Yesterday afternoon we arrived back from our lovely holiday in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, despite the trauma caused by the collapse of The Thomas Cook travel company. Luckily, we were flight only with them, we had booked our hotel separately, however it is still a funny and unnerving feeling that we were brought to this beautiful island and now we are not sure how we are getting home, it left me with a feeling of being lost. Of course many people were not as lucky, we heard stories of guests being locked out of their hotel rooms unless they paid again to stay there, as Thomas Cook has not paid the hotel in advance for their guests staying there, and lets not forget the Thomas Cook staff who are suddenly out of jobs, many being owed up to seven weeks wages, travel reps being thrown out of their accommodation all over the world etc.. the ramifications run far and wide.
It’s quite astonishing that we were part of the largest peacetime repatriation operation in UK history. The Civil Aviation Authority have done an amazing job, from the day of the collapse they had plans in place for the repatriation of 165,000 stranded holiday makers, including us! and vowed to get each and every one of us home. Certainly from the island of Lanzarote, it appeared to go like clockwork. The effect of the collapse was almost instantaneous on the island, we saw a drastic reduction in tourists, not only at our hotel, but also around generally. Then, mid-week it was announced that the European arm had also been put into administration, affecting hundreds more from Germany, Holland and Belgium. We read that the top bosses at Thomas Cook took out almost £50million in bonuses just before the company collapsed, how is this legal or possible?
I would like to say a big THANK YOU to the CAA for their hard work and dedication, it cannot be easy to plan for the short notice repatriation of 165,000 citizens.
The Captain was at the aircraft exit as we disembarked, I thanked him very much for bringing us home.
Pleased to hear you got back safe and sound.
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Thank you Sheree!
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Yes, it’s shocking how such a long company has collapsed as it as. But also how Thomas Cook has handled the whole affair.
It doesn’t look very good on Thomas Cook, taking money, but not caring about their customers, or staff.
I hope as a very large group, that someone is going to help the staff get their wages. Those at the top that took bonuses, need to give that back where it is due. They shouldn’t be sitting in comfort, while evetyone else is affected terribly.
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well said Liz!
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So glad your home safe and well. I fell in love with Lanzarote back in 2010. Playa Blanca to be exact. Last time I was there was 2015, seems so long ago. It must have been quite a shock to learn about Thomas Cook ! I have often thought about selling up and moving there, but obviously with my dear mum and now having my gorgeous grandson I’m not sure I could ? Lovely to hear from you again. 😊💜
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I would like to live there in the winter definitely! such a lovely island and such nice people!
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I could look into renting my house out over the cold months while living in the beautiful Lanzarote 😊 The warmth is so good for my pain 💖
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That’s such a great idea, it really is so nice there, I hear it’s in the 30’s this week! x
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Glad you got home safely. We heard about it here in the States but yours is the first first-hand account I have read. Sounds traumatizing.
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Thank you, w
We were the lucky ones, so many worse off.
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Wow, Dunkirk all over again. O_O Glad you made it home though.
As far as how it’s possible with the top management; it’s the golden rules. They who have the gold make the rules. It happens all the time with companies. Bad CEO or similar officer is let go after costing the corporation billions and still receives a severance package worth tens of millions.
For those who would say communism or hard core socialism is the answer to that, it’s no different there. Every petty ante dictator and communist ruler or oligarch is obscenely rich. The difference is they have the government’s ability to use force to keep them in power and wealth.
Sooner or later, the world has to get back to the idea that morals are not an old fashioned and out-dated concept. THAT is the only way things will change for the better.
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Totally Agree!
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Welcome home. Home Sweet Home! 🙂
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You are sure right about that Jeanne!
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🙂
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I’m glad that you made it back home. It was awful that this travel company left so many stranded!
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Hope you had a wonderful trip
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Yes, we just made the best we could even though we were worried!
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God bless you
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Blessings to you also.
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😇😇
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I tagged you
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Thank you!
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😁
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nice post
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Thank you so much MAP195
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Happy to know you got back home. Unbelievable that the company executives could legally take $50 million prior to the collapse. Shame on them! 🧐 I hope their investigated.
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I do too, I believe our government are investigating it as fraud, but these people will be slippery as eels!
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I am glad you are safe dear.
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Thank you Laleh! was SO good to get home!
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I can imagine.
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Pleased you are safely back home! The greed and mismanagement of Thomas Cook Travel has reverberated around the globe
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Yes, it’s really terrible.
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Very lucky thank God you are safe and at home. Thank you for your reply on my short story the Rose garden as my blog is history and amazing cases as you well know .I thought a try at fiction for a change my not be accepted but by the many who have told me how much they love my short story I may well do more in future. I was so busy building workshop and bench and leg vise I forgot to research one I was working on.So rather than let any reader down I stuck in a quick made up tale of ghostly beginnings .
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Reblogged this on WORLD OF CREATIVITY.
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Blessings Chinedu!
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