Dreams crushed at Thomas Cook
FROM Victorian railway outings to Club 18-30, Thomas Cook has played a major role in British travel.
It came crashing to a halt yesterday and thousands of staff and holidaymakers are bearing the brunt.
Questions about how this happened will take time to answer but it’s clear the firm did not keep up with revolutions in the way people shop around.
With shares at rock bottom, Thomas Cook was still accepting cash until the 11th hour.
The collapse has ruined holiday plans for families who have worked hard to get away. For those already abroad, at least the plan to bring them home appeared to work.
It’s been a disaster for Scots viewed as easy targets by some vultures hoping to turn a quick profit.
In Spain, a hotel turfed out guests even though they’d paid for everything already. Heartless bosses will no doubt get their money back through the Atol protection scheme, then double the income.
Some airlines were quick to exploit demand, with claims prices rocketed by as much as £1000.
While holidaymakers count the cost of ruined plans, thousands of staff are looking at a bleak future.
The repatriation scheme is working and the compensation plan should pay out.
But when the dust settles, Thomas Cook’s bonus-busting senior bosses will have to explain how 9000 UK staff – and 21,000 around the world – were left with nothing.
SCOTS families were turfed out of their Benidorm hotel by ruthless bosses who feared collapsed Thomas Cook would fail to settle its bills.
Dylan Hutchison, 24, was hit with a heartless demand for more than £885 if he wanted to keep the room he’d already paid for.
When he failed to pay up, the Dynastic Hotel kicked his wife Charrelle, 25, and their son Leo, five, into the street.
Dylan said hotel chiefs believed they’d be “on the bottom of the pile” as a Thomas Cook creditor and ejected them from their allinclusive accommodation.
Along with pals Leigh Crombie, his partner Vicki Butchart and their son Archie, four, the gutted holidaymakers spent yesterday trying to find somewhere to sleep.
They were among thousands of families caught up in the tour operator’s plunge into administration.
About 2400 passengers were estimated to have been affected by the cancellation of Thomas Cook flights at Glasgow Airport alone.
And 150,000 tourists stranded worldwide are being brought back to the UK by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under Operation Matterhorn – a £100million flight programme.
Dylan and his party, from Glenrothes, had flown from Edinburgh Airport to the Spanish resort last Wednesday for a week’s stay.
They had booked the holiday last September and paid £1500 for each family-of-three.
Dylan said: “It had been a great holiday until this happened.
“Then we woke up and saw on the news that Thomas Cook had gone bust. We went to the hotel’s reception to try and check what was happening.
“We were then told by the head of reception that if we didn’t pay €1000 for each of the families by 12pm, we would be removed from the hotel. She told us that was coming straight from the company director.
“They claimed that was the hotel bill for the week