Following the collapse of Thomas Cook, some tourists who have travelled out from the UK on Thomas Cook package holidays have been asked to pay for their hotels. This should not be happening. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has sent a letter to every hotel that has an ATOL-protected passenger in it, guaranteeing the payment to the hotel from the date of arrival to the scheduled departure date.
British Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliott said:
“I hope that confirmation that the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has already sent a guarantee of payment to every hotel with Thomas Cook package holiday customers, assures holiday makers that there should not be any surprise bills.”
He added, “If you are on an ATOL-protected package holiday and are experiencing difficulties from the hotel or they are requesting payment from you, my advice is that you call the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority on +44 1753 330 330 as soon as possible. It is also important not to make a payment to your hotel unless you are instructed to do so by the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s team”.
If you are ATOL protected, you will have received an ATOL certificate as part of your reservation process, either by email or in the post. If travellers are not sure if their travel company is ATOL protected, please check guidance here: https://thomascook.caa.co.uk/customers/check-if-you-are-atol-protected/.
In exceptional circumstances, if the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority is unable to guarantee the hotel stay, the CAA may need to relocate travellers to another hotel. If this happens, the UK Civil Aviation Authority will inform other suppliers such as hotel transfers, of the change to accommodation and flight details.
Travellers who are not ATOL protected with any company that was part of the Thomas Cook Group, are not entitled to make a claim for expenses under the ATOL scheme, although they may be able to claim from their travel insurer, bank or credit card issuer.
