Thomas Cook

[Summergee]

If anyone has missed it, Cunard have put on Facebook that anyone who has a current or future cruise booked through Thomas Cook then their holiday is safe. They will be in touch with those affected.

[Aspidestra99]

It's also on the web site

 

[T5LHR]

As someone, and I am sure there are plenty on here, who work in travel/aviation, its another sad blow to the UK travel industry. And, with such a long and stable history, it is sad to see such a company like this having gone under. 

 

Very sad day for all of those effected. 

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, Summergee said:

If anyone has missed it, Cunard have put on Facebook that anyone who has a current or future cruise booked through Thomas Cook then their holiday is safe. They will be in touch with those affected.

Hopefully Thomas Cook booked (and paid) with Cunard (as well as all other providers) as soon as they received payment from travelers.  

 

There have been numerous cases in the past where an agent has held travelers’ funds for as little as a day or so prior to going under - so the airline, hotel, cruise line, or whatever has no such obligation, not having received payment.

[Host Hattie]

There may well be customers whose money is still with Thomas Cook, Travel Agents in the UK often take payment quite a few weeks ahead of time.

Fortunately it sounds as if Cunard and P&O will help affected passengers.

 

 

[Underwatr]

My US travel agent requests payment before Cunard's deadline (particularly now that US deposits become nonrefundable a month before the final payment deadline) but they provide credit card info directly to Cunard at the time I give my card info and do not otherwise handle my payment themselves.

 

But at any rate, kudos to Cunard for stepping up and alleviating travelers' concerns.

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, Underwatr said:

My US travel agent requests payment before Cunard's deadline (particularly now that US deposits become nonrefundable a month before the final payment deadline) but they provide credit card info directly to Cunard at the time I give my card info and do not otherwise handle my payment themselves.

 

But at any rate, kudos to Cunard for stepping up and alleviating travelers' concerns.

Is Cunard going to honor commitments made by Thomas Cook for which Cunard had not received any payment? 

 

If if they had received payment, it is really business as usual.

Edited September 23, 2019 by navybankerteacher

[Host Hattie]

8 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Is Cunard going to honor commitments made by Thomas Cook for which Cunard had not received any payment? 

 

If if they had received payment, it is really business as usual.

Their statement is that all cruises will be going ahead as planned, there is no qualification.

 

[navybankerteacher]

1 minute ago, Host Hattie said:

Their statement is that all cruises will be going ahead as planned, there is no qualification.

 

But for Cunard to think that a cruise was “planned” wouldn’t they mean planned with Cunard?   I have no idea of whether Cook’s ever held customers’ funds for as much as one day before paying to the line — but I find it hard to believe Cunard would want to honor deposits they never received. Of course the cruises will go ahead, but I doubt Cunard would want to assume debts of Cook.

[jagsfan]

6 hours ago, T5LHR said:

As someone, and I am sure there are plenty on here, who work in travel/aviation, its another sad blow to the UK travel industry. And, with such a long and stable history, it is sad to see such a company like this having gone under. 

 

Very sad day for all of those effected. 

Thomas Cook has always been considered the first travel agent. It’s terrible to see this happen. 

[Host Hattie]

7 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

But for Cunard to think that a cruise was “planned” wouldn’t they mean planned with Cunard?   I have no idea of whether Cook’s ever held customers’ funds for as much as one day before paying to the line — but I find it hard to believe Cunard would want to honor deposits they never received. Of course the cruises will go ahead, but I doubt Cunard would want to assume debts of Cook.

I would think anyone who has a Cunard booking reference would be able to say their cruise is "planned". I have never booked with Thomas Cook but my TA gives me a Cunard reference almost straight away. I doubt they pass my money on that quickly.

I would think Cunard will deal with ABTA

 

https://www.abta.com/

[Underwatr]

Do your credit card statements reflect a charge to the travel agent or to Cunard? Mine (in the US) only reflect that Cunard has been paid. The TA doesn't ever possess our payment.

[Host Hattie]

In the UK we pay the Travel Agent but we have a protection scheme, link posted above. 

[navybankerteacher]

41 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

I would think anyone who has a Cunard booking reference would be able to say their cruise is "planned". I have never booked with Thomas Cook but my TA gives me a Cunard reference almost straight away. I doubt they pass my money on that quickly.

I would think Cunard will deal with ABTA

 

https://www.abta.com/

Absolutely - if Cunard gives you a booking reference you are already on their books with your initial deposit.

 

I am just familiar with US practice - where sometimes the payment passes through the agent, and there might be a delay between the agent getting the deposit and the cruise line even  knowing anything about the booking.

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Absolutely - if Cunard gives you a booking reference you are already on their books with your initial deposit.

 

I am just familiar with US practice - where sometimes the payment passes through the agent, and there might be a delay between the agent getting the deposit and the cruise line even  knowing anything about the booking.

That can happen in the UK it varies with differing TAs and what company policy they have with regards to balances of cruises but when you initially book your cruise and pay a deposit the cruise line are informed of the booking straight away but how soon they get paid the deposit is another matter.

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 9/23/2019 at 3:08 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Absolutely - if Cunard gives you a booking reference you are already on their books with your initial deposit.

 

I am just familiar with US practice - where sometimes the payment passes through the agent, and there might be a delay between the agent getting the deposit and the cruise line even  knowing anything about the booking.

 

I wouldn't use an agency that does this. When I make a booking, I get a receipt from the TA with a booking number and my credit card is charged right away, with the charge showing Cunard not the agency, as underwatr said above.

 

There have been some cases of US travel agencies going out of business without having sent several weeks worth of payments to cruiselines and airlines. Lots of people lost money unless they had insurance. 

Edited September 25, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 9/23/2019 at 2:21 PM, jagsfan said:

Thomas Cook has always been considered the first travel agent. It’s terrible to see this happen. 

 

I agree. They pretty much invented tourism.

[jagsfan]

8 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I agree. They pretty much invented tourism.

 

8 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I agree. They pretty much invented tourism.

Yeah, Thomas Cook  himself set up the first escorted tour!

[bluemarble]

As an American, my experience with Thomas Cook was using the "Thomas Cook European Timetable". That was my indispensable guide for making the best use of Eurail passes to travel Europe by train during the '90s. I suppose it was a sign of the times when that ceased being a Thomas Cook publication a few years ago.