p7 sep19 17/9/08 22:49 Page 7
ttglive.com
xl collapse news
Hulme: Why I
Repatriation
de-racked XL
18 months ago
Trade’s role in ‘Dynamo’
ONE travel agent has revealed she was so THE COLLAPSE of XL Leisure Group in the early totalling 64, still to be flown home from Sharm
concerned about XL Leisure Group that she hours of last Friday morning prompted a el Sheikh.
de-racked its brochures and stopped dynamic massive effort from the trade to help stranded “Everyone has really pulled together to make
packaging 18 months ago. passengers abroad and rebook customers. this thing work. I do not think we could have
Kristina Hulme, owner of Alderley Edge-based Preparations for the repatriation, dubbed done any better,” said Allard.
Travel by Design, said: “I had heard some time Operation Dynamo, started two days earlier In resorts, reps from the major operators were
ago XL was having difficulties so removed them when All Leisure Group chairman Roger Allard, a diverted from their usual jobs to help XL
from our shelves. veteran of the 1990 collapse of ILG – the last customers find new accommodation and flights.
“For the last 18 months we have tried to avoid operator failure of this magnitude – was called Back in the UK, independent agents worked
dynamic packaging wherever possible.” to assist the CAA. tirelessly throughout the weekend.
Hulme said she felt agents could benefit from Over the following days, representatives Travel Counsellors and The Co-operative Group
the XL fallout. from Thomas Cook, Tui Travel and Virgin were among the firms which thanked staff for
“I think this is an opportunity for agents. I will Holidays have spent long hours at the CAA’s head their efforts, while Advantage outlets displayed
be putting up posters to reassure customers that offices trying to find flights, coaches and even banners touting the protection its stores offer.
they can book with confidence and know they will ferries for stranded XL customers. Hays Travel boss John Hays said: “Many staff
be protected,” she said. The backlog was just about cleared by did extra hours so that by Sunday lunchtime we
Tuesday with the largest group of customers, had made contact with all 10,000 customers.”
Allbury’s Argo
and Libra ‘not
hit by XL failure’
ALLBURY Travel Group has assured customers
and agents that the collapse of XL Leisure Group
will not affect its own operations.
XL was a minority shareholder in Allbury,
owner of Libra Holidays and Argo Holidays, which
also used XL Airways aircraft for some of its
flights.
Allbury issued a statement saying XL’s collapse
had “no direct effect on our continuing
operations” and much of its flying was with
other airlines such as
Jet2.com, Monarch,
Eurocypria and Thomas Cook.
Chief executive Eamonn Ferrin said: “A large
part of our flying programme is sourced with
airlines other than XL Airways and these
passengers remain unaffected.”
Ferrin said customers booked with Allbury had
three options: to let Allbury find
an alternative flight for the
same holiday; to accept an
alternative holiday from
Allbury; or to cancel
with a full refund.
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