Thousands stranded abroad after budget airline goes bust
They were due to fly home to Stansted from Toronto with Primera Air on October 14.
She said: “I’m trying not to let it ruin our trip, especially as it’s happened so early on. The lack of communication, advice or empathy from Primera Air makes it so much more stressful.”
Tara Noe and her husband Remy were due to fly to Toronto with Primera Air next week for a twoweek trip so she could take part in her first marathon.
The 42-year-old, from the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, said she is in “shock”.
She added: “You can’t contact them. They have shut down the phone lines and the website is inaccessible.”
After spending £750 on return flights, the couple have had to pay another £368 for her replacement ticket, with her family stepping in to cover £400 for her husband’s fare.
Primera began in 2003 and served 97 destinations in more than 20 countries. It operated from Stansted with flights to Washington, Newark, Boston and Toronto. It also had a base at Birmingham airport serving the US.
The airline announced last month that it planned to launch routes from Madrid to New York, Boston and Toronto next year at an introductory price of £130 each way. But the airline’s recent rapid expansion raised eyebrows.
Aviation analyst John Strickland said: “It’s very hard to get known in a market where there’s a lot of competitive choice and a lot of good prices available already. The odds really were stacked against them.”
Rory Boland, Which? travel editor, said: “Passengers will quite rightly be outraged that the airline was still selling tickets right up to the moment it went bankrupt.”
Primera blamed “several unforeseen unfortunate events”.
what to do if you are affected
CONSUMER group Which? had the following advice last night for those caught up in the Primera collapse:
you booked your flights as part of a package with a travel agent, the Atol protection scheme applies
booked directly with the airline and hotel accommodation booked through the airline’s website will not be covered
If you are stranded abroad with Atol protection, you are guaranteed a refund and must be found an alternative flight home at no further cost
not covered, in most cases you will need to book flights back with another alternative airline and pay for it yourself. The Government might help – it footed this bill for the first two weeks when Monarch went bust. However, it is unlikely to provide assistance this time
Payments for flights costing over £100 booked by credit card will be covered by the credit card company and refunded. Flights costing less may also get some protection