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Author Topic: Collapse of Thomas Cook  (Read 5306 times)
grahame
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« Reply #15 on: September 27, 2019, 15:42:50 »

From GWR (Great Western Railway)'s Facebook feed:

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We are delighted to welcome Jamie on board, who has joined us from Thomas Cook. We have vacancies across the network and are welcoming applications from Thomas Cook employees. Find out more at gwr.com/careers.
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TonyK
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« Reply #16 on: September 27, 2019, 17:06:26 »


Although many people booking flights and accommodation separately find that they either have to lose the cost of the accommodation (which usually is payable in advance), or buy a new flight at a much increased cost as demand is outstripping supply. If the failure occurs a long time in advance then maybe only a deposit is lost, but much nearer the whole amount will likely have been paid.

Those who booked with TC(resolve) as a package should get their money back. Whether they can afford to buy a new holiday for a similar price is doubtful, but at least they are not out of pocket.

I paid for the accommodation by credit card, although whether I would have got that back is a moot point. The apartment was available to me still, even if I decided not to go. The flights were paid for by debit card to avoid doubling the cost through charges.

From GWR (Great Western Railway)'s Facebook feed:

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We are delighted to welcome Jamie on board, who has joined us from Thomas Cook. We have vacancies across the network and are welcoming applications from Thomas Cook employees. Find out more at gwr.com/careers.

And that is excellent news! Even if the mood of transport went up as well as along, the crew and office staff have training and experience that is relevant to working for a TOC (Train Operating Company). GWR will not be the only people with vacancies picking up ex-Thomas Cook staff.
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Celestial
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« Reply #17 on: September 27, 2019, 18:03:31 »


I paid for the accommodation by credit card, although whether I would have got that back is a moot point. The apartment was available to me still, even if I decided not to go. The flights were paid for by debit card to avoid doubling the cost through charges.

Agree, the provider of the service (accommodation) hasn't failed to provide the service, so I can't see how you would have a claim on your credit card.   Not sure I understand the second point though - charging more for credit cards is illegal.  Is Rynair managing to wriggle out of that somehow?
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grahame
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« Reply #18 on: October 07, 2019, 12:22:07 »

From The BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

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The refund website for Thomas Cook customers who had booked holidays with the firm is struggling to cope with demand on its first day of operation.

Customers told the BBC they had tried to submit the claim form several times, but kept receiving error messages.
The Civil Aviation Authority, which is handling the refund process, tweeted "unprecedented demand" had caused the issue and urged users to try later.

Unprecedented demand maybe - but very predictable demand!
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TonyK
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« Reply #19 on: October 07, 2019, 12:42:57 »


Unprecedented demand maybe - but very predictable demand!

It used to be "telephone exchanges jammed" or "special postal deliveries" in the Olden Days. By susnset tonight, people will have realised that it isn't like trying to get a ticket for Taylor Swift before Ticket Master's nasty robots hoover them all up, and that you can wait for the rush to die down. The first reports of fraudulent activity should be with us tomorrow.
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grahame
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« Reply #20 on: October 08, 2019, 19:11:18 »

The first reports of fraudulent activity should be with us tomorrow.

Err ... have you a crystal ball ... 8.10.2019, article posted at around 17:00 by the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Quote
Scammers are suspected of making fraudulent claims on a website set up to refund Thomas Cook customers, the Civil Aviation Authority has said.

The aviation regulator said it has taken "urgent action" over the suspicious online activity and will notify the police.
It has added further verification checks to its refund process, it said.

etc
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TonyK
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« Reply #21 on: October 08, 2019, 21:57:36 »

My faith in human nature has wavered little in the past 40 years.
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grahame
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« Reply #22 on: October 13, 2019, 11:29:52 »

From The BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

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"We have the hotels here, open and waiting - but the customers can't get here," says Ramón Estalella, head of Spain's leading hotelier association.

The sudden collapse last month of one of Europe's biggest travel groups, Thomas Cook, ruined the holidays of 600,000 stranded tourists.

Hundreds of thousands more had trips booked when the news was announced.

But for parts of Spain's tourist sector, Thomas Cook's demise is also an existential threat.

The economic future of industry workers and staff at Thomas Cook's local suppliers and subsidiaries is at stake.


From a fortnight ago on GWR (Great Western Railway)'s Twitter feed

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We are delighted to welcome Jamie on board, who has joined us from Thomas Cook. We have vacancies across the network and are welcoming applications from Thomas Cook employees. Find out more at gwr.com/careers.

Congratulations indeed to Jamie ... I understand from the Stakeholder's meeting (public comment) that Jamie's a wise man indeed and had seen the benefits of a career switch - GWR were able to welcome him on board rather quicker that he (or they) had thought possible due to notice periods.       Question - can airline pilots drive trains?  Cabin crew act as train managers or customers hosts  Grin
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TonyK
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« Reply #23 on: October 13, 2019, 14:04:17 »

Question - can airline pilots drive trains?  Cabin crew act as train managers or customers hosts  Grin

The answer is: yes, subject to the appropriate training. That will be different for each sub-set, obviously.

Cabin crew are there for safety primarily, not selling duty free, and are trained to control a cabin full of panicking passengers in an emergency, and get them out faster than you would think imaginable. They are licensened by the CAA» (Civil Aviation Authority - about) and undergo regular refresher training and checks. They also do some systems working, such as priming the doors so that the escape chute deploys when the door is opened (if you wondered what that order "Cabin doors to automatic" means, that is it) and managing the ovens, but the customer service side of the job will be excellent preparation for conversion to train manager. I believe the normal GWR (Great Western Railway) training is 3 months classroom, 3 months shadowing. I can't see much being shaved off the classroom bit, and it may not be worth the fuss that would likely break out were they to be excused any of the shadowing, but they would surely have a claim to be the right people for the job. It may be academic, as skills such as they have will be in demand with other airlines.

An airline pilot could drive a train. The skill he brings to the party will be easy assimilation of insttructions and response time in reacting to problems, but I reckon he would have to start from scratch with the actual driving. Expect a fast learner, though.
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TonyK
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« Reply #24 on: November 08, 2019, 18:26:21 »

And an update. Since Thomas Cook went bust, Hays have taken over almost all of the travel agency shops and business, the exceptions being where they already had a presence in the same area as a Thomas Cook. They are looking to employ as many of the Thomas Cook staff as possible. easyJet have now bought their landing / take-off slots at Bristol Airport according to Bristol Post, which says that the airline has also bought TC(resolve)'s Gatwick slots. They paid £36 million for a total of 18 pairs of summer slots and 9 extra winter pairs, beating opposition from BA» (British Airways - about), Hungarian budget line Wizz, and the bearded one's crew. Jet2 bagged the slots at Manchester, Birmingham, and london Stansted, while Lauda Airlines, now a subsidiary of Ryanair, is leasing an additional 15 Airbus A320s made available after the TC collapse (TC operated 27 of the type), and is taking on pilots left jobless. So it appears that there is still a living to be made by a travel agent and airlines, but not if you combine both.
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« Reply #25 on: November 09, 2019, 11:35:27 »

They also do some systems working, such as priming the doors so that the escape chute deploys when the door is opened (if you wondered what that order "Cabin doors to automatic" means, that is it)

...................or making sure that the chute doesn't deploy when the door is opened  ................. Sad Sad

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/What-happens-when-you-forget-to-disarm-the-plane-doors/
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« Reply #26 on: November 09, 2019, 12:12:29 »

They also do some systems working, such as priming the doors so that the escape chute deploys when the door is opened (if you wondered what that order "Cabin doors to automatic" means, that is it)

...................or making sure that the chute doesn't deploy when the door is opened  ................. Sad Sad

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/What-happens-when-you-forget-to-disarm-the-plane-doors/

That happened on a homeward-bound flight that an acquaintance was on, I think from the south of France. The aircraft had started one engine, cabin doors had been shut and set to automatic, but there was something the pilots were not entirely sure of as they started the second motor. The first officer decided to go take a look outside, came out of the cockpit, and opened the door before any of the cabin crew realised what he was doing. He had intended to use the built-in self-deploying steps, but the escape chute exploded into action. So they shut down and tried to figure out what to do.

Removing the chute was a simple operation - it is meant to detach easily to use as a liferaft - but fitting a replacement takes time, and there wasn't one where they were. The aircraft was full, and could not leave with a missing chute as it stood. The captain called for volunteers, around 40, to stay behind in a hotel for the night and fly out on the first available flight the following morning. Adding in dinner and money off the next flight equal to the fare they had paid secured enough people, including my acquaintance. The aircraft departed safely, arriving home without further incident, and my pal had a great night out with his girlfriend and some of the other volunteers, returning first class with Air France because that was where the seats were, rather than budget. It made the national press. I don't know if the FO still works for the airline.
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