750,000 hit by air firm axe
Huge mission to bring Brits home
MORE than 750,000 people saw their holiday plans wrecked when Britain’s fifth biggest airline Monarch went bust yesterday – with 110,000 stranded overseas.
HUNDREDS of thousands of Brits saw their holidays ruined after airline Monarch went bust.
More than 750,000 bookings were axed, some with as little as five minutes’ notice.
It was the largest collapse to ever hit a UK airline.
Britain’s biggest ever peacetime repatriation is now under way, with some 110,000 passengers stranded abroad.
Despite Monarch teetering on the brink of administration on Saturday night, the company was still allowing holidaymakers to book flights minutes before its fleet was seized at 3am yesterday.
Many blasted the carrier for “trying to pick the pockets” of customers.
The collapse meant 1,858 staff lost their jobs – and dozens were seen crying as they left Monarch’s Luton headquarters.
Builder Alan Jee, 42, of Bournemouth, who was due to marry fiancée Donna, 40, in Gran Canaria this Saturday, said their wedding was now in jeopardy.
He said: “Five minutes before we were due to board the plane, they have just told us everything’s been cancelled.” His wedding party of 30, which included his two young daughters, were left forking out £480 each to get on a flight tomorrow with a different company.
Monarch boss Andrew Swaffield said the collapse came after the company’s tourist business had been pummelled by terror attacks in Egypt and Tunisia.
Administrator Blair Nimmo said other airlines were already eyeing up parts of the company.
EasyJet, Wizz Air, Norwegian Air Shuttle and British Airways owner IAG are understood to be considering moves for the carrier’s slots.
Mr Nimmo explained: “We now are looking for who might be interested in certain parts of the business.”
There were fears last night that other airlines might quickly raise the prices of their flights.
One London nurse who re-booked flights to Alicante from Gatwick yesterday claimed the price rose from £138 to £199 per person in the time it took to complete the booking on the Ryanair site. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling promised: “Together with the Civil Aviation Authority, we will work around the clock to ensure Monarch passengers get the support they need.”