Thomas Cook Ceases Trading - Compulsory Liquidation (EDIT MON 23/9)

peachyprice

Ganga wrote: »

So who will you use? the UK is running out of airlines,if you trawl this site you will find that most people who have a misshap of some sort always " swear they will never use xxx again " but when your choice is limited you sometimes have to swallow your pride.

Sorry, that's complete rubbish. It's 2019, nobody has to use a UK charter airline and nobody has to use a travel agent.

There's a whole world out there for independent travellers and an ever growing number refusing to pay tour operator prices. It's TC's own greed that has lead to their demise.

bobblebob

peachyprice wrote: »

Sorry, that's complete rubbish. It's 2019, nobody has to use a UK charter airline and nobody has to use a travel agent.

There's a whole world out there for independent travellers and an ever growing number refusing to pay tour operator prices. It's TC's own greed that has lead to their demise.

While i agree with you, Travel Agents do have their advantages


If your just going to Spain for a week, sure its easier just to book everything yourself. But take my trip next year i booked with them. Im doing London > Canada > America > London. Yes i could book it myself but its more hassle. One booking would need to be made on say SkyScanner for the flights, and 2 further bookings direct with the hotels (ive checked places like booking.com and the hotels i want are more expensive on their). So that would be 3 bookings i need to make for this holiday, where as with Thomas Cook they sort all that and i just pay them.


Also travel agents let me pay it off in instalments, where as booking yourself you need to pay everything at the time of purchase. Also you have ATOL/ABTA protection with travel agents. If 1 of my flights was cancelled meaning i missed a significant part of my holiday - sure i would get the flight cost back or rearranged anyway - but i wouldnt be covered for the hotel loss if i booked it myself. ATOL give you package holiday protection that booking yourself doesnt


Travel agents will often match your quote online aswell so you get the same price but with protection

Ganga

peachyprice wrote: »

Sorry, that's complete rubbish. It's 2019, nobody has to use a UK charter airline and nobody has to use a travel agent.

There's a whole world out there for independent travellers and an ever growing number refusing to pay tour operator prices. It's TC's own greed that has lead to their demise.

If you read my post again i said that the UK was running out of airlines not travel agents:eek: nor did i say that TC were in any way blameless

peachyprice

bobblebob wrote: »

While i agree with you, Travel Agents do have their advantages


If your just going to Spain for a week, sure its easier just to book everything yourself. But take my trip next year i booked with them. Im doing London > Canada > America > London. Yes i could book it myself but its more hassle. One booking would need to be made on say SkyScanner for the flights, and 2 further bookings direct with the hotels (ive checked places like booking.com and the hotels i want are more expensive on their). So that would be 3 bookings i need to make for this holiday, where as with Thomas Cook they sort all that and i just pay them.


Also travel agents let me pay it off in instalments, where as booking yourself you need to pay everything at the time of purchase. Also you have ATOL/ABTA protection with travel agents. If 1 of my flights was cancelled meaning i missed a significant part of my holiday - sure i would get the flight cost back or rearranged anyway - but i wouldnt be covered for the hotel loss if i booked it myself. ATOL give you package holiday protection that booking yourself doesnt


Travel agents will often match your quote online aswell so you get the same price but with protection

This year I did London>Washington>Philadelphia>New York>Niagara>London.

The only thing I paid for in advance were the transatlantic flights, no need for Skyscanner, just booked my flights with the airlines direct, made cancellable bookings for hotels, cancellable car hire until the week before we flew then got a better pre-paid deal, apartment in New York was paid 6 weeks before departure. Flights up to Niagara booked a few weeks before.

The same holiday using a TA would have cost the same just for the fly-drive portion as I paid all in and wouldn't have given me anywhere near flexibility as the holiday I booked myself.

peachyprice

Ganga wrote: »

If you read my post again i said that the UK was running out of airlines not travel agents:eek: nor did i say that TC were in any way blameless

I know that's what you said, but why would you imagine people in the UK should only use UK airlines? There's a whole world of airlines out there to choose from for any destination you want to go to.

Ganga

peachyprice wrote: »

I know that's what you said, but why would you imagine people in the UK should only use UK airlines? There's a whole world of airlines out there to choose from for any destination you want to go to.

Yes thats true BUT you have to leave the UK first and most people are limited by the availability from their local airport.
And before you tell me that there are other airports to travel from the point i was making is that as UK airlines dissapear the choices get fewer and far between.

SuperMoose

Seems Thomas Cook have gone into administration.
See:
Alex Macheras

bagand96

SuperMoose wrote: »

Seems Thomas Cook have gone into administration.
See:
Alex Macheras

This guy is a self appointed industry “expert” who is no more than a glorified teenage planespotter who’s twitter account found some popularism.

Thomas Cook are not in administration until an announcement from the company and an administrator.

Our teenage planespotter friend is just getting his guess in early.

TonyMMM

Guardian now confirming Thomas Cook are going into in administration tonight ( officially from 3am)

SuperMoose

From Martin on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MartinSLewis/status/1175893741841899527