The highs and lows of airline collapse 6th October 2008
If it's not the global credit crunch and the failing stock markets occupying front page headlines its stories of stranded passengers in far flung locations unable to get home due to the collapse of yet another airline flight provider.
Cheapest isn't always best. Many main airline suppliers are now just as competitive and are often more reliable. They are less likely to have to change flight departure times and almost never cancel a flight and this is why we prefer to recommend these suppliers to our members.
Julie Fenlon, Manager, Club la Costa Travel
In the last month no fewer than 4 major airlines have folded, citing economic pressures and astronomical fuel prices as the main cause. The most recent was the XL Leisure Group, which included several package tour operations as well as their flights division XL Airways.
Reports that over 200,000 passengers were affected did little to ease concerns and of this number, nearly 85,000 were abroad and needing to be repatriated to the UK. The vast majority were protected by the ATOL bonding scheme but over ten thousand discovered the reality of booking via low cost airlines that operate without the same ATOL protection.
Their only option was to purchase, in some cases at considerable extra expense, new tickets simply to get home. Whilst many competitor airlines offered fixed price flights to help, others were deemed to have increased their prices instantly to capitalise on the situation.
Those with ATOL protection were in the hands of the CAA whose role it was to arrange the repatriation process. With so many passengers spread across virtually every continent, their task was an unenviable one and with one helpline for 85,000 'clients' the inevitable call queues soon built up. Passengers unable to get through didn't know whether they would get home or what to do. Should they check in as normal, or stay in their holiday accommodation?
Most national front pages carried tales of horror experiences, flights at four times the original cost, sleeping rough in airport terminals, people being ejected from their accommodation or held as virtual prisoners where the accommodation had not been paid for by the tour provider.
Look hard enough, however, and there will always be people who not only saw the positive side of their experience but whose 'Dunkirk Spirit' shone through. One such family were the Hadfields from Merseyside. They were on holiday with Club La Costa on the Costa del Sol when the Club La Costa Travel team contacted them to give them the bad news about XL.
Club La Costa Travel had booked the Hadfields' flights through XL, with their flights protected by the ATOL bond, but in the chaos, the CAA had no details of the Hadfields from XL. In stepped Julie Fenlon, Group Travel Manager for Club La Costa Travel, who contacted the CAA and sorted everything out on their behalf.
The following day, the Hadfields were safely back home, albeit without a suitcase that got lost on the return journey, but as Linda Hadfield says "That's another story", and she was reunited with it the next day.
"The Club La Costa staff were wonderful," said Linda, "I was really worried as to how we were going to get home, but they came to our rescue. All four of us were very grateful for their patience and help"
Julie Fenlon added, "This really emphasises the point that cheapest isn't always best. Many main airline suppliers are now just as competitive and are often more reliable. They are less likely to have to change flight departure times and almost never cancel a flight except in extreme circumstances. Of course, the main benefit is the ATOL and ABTA protection which means passengers will only pay once for their travel, and this is why we prefer to recommend these suppliers to our members."
"Our advice to our members and all clients who book through Club La Costa Travel is to consider the bigger picture, take the necessary steps to protect yourself, and don't assume that the so-called low cost carriers are offering the lowest rates. Any good travel agent will give the right advice and clients deserve total reassurance and appropriate information regarding what they are booking and what is included in the price."
There are already tens of thousands of unhappy, out-of-pocket, passengers who will agree with Julie Fenlon's analysis, and perhaps it's time to take her advice before the next flight provider reaches the end of the runway.
Cheapest isn't always best. Many main airline suppliers are now just as competitive and are often more reliable. They are less likely to have to change flight departure times and almost never cancel a flight and this is why we prefer to recommend these suppliers to our members.
