Thomas Cook has ceased trading with the CAA as of 2am yesterday, as company chiefs failed to secure vital funding to keep it trading with the CAA. Those who flew out of the country with Thomas Cook and unable to return are being taken care of by the government, with an estimated 150,000 trapped abroad. The government is working to bring them back, and those who have scheduled holidays with Thomas Cook will be hoping for a refund.
How can you claim ATOL?
Thomas Cook customers have protection under the Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL), compulsory for those holidaying with a package.
Those who booked a holiday with Thomas Cook will have received an ATOL certificate, which explains the protections afforded to the consumer and what to do if the agency collapses.
The certificate itself shows how to make a claim, which will give those with package expenses of over £100 a refund.
READ MORE: Why did Thomas Cook collapse? What demise means for UK travel
The CAA said it would launch a service for Thomas Cook customers to handle Atol claims by September 30 this year.
The organisation is focussing on handling repatriation, so instructions on how to make a claim are not yet available.
They said they would update the CAA website with the necessary information in the future.
In the meantime, the CAA has urged customers not to submit anything.
READ MORE: Thomas Cook repatriation MAP: Where are Britons being flown back from?
Will you get a refund your holiday is cancelled?
According to the CAA, ATOL protected customers with Thomas Cook are entitled to a refund.
They explain: “ATOL Protected passengers with future bookings are entitled to a full refund for their cancelled holiday.
“The Civil Aviation Authority will be launching a service to manage all refunds by Monday 30 September, once the flying operation has progressed.
“This refunds service will seek to process all refunds within 60 days of full information being received.”
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Peter Fankhauser, Chief Executive of Thomas Cook, expressed his sadness at the collapse of Thomas Cook, saying “generations” of customers have holidayed with the agency.
He said in a statement: “I would like to apologise to our millions of customers, and thousands of employees, suppliers and partners who have supported us for many years.
“Despite huge uncertainty over recent weeks, our teams continued to put customers first, showing why Thomas Cook is one of the best-loved brands in travel.
“Generations of customers entrusted their family holiday to Thomas Cook because our people kept our customers at the heart of the business and maintained our founder’s spirit of innovation.”