23 Sep
2019

Thomas Cook Group: Advice for customers

Important information – do not rebook your holiday immediately 

Thomas Cook travel agents sold package  holidays provided by a range of other tour operators, that are not part of, or affected by, the failure of Thomas Cook. 

Even if you booked your holiday through a Thomas Cook shop, online or directly with a call center, your booking may still be valid. This is because it might have been booked (via Thomas Cook) with  a different tour operator.
This information will be on your paperwork. 

Check your paperwork 

If you book and pay for another holiday without checking your paperwork first, and your booking is with another tour operator, you will not be entitled to a refund from the CAA ATOL scheme or ABTA.  This is because your contract is not directly with Thomas Cook, it is with another company  – please check your paperwork before booking an alternative holiday. 

Check all of your paperwork; for example, your booking confirmation, confirmation invoice, any emails, and even ATOL Certificate. Your paperwork will highlight the name of the tour operator who is providing your holiday. 

If the tour operator is Thomas Cook, please go to thomascook.caa.co.uk for information on how to make a claim. 

If the tour operator is a different company (other than Thomas Cook) please contact them immediately to confirm whether your holiday is going ahead. 

 

Important information – telephone scam warning 

ABTA has had reports of members of the public being cold called by people pretending to represent ATOL or ABTA, asked if they have a Thomas Cook booking and then asked for their bank details. This is a scam, which could result in you losing considerable sums of money. The correct methods for processing a claim if you have a booking with Thomas Cook are detailed on this page. To avoid being scammed customers are urged to follow the advice issued by UK Finance in their Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign:

  1. A genuine bank or organisation will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account. Only give out your personal or financial details to use a service that you have given your consent to, that you trust and that you are expecting to be contacted by.
  2. Don’t be tricked into giving a fraudster access to your personal or financial details. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text.
  3. Always question uninvited approaches in case it’s a scam. Instead, contact the company directly using a known email or phone number.

 

For customers with a booking with Thomas Cook or one of its Group companies 

Thomas Cook Group plc ceased trading on Monday, 23 September 2019. If you have travel arrangements booked with (or through) Thomas Cook, it will depend on what you have booked and who is providing your holiday, as to what you need to do next.  

Understandably you are probably extremely worried about your holiday, but we are here to help. Please read and follow the advice below carefully.   
 
To enable us to help you and provide the most accurate information on what you need to do, please read the following information.   

Thomas Cook Group Plc operated several businesses that sold holidays and other travel arrangements, five of these companies were ABTA Members: 

  • Thomas Cook Retail Limited – ABTA number W8361, J8601 and ATOL number 0020 
  • Thomas Cook Tour Operations Limited – ABTA number V6896 and ATOL number 1179 
  • TCCT Retail Limited – ABTA number Y6564, L8164 and ATOL number 10585 
  • Future Travel Limited – ABTA number W6370, G856X and ATOL number 5704 
  • Freedom Travel Group Limited – ABTA number W6417, G8381 and ATOL number 6042 

The Group also included an airline business which is not a member of ABTA. 

The vast majority of holiday arrangements are covered through different types of financial protection. The majority are flight packages covered by ATOL. A smaller number are packages without flights and accommodation covered by ABTA.   

Flights booked directly with Thomas Cook airlines are not covered by ATOL or ABTA so customers will need to contact their card issuer. 

As there are a number of different companies involved and different types of holiday arrangements, what customers do next will depend on who they booked with; and what they booked.  

Holidaymakers currently away on a Thomas Cook package holiday or staying in accommodation booked with Thomas Cook.
 
Customers who are currently overseas on a flight package holiday are financially protected under the ATOL scheme and should contact the CAA. The CAA will advise on return flight arrangements. 

The CAA’s call centre for Thomas Cook customers can be contacted as follows. 

Phoning from the UK (reduced rate): 0300 303 2800 
Phoning from overseas:  +44 1753 330 330 

More information at thomascook.caa.co.uk 

Customers who are currently overseas on a package holiday that does not include a flight are protected by ABTA and should continue their holiday as normal.  

Customers who are currently overseas and staying in accommodation booked through Thomas Cook Tour Operations are financially protected by ABTA and should continue their holiday as normal. 

Customers who are currently overseas and have booked flights directly with the Thomas Cook airline, or who have booked accommodation via Thomas Cook Retail with a third party (e.g. Expedia) are not financially protected.  For flights, they should contact the CAA in the first instance, for accommodation contact the company named on the travel documents.  

Customers who are yet to travel 

If you’ve booked a package holiday through a Thomas Cook Group retail company, but that holiday is provided by another travel company, you should contact that travel company to check your arrangements will continue as normal. 

Customers who have a booked a Thomas Cook package holiday or accommodation through a Thomas Cook Group retail company (Thomas Cook, TCCT Retail Ltd, Future Travel Ltd or Freedom Travel Group Ltd) these holidays will not go ahead, and you will be entitled to a refund. 
 
If you’ve booked a Thomas Cook package holiday through another travel company, you should contact that company to discuss options which may include re-booking or making alternative arrangements. 
  
If you’ve booked flights from Thomas Cook Airlines Ltd, these are not covered by ATOL or ABTA protection, so you will need to pursue a claim through your card issuer. 

Please click on the company that you have booked with from the list below, which will take you to the specific advice on what you will need to do next.   

Please note 

The CAA will be opening its claim process for future ATOL bookings the week beginning 7 October 2019, further information is available at thomascook.caa.co.uk.  

Any customers with ATOL bookings should not submit claims to ABTA as these will not be processed and customers will be referred to the CAA to claim.

Advice for hoteliers

ATOL protected package holiday with Thomas Cook 
Where customers are currently abroad and they are on an ATOL protected package holiday with Thomas Cook or any company that is part of the Thomas Cook Group, the Civil Aviation Authority will seek to guarantee customers accommodation from the date they arrived at the accommodation and the duration of their stay. Please contact CAA for a letter of guarantee.  

In regard to any outstanding payments prior to the failure, you will need to submit a claim to the Liquidator. Details of the Liquidator are available here.

Single element sales (e.g. accommodation only)
Where you have customers who booked accommodation only, with Thomas Cook Tour Operations Limited, TCCT Retail Limited, Future Travel Limited and The Freedom Travel Group Limited, these are protected under the ABTA scheme of financial protection from the date of the failure 23 September 2019 for the remainder of their stay.  

Customers who are currently on holiday and utilising an accommodation only booking will need wherever possible to settle their accommodation bill if required to do so, retain all receipts and contact ABTA on their return. Please see www.abta.com/thomascook.   

Outstanding invoices prior to the failure 
In regard to any outstanding payments prior to the failure, you will need to submit a claim to the Liquidator. Details of the Liquidator are available here.