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As many will be wondering what options they have, what can a customer who has not yet departed for their trip do, now Thomas Cook has stopped operating. Are they able to claim back any money, will they be provided alternative flights, or will they able to purchase new ones for discounted rates etc.

(Note that this is for those who have not departed yet, those who are already on their trip will be flown home by flights organised by the Civil Aviation Authority)

Uciebila
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  • According to some online articles from serious newspapers, you'll be able to cancel your trip and get the full money back, for those who are already on vacation they'll be provided an alternative flights. You should be able to find online a way to cancel your trip. –  Sep 23 '19 at 08:38
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    Note that the answer might be jurisdiction related, as not only did Thomas Cook operating but also quite a lot of it's subsidiaries in other countries, like Germany, the Netherlands and Austria – SztupY Sep 23 '19 at 16:41
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    Are you looking for answers for all 17 countries in which Thomas Cook had tour operators? The answer will a) be strongly jurisdiction-related b) depend on whether that country had bonding/licensing for tour operators c) else, it'll depend on consumer law in that country d) how customers paid (credit card/ debit card/ check/ cash) e) whether they bought a tour package or flights only – smci Sep 23 '19 at 20:00
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    ATOL only covers UK-based tour operators, and even then not all purchases: excludes some flight-only or last-minute. Apart from the UK there are at least 16 other countries TC has/had operations in – smci Sep 23 '19 at 20:11
  • What civil aviation authority? Presumably, there is more than one. – Peter Mortensen Sep 24 '19 at 00:22
  • It might depend on which legal entity the flight or package holiday was booked with. Condor is a subsidiary of Thomas Cook and is still operating normally https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/9985267/thomas-cook-condor-still-flying/ – Traveller Sep 24 '19 at 05:41
  • For Dutch travellers: it depends. See also https://nltimes.nl/2019/09/24/emergency-number-dutch-travelers-affected-thomas-cook-bankruptcy – Erwin Bolwidt Sep 24 '19 at 08:28
  • Yesterday, I read their insurance (for German customers?) is limited to 110 million Euros: Die gesamte Versicherungssumme von in Deutschland maximal 110 Millionen Euro dürfte im Fall von Thomas Cook nicht ausreichen https://www.br.de/nachrichten/wirtschaft/thomas-cook-pleite-viele-urlauber-duerften-leer-ausgehen,RcsWlm8 – Bernhard Döbler Sep 24 '19 at 13:14
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    @PeterMortensen the Civil Aviation Authority (note the capital letters) is the UK's aviation regulator. – Darren Sep 24 '19 at 15:11

2 Answers2

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This BBC article has a panel outlining the rights of UK customers regarding this:

If you are on a package holiday, you are covered by the Atol scheme.

The scheme will pay for your accommodation abroad, although you may have to move to a different hotel or apartment.

Atol will also pay to have you brought home if the airline is no longer operating.

If you have a holiday booked in the future, you will also be refunded by the scheme.

If you have booked a flight-only deal, you will need to apply to your travel insurance company or credit card and debit card provider to seek a refund.

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Nick C
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    Will this also cover overseas clients? What if an Indian family booked a trip to Greece from Delhi? Brits amount to less than half of all affected clients. – Diego Sánchez Sep 23 '19 at 16:41
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    @DiegoSánchez Good question, I don't know - My answer only applies to UK customers. – Nick C Sep 24 '19 at 09:35
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The below applies to UK customers only, with other answers able to cover other countries TC has operated in.

For package holidays:

Any package booked through Thomas Cook is protected by ATOL. You are able to get a full refund through them. Do not go to the airport unless you have booked yourself onto a new holiday yourself.

Flight only

If you have only booked flights from TC, you can claim this back via credit card or travel insurance if you have either. If you book your own alternative outbound flight now, you are not entitled to a reparation flight on your return journey.

Hotel Only

If you have booked a hotel only deal, your flights will still be available with your chosen flight company, but you should contact them to be sure of this before travelling.

Source: the information being given out today, by TC themselves.

For more information and links on how to make ATOL claims, visit the Thomas Cook website.

Uciebila
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    "If you have booked a hotel only deal, your flights will still be available ..." Yes, but your hotel won't be available when you get there, so that's not really a useful answer. You'll probably have re-book your hotel or find an alternative one. – rjmunro Sep 23 '19 at 17:04
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    This only appears to be applicable to UK customers. – Vladimir F Героям слава Sep 23 '19 at 18:42
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    @rjmunro yes, I know, just covering all options possible for the different types of customers that could be affected, as there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. – Uciebila Sep 23 '19 at 18:57
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    @VladimirF it is UK only, but other countries have similar systems in place, like the Dutch SGR. – jwenting Sep 24 '19 at 04:41