Thomas Cook's vacationers and crew can "leave" Cuba, according to CAA



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Sue Petrow

Legend

Sue Petrow had to go home Wednesday

The vacationers and crew of Thomas Cook are free to leave Cuba, according to the authorities of civil aviation.

Repatriation flights were organized with the help of the British ambassador to Cuba, the paper said.

The tourists had said that they had been prevented from leaving their hotel until they paid extra for their stay.

A vacationer, Sue Petrow, who was due to leave, said her hotel had told her that she could be detained at the airport unless paying her bill.

The cabin crew members of Thomas Cook had also stated that they were actually "held hostage" by security guards at a hotel.

Lady Deirdre Hutton, President of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), told the BBC Today broadcast: "This was settled overnight by the ambassador , and the Cuban flight is in the air, which is very good news. "

"It's also an example of how we work closely with the Foreign Office, which is great."

"It's very painful for people who have difficulty finding accommodation, but what we have done is to give guarantees to … hotels welcoming British tourists protected by Atol," she added.

The United Kingdom Ambassador to Cuba stated that hotels had been requested to allow guests to leave without paying additional fees.

Antony Stokes says on Twitter"Very grateful for the patience of all those affected in painful circumstances."

Sue Petrow said that she and other guests had refused to pay any additional charges claimed by the hotel.

Holidaymakers like Sue may have paid their room and meals months in advance, but hotels normally receive Thomas Cook's money only several weeks after their stay.

According to some information, Cuba wondered whether the insurance fund of the sector, Atol, which covers payments in case of default of a company, would bear the costs.

The fund covers the bills accumulated since the collapse of Thomas Cook on Monday morning.

However, bills are deposited in hotels before the collapse of Thomas Cook will not be covered. The hoteliers concerned will have to go to the liquidators to get their money.

Count the costs

Dame Deirdre stated that CAA had issued payment guarantees for 3,000 hotels worldwide and had already started making the first payments. The CAA had 200 employees working with Thomas Cook's employees, she added.

"Since Thomas Cook owes a lot to these hotels, it's not surprising that they are suspicious and angry," she said.

Thomas Cook owes £ 338 million to hotels, and a hotel in Mexico owes £ 2.5 million, she added.

The Insolvency Service has written to local tourist boards to ensure that hotels are working with CAA on payments, said Lady Hutton.

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Legend of the mediaPassenger raises money for Thomas Cook's staff on a flight from Turkey

Repatriation

On Monday, CAA launched the UK's largest repatriation operation in peacetime, aimed at repatriating more than 150,000 people to the UK after the company's bankruptcy vacation.

Up to now, more than 95% of people have been brought back the day they leave, said CAA.

Tuesday, 70 flights have brought more than 14,000 passengers, said the newspaper. Wednesday, 70 flights are expected Wednesday, which will bring 16 500 additional people.

The flight program will continue until October 6 with over 1,000 scheduled flights.

Richard Moriarty, Director General of CAA, said: "I would like people on vacation to enjoy the rest of their stay, because we also want to take you home the day you were originally booked for a flight with Thomas Cook. some time later.

"This remains an extremely complex operation and I would like to thank the holidaymakers for their patience, as some inconvenience and disruption are likely."


How are customers protected?

If you are on holiday, you are covered by the Atol system.

  • The system will pay for your accommodation abroad, but you may need to move to another hotel or apartment
  • Atol will also pay for bringing you home if the airline is no longer operational
  • If you have vacations booked in the future, you will also be reimbursed by the scheme
  • If you have booked a flight only offer, you will need to apply for a refund from your travel insurance company or from your credit and debit card provider.

What are your rights? Read more here.


CAA has set up a dedicated website to keep Thomas Cook's clients up-to-date on the latest tips and news.

It's a call center and Twitter with direct open messages to meet vacationers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The call center can be reached at 0300-303-2800 in the UK and +44 1753-330330 from abroad.


Are you a customer or staff member of Thomas Cook affected by the bankruptcy of the company? Share your experiences by email

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