Tag Archives: CAA

Thomas Cook ceases trading after failing to salvage rescue deal

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Travel giant Thomas Cook has collapsed after last-minute efforts to secure a rescue deal failed.

The 178-year-old business ceased trading with 600,000 overseas, including 150,000 from the UK.

The CAA is to begin the biggest-ever repatriation of UK travellers with more than 45 aircraft sourced from around the world.

German authorities face organising even bigger repatriation with up to 300,000 Germans abroad on Cook holidays.

The Thomas Cook board called in administrators after running out of options to keep the business afloat. A senior industry source said: “The board could not keep the wheels spinning. They had a legal duty.”

Thomas Cook’s failure leaves 20,000 staff, including 9,000 in the UK, out of work.

The insolvency was timed to kick in once the group’s entire fleet of aircraft was on the ground in the early hours of Monday.

The holidays of those due to fly out from today have been cancelled leaving hundreds of thousands to apply for refunds.

Chaos and confusion are expected at airports, as people turn up for cancelled services or to enquire about flights home, and at the more than 3,000 hotels used by Thomas Cook – most of which will be owed money by the group.

The group was set to be rescued in a deal worth £900 million which would have seen Fosun taking control of 75% of the company’s tour operating the business and up to 25% of its airline in exchange for a £450 million capital injection.

Debt holders and lending banks would put up the remaining £450 million in exchange for control of Thomas Cook’s airline and up to 25% of the tour operator.

The deal, which had been pushed back once, was due to be voted on by creditors and stakeholders on September 27.

But last week Thomas cook’s lending banks, led by Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds demanded it finds an additional £200 million in contingency funding.

This demand for “a seasonal standby facility” followed fresh advice from financial consultants working for the banks which suggested Cook risked running out of cash once more by late 2020.

Passengers will make sacrifices for in-flight Wi-Fi, finds study

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Passengers will make sacrifices for in-flight Wi-Fi, finds study

By Travolution
 

Passengers have such a strong desire for in-flight Wi-Fi they are even willing to give up some of the small comforts of flying, according to study conducted by Honeywell.

Many would be happy to trade a comfortable seat for a reliable laptop connection.

The poll of more than 3,000 travellers in the US, UK, and Singapore found that travellers want access to Wi-Fi every time they fly.

Almost nine out of 10 passengers surveyed said they were willing to give something up on their flight, with one-third of US passengers saying they would give up the ability to recline their seats, and 38% saying they would give up their preferred seat.

Forty two per cent of passengers would exchange peanuts for Wi-Fi, while nearly one-quarter would pass on the drinks.

More than half (55%) percent of US passengers said they mostly use in-flight connectivity for personal reasons, and just 22% say they use it mostly for professional reasons.

Passengers from both the UK and Singapore claimed more professional and less personal use.

A total of 86% of US passengers say every flight should give them the opportunity to check Twitter, update their fantasy football line-up, or send an email to a co-worker.

But around 90% of all respondents said they are frustrated with the connectivity when they fly, Wired.com reported.

– See more at: http://www.travolution.co.uk/articles/2013/09/06/7071/passengers-will-make-sacrifices-for-in-flight-wi-fi-finds-study.html#sthash.TR2UIDiv.dpuf

A Letter from Adolfo Perez – MD, Carnival Cruise Lines UK & Ireland

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21 February 2013

Dear Valued Travel Partner,

We realise many of you have been following last week’s events on the Carnival Triumph and I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with some information.

Let me begin by saying that all of us at Carnival deeply regret the hardship our guests had to face during their days on board the ship. Our number one concern was to ensure the safety and welfare of our guests and crew and to get them home as soon as possible. Our shipboard and shore side teams worked tirelessly to take care of them and minimise their discomfort and inconvenience. We also focused on making sure their loved ones had a direct link to our Family Support Centre where they could obtain round the clock information on their family and friends on board.

Now that all the guests are safely home, our efforts are firmly focused on the on-going investigation into the root cause of the fire and what measures we can take to ensure this does not happen again. These efforts are taking place in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard and other independent parties. We know, however, that preliminary investigations indicate the cause of the fire was the result of a leak in the fuel return line for the number 6 diesel generator.

The safety and security of our guests remains of the utmost importance to all of us here at Carnival. All our ships are safe and secure. All of them meet, and in many areas exceed, all regulatory standards. I promise we will continue to investigate in order to understand what took place and to learn what steps we can take to improve going forward.

We know that holidaymakers can choose from a vast variety of options, and that they – and you – expect a fantastic cruise holiday from us. We are very sorry that this time we did not deliver.

I really value your support for Carnival Cruise Lines, and in encouraging British holidaymakers to select a cruise on our ships. We hope you will continue to do so in the future, and we will endeavour to do everything we can to make our experiences as memorable and fun as possible for your customers.

Thank you again for your support.

Yours sincerely,

Adolfo M. Pérez
Managing Director, UK and Ireland

Carnival Cruise Lines
© 2013 Carnival Cruise Lines