Few days ago, Thomas Cook declared Bankruptcy. As a result, a big number of flights and holidays were cancelled. If are going to take action you may be asking what can I do? It depends on what you have booked, also how you’ve booked it.
The ATOL Protection
If you’ve booked a tour package with Thomas Cook, then you likely have ATOL Protection. ATOL is considered to be an Air Travel Organizer’s License. This exactly applies when a flight and hotel have been booked together from a travel agency.
Those with ATOL Protection already on the tour will be repatriated to the United Kingdom as part of Operation Matterhorn. However, those who are yet to start their tour will have the money paid refunded.
The Travel insurance
Unfortunately, some people are in a situation where their tours are not ATOL protected. This could be the situation if flights have been booked on their own, for example. However, if you have arranged travel insurance, you can of course have cover.
The Case of Flights
While not offered by all travel insurance supplier, some provide protection against bankruptcies. About the flights, this could mean that alternate flights are organized, or the flight’s value would be paid out to the insured. If you have travel insurance, it is definitely worth checking the wording of your policy.
What is Purchase card protection?
If your flights were purchased using a credit card, the chances are that you may be able to recover the value of the flights. The legal protection exists called Section 75. According to Money.com, a claim can be launched for purchases between £100 and £30,000 where “you do not get what you have paid for”.
The Rescue
If all what we mentioned in the article has failed, yet you still need to get back to your home, you should contact other airlines directly. In such situations, unaffected airlines usually provide a perfect rescue what are known as rescue fares. While a passenger needs to buy a ticket, they will offer a special low rate to help them to get back to their home.
References:
http://money.com/money/
https://www.caa.co.uk/atol-protection/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Matterhorn
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