Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel company, has ceased trading, causing thousands of flights and holidays to be cancelled.

The firm went into liquidation early yesterday morning (23 September 2019) after it failed to pay £200 million owed to creditors.

With an estimated 150,000 British holidaymakers stranded, with no certainty on how they will get home or continue their holiday, we’ve put together some essential advice to help travel agents aid clients affected.

What about clients’ cruise holiday? 

Many leading cruise lines have confirmed that trips booked through Thomas Cook will go ahead and are in the process of contacting all affected guests, advising customers to sit tight while they do this.

P&O Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Saga and Fred Olsen are among the many who have said that they will be honouring cruises booked through Thomas Cook. To find out if your cruise line will be going ahead with its trip, visit the company website or contact them via phone.

We would like to reassure F.OCL customers that any #ThomasCook #FreedomTravel or #FutureTravel bookings will go ahead as planned! All F.OCL bookings are ATOL and ABTA protected, for your reassurance. However, If you have any concerns, please contact our Guest Services team.

— Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines (@FredOlsenCruise) September 23, 2019

If clients are yet to travel

Clients need to check if their trip is still going ahead and will therefore need to contact Thomas Cook’s tour operator or agent, the accommodation provider and airline. Holidays that are ATOL-protected will be fully refunded, but clients will still need to rebook their trip.

Customers who have a booked a Thomas Cook package holiday or accommodation through a Thomas Cook Group retail company (Thomas Cook, TCCT Retail Ltd, Future Travel Ltd or Freedom Travel Group Ltd), these holidays will not go ahead, and will be entitled to a refund. If the clients’ holiday is ATOL-protected then they will also receive a full refund.

If you are a Thomas Cook passenger still in the UK and yet to travel, please do not go to the airport as your flight will not be running.

Please visit our website, https://t.co/g4G2b6RlHc, for further information.#ThomasCook pic.twitter.com/YAf94iE4nf

— UK Civil Aviation Authority (@UK_CAA) September 23, 2019

Clients who’ve booked a package Thomas Cook holiday

Customers abroad on a flight package holiday will be financially protected under the ATOL scheme and should contact the CAA and the company they booked their package holiday with to arrange an alternative flight. For more information, the CAA is advising Thomas Cook customers to use this link.

The repatriation programme is only available for passengers whose flight originated from the UK and it will only be operating until Sunday 6 October 2019. After this date, customers will have to make their own travel arrangements.

Those booked on a Thomas Cook flight

Those with Thomas Cook holidays or Thomas Cook Airlines flights have been told that their trips are now cancelled.

The CAA has secured a fleet of aircraft from around the world, dubbed ‘Operation Matterhorn’, to bring passengers back to the UK with return flights from 17 countries over the next two weeks. It has advised customers currently overseas to check thomascook.caa.co.uk for advice and not to go to the airport, unless they have an alternative flight confirmed.

Holidaymakers who were only due to fly with Thomas Cook and booked their own hotels or accommodation separately may be able to find an alternative way to travel. Flights booked directly with Thomas Cook airlines are not covered by ATOL or ABTA, so customers will need to contact their card issuer.

Clients yet to travel out of the UK whose flights have been cancelled will have to rebook. The repatriation programme does not include outbound flights.

How clients can claim a refund 

Clients will need to contact Thomas Cook’s tour operator or agent, the company they booked with, their accommodation provider and airline. If their holiday is ATOL-protected then they will receive a full refund. To get their money back, customers will need to contact the CAA, which is leading the repatriation programme.

For more information and advice, please visit ABTA’s advice page.