC might go bust.

Even if they didn't have ATOL protection, if they paid by CC they are protected under article 75 (?) of whatever consumer act it is. Those who booked through third party websites may not be so well-protected, another reason to only book through the principal.

I don't see why the government (= taxpayer) should foot the bill and anyone who didn't have insurance, and most travel insurances cover this eventuality, should probably be made to walk/swim/cycle home - or stay wherever they are!

[Ex-Ascot]

Thanks Cape.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I don't see why the government (= taxpayer) should foot the bill and anyone who didn't have insurance, and most travel insurances cover this eventuality, should probably be made to walk/swim/cycle home - or stay wherever they are!

Tricky one. Rather harsh to dump one's countrymen in a miserable place. I would suggest charging them roughly pro rata for spaces on the aircraft chartered to collect the insurees, if there were no other flights available. This might come to, say $500-$1,000 per head. A darn sight cheaper than making their own way home; but sufficiently expensive both to make them think harder about insurance next time, and to make the insurees glad they insured.

[Capetonian]

Rather harsh to dump one's countrymen in a miserable place

Hang on .... they chose to go there!
You and I might think that Morocco and Egypt and Benidorm and Gambia are miserable places, but they chose to go there! So, fuggem!

[Tsetse Fly]

So, would this have anything to do with the hold Ryanair crews have placed on further industrial action? The fact that the world jet jockey market will soon be boiling over with trained cooks?

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

What I meant was that being left without a flight home, plans ruined, and the prospect of vast bills to pay to change that makes anywhere miserable.

[ian16th]

I'm one of those that think people should be held accountable for their actions.

If you are knowingly going to be taking a financial risk, speak to an Insurance Broker!

One problem with many Brits is that being coddled by the NHS they have absolutely no idea of the real cost of medical attention, and when they need it in places such as the USA and South Africa they feel hard done by.

[TheGreenGoblin]

It will be very sad to see Thomas Cook go down the tubes if it happens today. Bad news for Britain, bad news for 20000 employees and bad news for stranded passengers.

[Capetonian]

A German friend of ours worked for Air Berlin, but was smart enough to leave when the writing was on the wall, and got himself a job with Condor (part of the TC group). Spoke to him this afternoon, he says the airlines are profitable but the TourOp will drag them down.

I am holding thumbs for him and thousands of other people that there may be a rescue plan.

[Pontius Navigator]

One problem with many Brits is that being coddled by the NHS they have absolutely no idea of the real cost of medical attention, and when they need it in places such as the USA and South Africa they feel hard done by.

Medical insurance is a quite separate issue. If your TA goes TU then ABTA or ATOL should cover your loss and get you home.

In these paper today cautioning Rugby fans going to Japan to have medical cover to £5m as costs can be high and treatment not guaranteed if you have no insurance. Actually that is the base figure. You need £10m for Caribbean and North America.

[ian16th]

One problem with many Brits is that being coddled by the NHS they have absolutely no idea of the real cost of medical attention, and when they need it in places such as the USA and South Africa they feel hard done by.

Medical insurance is a quite separate issue. If your TA goes TU then ABTA or ATOL should cover your loss and get you home.

In these paper today cautioning Rugby fans going to Japan to have medical cover to £5m as costs can be high and treatment not guaranteed if you have no insurance. Actually that is the base figure. You need £10m for Caribbean and North America.

PN,
Most Brits only ever buy health insurance for when they travel, usual for leisure travel, and include it their 'travel insurance'.

[Pontius Navigator]

Yes?

[TheGreenGoblin]

Negotiations ref. the fate of the Thomas Cook company go on at Slaughter and May in London today while elsewhere the unscrupulous (and/or the unpaid) deny Thomas Cook booked guests their freedom in Tunis and demand direct payment from British tourists.

Dozens of Thomas Cook holidaymakers about to fly home have reportedly been told by a hotelier in Tunisia to pay again before they are allowed to leave.

Staff at Les Orangers Hotel in the resort of Hammamet were reported to have demanded sums equivalent to as much as £2,500 before they were allowed to leave for the local airport.

You can't leave without paying again

Let's see what the British government plans to do to help these British citizens.

[Capetonian]

I am not sure that the British government should help even its own citizens, and probably some who went on packages from the UK are not GB citizens anyway. TC is not a government owned or operated entity, it's a privately owned company. This opens Pandora's Box. If I buy a car, it breaks down, the manufacturer has gone bust, and I can't get the car fixed, will the government step in?

They should have travel insurance of some kind to cover against airline/operator insolvency, as well as being covered by ATOL/ABTA if they booked through a reputable agency or source.

The Tunisian hoteliers, whilst one can understand that they are nervous, have no right to demand payment from the guests since TC have not yet gone bust.
EDIT : It is of course illegal to detain them, false imprisonment or something, on these grounds. In most administrations, hotel bilking is a criminal offence, but these people are not guilty of that since those on packages are not responsible for settling their accommodation costs .
When I worked in tour operations, we either paid our hoteliers in advance, or provided guarantees. I would think the same would apply with TC, who are not exactly unknown.

According to the article they have switched off internet access. Just the right way to enable guests to deal with the situation and arrange payment, in case anyone wanted to do so.

Why would anyone go to Tunisia on holiday anyway? Apart from Oman, Jordan, or Lebanon, I wouldn't set foot in any Kamel Fakir country, and anyway I know I travel at my own risk, and I either act as my own insurer, or take proper travel insurance.

[TheGreenGoblin]

I am not sure that the British government should help even its own citizens,

British citizens are illegally incarcerated in a foreign state and (as you point out) are incommunicado and the British government should sit on its hands?

Taking laissez faire to a new level I would have thought.

[Capetonian]

I've updated my posting to reflect your 100% valid comment about incarceration, which is another angle, but I still don't see why the government should step in because the tour operator has gone bust.

[Ibbie]

If they go pop it will be in the early hours of the morning, when most aircraft are home or returning to their bases.

With the grounded 737Max of TUI already there, going to be a lot more metal needing parking spaces at Manchester if they do.