CAA turns attention to 360,000 cancellation refunds
The CAA is now turning its attention to refunding 360,000 Thomas Cook customers whose holidays have been cancelled.
It said the refund programme for ATOL protected customers will be three times larger than any other programme.
There are 100,000 bookings made by direct debit and the CAA hopes to refund these within the next 14 days.
"Refunds of bookings made by other payment methods will take longer as we do not yet have all of the information we need from Thomas Cook," it said.
"For these claims we will launch a new, simplified online system next Monday, 7 October, where consumers will be able to access an electronic refund form. We hope to pay refunds within 60 days of receiving a valid refund form."
More information will be available on the CAA website from 7 October."
The CAA’s repatriation effort ‘Operation Matterhorn’ has now brought back more than two thirds of customers who were overseas when Thomas Cook failed a week ago.
It has used ore than 100 aircraft and around 94% of people have flown back on the original days of their cancelled Thomas Cook flight.
Another 53 flights are scheduled to operate today returning another 8,000 people.
CAA chief executive Richard Moriarty said: "The scale and complexity of this operation will inevitably cause some inconvenience and disruption and I would like to thank holidaymakers for bearing with us."
Some agents have criticised the Government’s decision to bring all Thomas Cook customers home, even flight-only customers whose holidays are not covered by an ATOL.
They say the decision, albeit with good intentions and to simplify the process, makes a mockery of ATOL and will further confuse the public about consumer protection.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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