Thomas Cook Fighting for Survival

Freedom56 said:
At least the British Government has a plan to help out stranded travelers.
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Why? I know little about the situation, but shouldn't Westdeutsche Landesbank and Fosun bear the brunt, rather than British taxpayers?
 
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Every once in a while I'll hear or use the term "Cook's tour"--most people have no clue what that means (and why should they, really). Interesting story here: http://thewisecollector.com/thomas-cook-and-the-grand-tours.html
"Cook has made travel simple, easy and a pleasure. He will sell you a ticket to any place on the globe. Cook is your banker everywhere. His clerks will answer all the questions you ask, and do it courteously. I recommend Cook's tickets and I do so without embarrassment, for I get no commission. I do not know Cook." - Mark Twain, Europe and Elsewhere, 1923
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I never knew the derivation of the phrase so I had to look it up:

In 1841, British missionary Thomas Cook convinced a British railway to run a special train to a temperance meeting, then proceeded to find passengers for the trip, an event regarded as the beginning of organized tourism. Within a few years, Cook was setting up excursions on a regular basis, and by the century's end, the Thomas Cook & Son travel agency was orchestrating travel around the world. The agency's tours were famously well-organized, but they were also known for herding travelers hurriedly from location to location. A Cook's tourist might see an impressive array of famous sites, but often only in superficial glimpses. Over time, English speakers started using Cook's tour for any hurried tour, and later, for any rushed activity or cursory review.
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cook's%20tour

Silly me, I had always thought it referred to Captain Cook's travels throughout the world. :facepalm:
 
braumeister said:
Silly me, I had always thought it referred to Captain Cook's travels throughout the world. :facepalm:
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That was before the Captain teamed up with Wagons Lits and started towing trains behind his ship.
 
The UK government is planning help out stranded UK travelers. I wonder if AAA (auto club) will eventually shut down their travel agency. That operating unit has been on the decline for years. They will eventually stop distributing hard copies of their travel guide and maps.
 
They have hundreds of stranded passengers all over the world. It's going to take a few days to get them booked on other airlines and get'tem back home. Flyers may have to pay for hotels until they return home. Not all the rooms booked will accept travelers either. Those that prepaid for hotels/rooms will probably be SOL.

I got caught in Dover, England when Braniff went out of business, and it was a difficult few days. Hitchhiked back to Houston--and paid my own way to Memphis.
 
MichaelB said:
Lots of of people stranded and job losses. From the FT https://www.ft.com/content/dd402b2c-dd9e-11e9-9743-db5a370481bc
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Still not sure why it would be the government's (i.e. taxpayers, and especially taxpayers who didn't/can't afford to go on vacation overseas), responsibility to repatriate these unfortunates.

To misquote Ebenezer "Is there no insurance, are there no alternative means of transport?"

What am I missing? Dunkirk it ain't.
 
What about the non-Britons? Are their governments bringing them back too?

Nemo2 said:
Still not sure why it would be the government's (i.e. taxpayers, and especially taxpayers who didn't/can't afford to go on vacation overseas), responsibility to repatriate these unfortunates.

To misquote Ebenezer "Is there no insurance, are there no alternative means of transport?"

What am I missing? Dunkirk it ain't.
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MichaelB said:
Lots of of people stranded and job losses. From the FT https://www.ft.com/content/dd402b2c-dd9e-11e9-9743-db5a370481bc
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Wow--can't read the article but assuming it's from the POV of UK citizens needing to be returned to the UK, whoa. Looks like there are tons more traveling with Thomas Cook who need to be returned to other countries "On top of the British holidaymakers, some 460,000 other customers are also abroad, with many coming from Germany or Scandinavia." https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-travel-group-thomas-cook-125106864.html

There is an insurance fund that travel agencies/brokers paid into that should cover the costs https://www.caa.co.uk/ATOL-protection/Consumers/About-ATOL/ :
ATOL is run by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It is able to provide assistance by requiring ATOL holders to pay a fee of £2.50 for each traveller, which is held in a fund managed by the Air Travel Trust. This fund is used to refund, repatriate or reimburse travellers for the cost of repaying for the affected parts of their trip.

This money creates a fund that will support consumers to minimise disruption to their holiday or, if they are no longer able to travel, provide a full refund for the holiday.
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So it's not the British government footing the bill for repatriation.

The first trip, although not with a group or a tour, DH and I took after we were married a few years and had jobs that made money was through Thomas Cook's office on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, including their own travelers checks. RIP, TC.
 
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From a UK perspective, if a “packaged holiday” is purchased then the mandatory ATOL insurance covers the costs when a carrier goes bust. Thomas Cook also provides flights only and if the traveler has not purchased travel insurance then they are going to struggle to get any refund.

The UK government through the CAA is arranging flights over the next 2 weeks to bring stranded travelers back to the UK.

There are reports of some of the hotels that holiday makers are staying at demanding money from their guests but the advice from the UK is to not pay anything as the travelers have already paid Thomas Cook.
 
Apparently Condor is a subsidiary of Thomas Cook. Condor says they are profitable...but seeking money from the German government

Condor, an airline that is a subsidiary of Thomas Cook, said it was seeking financial help from the German government to keep its planes in the air after the collapse of the company, which impacted around 140,000 German travelers.

From the story:

Condor said that it had been “profitable for many years” and that a loan from the German government would help it fly back those German travelers who were scheduled to fly with Condor anyway. Those Germans who flew with other Thomas Cook affiliates will also be covered by the insurance mandatory for operators of package tours.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/...tion=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage
 
The problems with Thomas Cook should be a warning to travelers not to use 3rd part agents to book rental cars, hotels, and tours. When we were in Santorini back in late May, at the Europcar rental agency, a French couple booked their stay (car, hotel, tours) through a third party. However, the agent at Europcar stated that he did not have their reservation and that Europcar terminated their business relationship with the third party several months ago. There was nothing he could do for them. After arguing with the agent for about 45 minutes, he looked into the matter and showed the couple that the third party agency ceased operations two months after they booked. Therefore their hotel reservations were also bogus. He explained to the couple that many tour operators are setting up companies collecting advanced payments and then shutting down a few months later. It has become common. Thomas Cook is not such a company and had other issues such as debt, but it does illustrate the perils of booking through third party agencies and making advance payments in an age where it is so easy for scammers advertise online and collect advance payments.
 
Alan said:
There are reports of some of the hotels that holiday makers are staying at demanding money from their guests but the advice from the UK is to not pay anything as the travelers have already paid Thomas Cook.
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Apparently TK owes anywhere from $124,000 to $248,000 to Turkish hotels. The Turkish government has told the hotels not to evict the TC travelers. They will be paid by some UK Air Travelers protection scheme.
 
Chuckanut said:
Apparently TK owes anywhere from $124,000 to $248,000 to Turkish hotels. The Turkish government has told the hotels not to evict the TC travelers. They will be paid by some UK Air Travelers protection scheme.
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Tunisian resorts were the problem yesterday until Tunisia authorities stepped in and put a stop to it.
 
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