XL One Week On
Jim
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said today that after the first week of
its repatriation operation to bring home XL customers, 199 flights have
been organised which will have carried 46,765 passengers back to the UK by
18:00 today from a total of 40 destinations. These passengers include those
booked with XL tour operators, XL Airways and other tour operators that
shared XL Airways flights.
Planning for the second week of the repatriation operation is well advanced
for the 38,000 remaining holidaymakers who are abroad and due to finish
holidays next week.
Underlining the scale of this unprecedented operation, the CAA also said
that over the past seven days its helpline had received over 84,000 calls
from customers, of whom 57,000 learned what they needed to from recordings
and 27,000 spoke to helpline agents. In addition the ATOL website received
over 148,000 individual viewers over the seven day period.
In the meantime, the CAA continues to work closely with Thomas Cook,
Thomson, First Choice and Virgin Holidays to ensure ATOL-protected
holidaymakers can complete their holidays with no extra costs and travel
home at the end of their stay. The CAA, which manages the ATOL scheme, told
XL holidaymakers they should not need to pay hotel bills at the end of
their stays.
Richard Jackson, CAA Director of Consumer Protection, said: “I want to take
this opportunity to thank the industry, particularly the tour operators’
overseas representatives, with whom we have worked, for all their extensive
efforts on the ground over the course of the past week. Their important
contribution has greatly helped the smooth repatriation for the vast
majority of XL holidaymakers and allowed many others to complete their
holidays.
The flights currently organised by the CAA are from Alicante, Malaga
(Spain); Palma (Majorca); Athens, Chania, Corfu, Heraklion, Kalamata,
Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Lesbos, Mykonos, Preveza, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini,
Skiathos, Zante (Greece); Bodrum, Dalaman (Turkey); Cagliari (Sardinia);
Faro (Portugal); Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt); Bridgetown (Barbados);
Antigua, Grenada, St Kitts, St Lucia, Tobago (Caribbean); Larnaca, Paphos
(Cyprus); Orlando, Sanford (Florida); Arrecife (Lanzarote); Fuerteventura,
Las Palmas, Tenerife (Canaries); Mahon (Minorca).
Arrival airports in the UK are Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands,
Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.
People can refer to the CAA website www.atol.org.uk under 'failure of XL
Leisure Group' and 'more information for passengers in resort' for up-to-
date information on all repatriation flights that have been arranged. The
call centre numbers are +44 (0) 2891 856547 for customers abroad; and 0870
590 0927 for customers in the UK with advance bookings. Customers are asked
to check the ATOL website before telephoning as the information they need
is likely to be found there.
For further information journalists should contact the CAA Press Office on:
0207 453 6026.
Notes to Editors:
ATOL (short for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) is managed by the CAA and
gives comprehensive protection from losing money or being stranded abroad
to 26 million people in the UK who buy air holidays and flights from tour
operators each year. It is by far the largest travel protection scheme in
the UK, and the only one for flights and air holidays sold by tour
operators.
All tour operators selling flights and air holidays must hold a licence
from the CAA. If a licence holder fails, the CAA is responsible for
ensuring customers are either repatriated to the UK or receive a refund of
payments made.
Repatriation costs and refunds are met by the Air Travel Trust Fund, the
funds of which come from a £1 per person contribution, called the ATOL
Protection Contribution, each licence holder is required to make when it
accepts a booking under its ATOL. In some circumstances a licence holder
will have also provided a bond, which is used in the first instance to
protect customers.
In the year to March 2008, ATOL enabled over 2,000 customers of failed tour
operators to complete their holidays and return to the UK and 21,000
received a refund of advance payments. For the year, total expenditure on
repatriations and refunds was £7.5 million.
Further information about ATOL is available on the ATOL website at
www.atol.org.uk.
The CAA is the UK's specialist aviation regulator. Its activities include:
making sure that the aviation industry meets the highest technical and
operational safety standards; preventing holidaymakers from being stranded
abroad or losing money because of tour operator insolvency; planning and
regulating all UK airspace; and regulating airports, air traffic services
and airlines and providing advice on aviation policy from an economic
standpoint.