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

soxmon wrote: »

We have a Thomas Cook airlines flight booked as a single return flight from our holiday only. We fly out with BA on 29th Sep. If they do fail before we are due to fly out, would travel insurance and/or credit card protection cover us for a replacement return flight if we go ahead and fly out with our BA flight?

If you are covered through travel insurance/credit card protection would that mean they would pay for a replacement flight to get you home or would they simply refund the cost of your original failed flight and expect you to pay the cost for a replacement (which would now be much more expensive given the short notice)?

Ask your insurance provider.

OK, the news this morning isn't the greatest but here is the best advice I can give now. If you already have an ATOL Certificate you can be certain that the CAA will bring you home on the same day as you were due to return if anything goes wrong, so if you are due to travel shortly, go ahead and enjoy your holiday. You will not be stranded abroad, if you haven't travelled, you will get a refund.

If you have booked a flight only, these are not protected by the ATOL scheme so you need to look for alternative cover. Paying any part of the cost by credit card should ensure you get a refund if you haven't travelled and the cost of returning home if you are abroad. However, the bank will not make the arrangements for you. If you paid by debit card then you should get a refund, but not a penny more, unlike credit cards that should cover additional costs.

If you already have an insurance policy look and see if airline failure cover is included, it generally isn't except in the more expensive policies. Some agents will sell protection as a matter of course, in which case contact them if TC fails. If you currently have no cover against airline failure, no insurer that I can find is still offering cover, for fairly obvious reasons.

And of course, let us hope none of this is necessary!

alihunny, you should be fine. Flights are paid for, and the hotel probably is too. If not, call the CAA on the number shown on the ATOL Certificate (so bring it with you just in case) and they may pay the hotel directly or you can get a refund if you keep the receipts. Of course, TC is still trading and there is no failure at all

Obviously I'm hoping for the best not just for customers like me but all the staff, but I'm trying to work out where I stand here if all goes south.

I have paid approx 70% of a holiday leaving in Feb.
Booked via Thomas Cook and have an atol cert for it.
I have insurance but only basic and apparently doesn't cover travel company going out of business.
I paid a one off payment of £400 on a credit card, and the rest is on DD via my current account.

Obviously my first port of call in worst case scenario is atol, but am I covered for what I paid so far via atol? Or am I only covered once I pay whole holiday amount?

I mean if rather keep the holiday and actually go away as if TC go under they are the only operator who fly's my route, and by the time I get my money back, factor in travelling to another airport in another city, and the inevitable price increase that will happen from the other operators knowing folk are desperate to get away, and that I have an exact 14 days off work with no flexibility would mean I probs wouldn't be going away.

Be good if you could keep the flight booking in place if it gets taken over, then you could book hotel independently.

I know no one has a crystal ball, but if anyone knows how it works with atol claims before I've paid in full that would be great.