For Those Booked With Thomas Cook

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Thomas Cook update



Today, the 178-year-old holiday company Thomas Cook ceased trading with 'immediate effect’. If you, or a family member are affected by this, please read our advice below on; what to do if you’re abroad, if you’ve made a future booking or if you want to claim a refund.

We'll be updating the news story throughout the week and you can follow the conversation and read our Q&A online.





If you're currently abroad
If you’re already on a Thomas Cook holiday, your journey home will either be on a CAA-operated repatriation flight or on an existing flight with another airline depending on where you are.

The CAA will try to get you on a return flight as close to your original departure time as possible and your costs for coming home will be covered.

The next steps for you to do are:

• Continue your holiday as normal.
• Check the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) website for details of your return flight back to the UK. Details of your new return journey are published in the CAA’s guidance by destination pages. Use the menu to select your destination, airport and departure date to see information on your new flight home.
• Do not go to the airport unless your new flight details are confirmed on the CAA website or when the lead passenger on the booking receives confirmation via a text message or email.
• Once your flight is confirmed, make a note of the new flight details and travel to the airport arriving at least three hours before your new departure time.
• Keep receipts of any additional costs you’re asked to pay. Send a claim to the CAA on your return home so that a refund can be considered for all reasonable expenses.

Find out more about making an ATOL claim if you’re currently abroad here




If you've made a future Thomas Cook booking
All future holidays and flights booked with Thomas Cook are cancelled as of 23 September 2019. If you’re booked on a Thomas Cook Airlines flight, please do not go to your UK airport, as your flight will not be operating.

If you booked an Atol protected flight or holiday through Thomas Cook, you can make a claim under the Atol scheme and will be eligible for a refund if you haven't yet flown. If your flight or holiday isn't Atol protected, please read below for other ways you may apply for compensation.

Find out more information about making an ATOL claim for a future booking




Compensation advice
Depending on how you booked your holiday or flights, there are a few ways you may be able to claim back compensation.

1. Make an Atol claim

If your flight or holiday is Atol protected, you should have received an Atol Certificate when you made a payment towards the booking. Take a look at an Atol certficate here.

1. Claim with your card issuer

You should contact your card issuer or bank, for advice on whether you can claim a refund. Some non-flight packages or hotel bookings may be protected by trade organisations such as ABTA.

1. Claim with your Travel insurance provider

If you are not Atol protected, you are not entitled to make a claim for out of pocket expenses and additional nights of hotel accommodation under the Atol scheme, but you may be able to claim from your travel insurer.

Have a question? Watch consumer rights expert Adam French, explain more about the situation on our Facebook live from this morning, or read our Q&A on Which? Conversation.

 

Sorry to hear you're caught up in it and best wishes to anyone else in the same situation.

Once all the fuss has died down the other airlines will, naturally, gain from it. They must be rubbing their hands in glee with the prospect.

Although I don't know the details I think the government were rather short sighted in not propping the company up. The estimate, at the moment is that it is going to cost the government (us) a minimum of £60m just for sorting out the repatriation. That's beside all the cost to the insurance and banking industries. Knowing the government estimates we could probably double that.

On top of that there will be massive sums to cover the statutory redundancy payments and the even bigger ongoing costs for benefits for the thousands that will find it impossible, or almost impossible, to find work in the future - unemployment benefit, housing benefit (rent and council tax), family credits etc.