Tell us our holidays won’t be cancelled

Thomas Cook customers panic as firm fights for life

PANiC spread among Thomas Cook holidaymakers yesterday amid fears the travel giant could go bust within 24 hours.

Thousands of customers worried about being stranded abroad or concerned their holidays will be cancelled bombarded the firm seek- ing reassurance.

Those with flight- only bookings raised fears that they would also be left hundreds of pounds out of pocket or would miss special trips to celebrate weddings or birthdays.

Many pleaded for information on social media while others besieged the firm’s call centre.

Tim Everett, 30, from York, who has been paying £250 a month for a £3,500 trip to Zante in Greece next week with his fiancee and two children, fears their holiday is in jeopardy.

He said: ‘We’re worried about being stranded abroad if Thomas Cook goes under – that would be a nightmare.

‘i tweeted asking about our holiday and they sent a message which made absolutely no sense. i imagine they are inundated with others in the same boat.’

Thomas Cook is fighting for survival after its lenders – including royal Bank of Scotland and lloyds – made a shock demand for another £200million in emergency funds to keep it going over the quiet winter period.

The desperate state of the firm’s finances were underlined last night when it emerged that

From yesterday’s Mail it has asked the Government if it is prepared to cover the demand for more funds.

investors including its biggest shareholder, Fosun of China, have refused to provide more cash, having already committed to a £900million rescue package. As the company’s share price crashed by 23 per cent yesterday to just over 3.5p, sources insisted there were still ‘reasonable prospects’ of a deal. But bosses may have to call in the administrators as early as tomorrow if they cannot find the £200million.

The Mail revealed that Whitehall officials are drawing up plans – codenamed Operation Matterhorn – for the biggest peacetime repatriation to bring back 180,000 Thomas Cook customers who could end up being stranded abroad.

A meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee is believed to have taken place on Thursday as details of the firm’s situation emerged.

last night a Whitehall source said the operation would be far more ‘bumpy’ than the repatriation of the 84,000 stranded when Monarch Airlines went bust almost two years ago.

A shortage of planes to bring home passengers and the fact that they are spread all over the world means customers could be stranded for two weeks.

Thomas Cook said yesterday that even if it does go bust, those who booked package holidays are fully protected by the industry’s Atol scheme.

This means they will be entitled to continue their holiday and fly home with another airline. Those who have booked a holiday in future are also entitled to a refund.

Around half of passengers currently abroad do not have this protection as they only booked Thomas Cook flights. But it is hoped they would also be repatriated, as was the case when Monarch went bust.

THOMAS COOK ON THE BRINK