Thomas Cook Wedding Advice: What to Do If You’ve Booked a Wedding or Honeymoon Through Thomas Cook
As news of the company's collapse breaks, here is everything you need to know about your Thomas Cook wedding or honeymoon booking.
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Couples are fearing for their destination weddings and honeymoons as tour operator Thomas Cook collapses.
News that the world’s oldest travel company was going into liquidation broke on Sunday 22nd September after Thomas Cook failed to meet their 11:59pm deadline to pay creditors.
As many as 9,000 British employees and 21,000 global staff could now lose their jobs as a result of the collapse.
If that wasn’t enough, it’s estimated that 150,000 holidaying Brits have been left stranded, and all travellers with holidays booked have been urged to stay at home. All upcoming Thomas Cook flights will remain grounded.
The news also effects holidaymakers who have made bookings with Thomas Cook’s other brands including Airtours, Manos and Thomas Cook Signature.
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Image: Getty
Of course, it’s not just summer holidaymakers who are set to have their trips cancelled. Numerous reports are beginning to surface of heartbroken couples with cancelled wedding trips and honeymoons.
It appears likely that no further flights or holidays will take place, although those already on Thomas Cook holidays can continue with their trips.
Who Has Been Affected by Thomas Cook’s Collapse?
Image: Facebook
A couple from Leicester fear they could lose their £12,000 Lanzarote wedding after booking their big day with Thomas Cook.
Ryan Towers and fiancée Louise Jones were just two weeks away from tying the knot in front of 30 family and friends in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, when news of the company’s liquidation broke.
They booked their wedding 18 months ago, paid a deposit and have been paying it off in monthly instalments ever since.
Image: Facebook
Dad-of-two Ryan, 24, told The Mirror: “I woke up this morning to hear the news, just 10 days before we are due to fly. We are left not knowing what the situation is.”
The couple are due to get hitched at Amura restaurant in Puerto Calero and stay at nearby Lomo Blanco apartments. They booked their holiday through Thomas Cook and their flights through easyJet.
Ryan added: “My partner and I are footing the bill, which is £12,000. I’ve got the gamble of whether to hope Thomas Cook pulls through or cancel and pay £200 per person, that’s £6,000.”
Ryan and Louise are not the only ones who have had their wedding dreams dashed by the news. A couple from Manchester have been left devastated after their “dream” Maldives honeymoon was cancelled.
Mr Bromiley, a 25-year-old insurance worker, told the Manchester Evening News: “We’ve got our honeymoon package booked which was the last one available in January, and now it’s cancelled.
“It appears we won’t be able to go to the same place now, and will have to wait a while to get our £7,000 refunded. We’ll have to wait for the refund which could takes months, due to the amount of people claiming.
“Me and my wife are devastated.”
What To Do If You Have a Wedding or Honeymoon Booked with Thomas Cook
1. If You’re Already Abroad on a Thomas Cook Package Wedding or Honeymoon
If you are currently on a Thomas Cook package holiday, your trip will continue as normal. Since your Thomas Cook holiday is Atol protected, hotel bills will be paid and new flights will be provided by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The CAA has brought in help from a whole host of other airlines for Thomas Cook customers.
These flights should run as close to the original schedule as possible, although you may be on a larger-than-usual aircraft with two flights being combined. For example, flights to Bristol and Cardiff may be as one, and coaches will be provided to make it easy for you to complete your journey. Don’t worry – you won’t be stranded!
If your Thomas Cook holiday involved easyJet scheduled flights, then the return leg of your journey should not be affected in any way.
2. If You’re Already Abroad on a Thomas Cook Flight-Only Wedding or Honeymoon
If you’re currently abroad on a Thomas Cook flight-only holiday, and you’re booked on a short-haul flight from the Mediterranean, Portugal or Atlantic islands, you’ll be offered a seat on an alternative flight home.
In the airlift operation, enough flights are being provided so that no British holidaymakers will be stranded.
The same procedure may not apply to long-haul flights, although it’s reported that “rescue” fares will be provided by other airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Norwegian Airlines and more.
Each airline usually announces its “rescue” fare policy within 24 hours of any airline collapse. Fares are likely to be between £150-£200 one way, as long as you can prove you had a Thomas Cook booking.
Upon your return home, you can claim back the cost of the original flight with your travel insurance provider.
3. If You’re Already Abroad on a Package Honeymoon with Another Tour Operator, but You Were Meant to Be on a Thomas Cook Flight
Your tour operator has a primary responsibility to find an alternative flight for you. This should be at no extra cost to yourself. Don’t panic!
4. If You Have a Package Wedding or Honeymoon Booked with Thomas Cook Which You are Not Yet On
If you have booked a wedding package or honeymoon package through Thomas Cook which has yet to happen, it will almost certainly not take place.
The Civil Aviation Authority says: “In some cases we will appoint a fulfilment partner to provide the holiday.” However, that would be a rare event, and it is expected that your holiday will be cancelled.
Numerous flights will be departing from UK airports to collect Thomas Cook passengers, but they will not be carrying passengers outbound.
But there is some good news! You will get your money back, as long as your holiday is protected by the Atol scheme (which, if it was booked in the UK, it should be).
In a piece for The Independent, Simon Calder wrote: “Current customers who paid for some or all of the trip by credit card will be told to apply to their card issuer for a full refund, whether for a package holiday (flights and accommodation bought in the same transaction) or a flight-only ticket.”
If you paid for your package holiday with a debit card, you should make a claim under the Atol scheme. Be aware that it could take months to obtain a refund because of the scale of the collapse though.
If your bank refuses to refund you, your travel insurance company should be able to help.
5. If You Have a Flight-Only Honeymoon Booked with Thomas Cook
Flights that have been booked through Thomas Cook, not as part of a package, are unlikely to be Atol protected.
Simon adds: “If you paid with a credit card, you should be able to get a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act – as long as the purchase is over £100. If it is less than that, or you paid with a debit card, go for ‘charge back’.
“If you handed over cash to pay for the flights, your best hope is travel insurance.”
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There’s more information about what to do as a result of Thomas Cook’s collapse on Which?.
