Those who have Christmas holiday flights booked to Tenerife and elsewhere with Scottish airline FlyGlobeSpan have been advised to ‘remain at home or make alternative arrangements’ as the company was today put in the hands of administrators and is expected to go into receivership tomorrow.
For the moment the FlyGlobeSpan website is still operational but I wouldn’t be surprised if that went down tomorrow under the weight of panicked visitors who will be looking for answers when they arrive at airports only to find that their flight will never leave the ground.
I know of one family who are expecting to meet their first grandchild at the TFS airport off a FlyGlobeSpan flight just before Christmas. They will not be alone in their bitter disappointment.
According to the website, those with bookings made through Globespan Group PLC will be protected under the ATOL scheme but those who booked with Globespan Airways Ltd are not protected.
At the moment the least that can be done is to ensure that anyone affected at least has access to as much information as possible. In that light I am going to reprint verbatim all the information that is available on the FlyGlobeSpan website so that if it does go down, there is a record of the advice given. I should hope that they will not have any problem with me violating copyright seeing as how basic customer trust seems to have been first violated then thrown from the window of the last FlyGlobeSpan plane to take to the air just before the fleet was grounded forever.
Bruce Cartwright, Graham Frost and Ian Oakley-Smith at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have been appointed as joint administrators to Scottish travel firm, The Globespan Group plc and Alba Ground Handling Ltd (�the Group�) on 16 December 2009. It is likely that other Group companies including the airline which operated as Flyglobespan will be placed into administration on 17 December 2009.
The companies entered into Administration having suffered liquidity issues.
Unfortunately, the Joint Administrators have been unable to continue trading the companies and therefore all flights operated by The Globespan Group plc or Globespan Airlines Ltd have been cancelled and the aircraft grounded.
INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS
I had booked my travel and was due to fly imminently. What is the position?
All flights have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
I have booked a package holiday, what should I do now?
Any customers who have booked a Globespan package holiday with The Globespan Group plc are likely to be protected under the ATOL scheme and should visit the Civil Aviation Authority (�CAA�) ATOL website (www.atol.org.uk) for further information.
I had booked a flight, what steps should I take now?
Any customers who have booked a flight through Globespan Airways Limited operating as Flyglobespan are unlikely to be covered by the ATOL scheme.
Customers who have paid by credit card or Visa debit card should contact their card issuer in the first instance to determine whether they can claim a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and/or their insurance provider.
The Companies are unable to offer any refund to customers in respect of cancelled flights, holidays or accommodation. Any claims customers may have in connection with such circumstances should be sent to the Joint Administrators c/o Erskine House, 68-73 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 4NH.
I am currently abroad. Can I continue my holiday?
For those customers who had booked a holiday with The Globespan Group plc, you should be able to continue to stay in your hotel or villa and complete your holiday. In the majority of cases, your accommodation provider will be paid directly by the CAA so you should not incur any additional expense. In the event that you do have to incur additional expenses as a result of the Administration, please retain receipts where possible as the CAA will be able to consider claims for refunds in respect of these amounts.
How do I arrange to fly home?
The CAA will arrange a flight to bring you home. You should check the ATOL website (www.ATOL.org.uk) for more information. The CAA also have a helpline (+44 (0) 2891 856 547) for those customers in particular distress.
All passengers who booked through a travel agent should contact that agent in the first instance. If you booked through The Globespan Group plc, please contact ATOL directly.
Unfortunately, those customers who have booked flights with Globespan Airways Limited are not ATOL protected. As a result, you will not be eligible for a refund from ATOL in respect of your flight home.
Flyglobespan passengers already abroad will need to make their own arrangements to return to the UK using alternative airlines. Other airlines may make available special ‘repatriation’ fares to help Flyglobespan passengers � these are usually available, by telephone only, within a few hours of an airline going bust (but maybe not immediately) and last about two weeks. Information about alternative air services is available on the CAA website: www.atol.org.uk. There is also information about your rights on the Directgov website. In addition, the Foreign Office website can be accessed at www.fco.gov.uk Customers with travel insurance should check their policy to see whether airline insolvency cover is included. Customers of other tour operators booked with Flyglobespan flights should speak to their tour operator or their travel agent to find out whether or not they are able to travel.
Can I make my own arrangements to get back to the UK?
Those customers wishing to make their own arrangements for return travel should note that the CAA is not in a position to cover the costs of independent travel. If you do wish to make independent arrangements, please ensure you retain your receipts.
Customers should check their travel insurance policy as it may provide cover for airline or accommodation failure. The type of protection provided may vary depending on the type of policy taken out. A policy may cover all or part of the cost of the original tickets or accommodation purchased.
If you paid by credit card, you may be protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. If you paid by Visa debit card you may also have some protection. Please check with your card issuer for further advice.
[In the event that you do wish to make your own travel arrangements, the carriers detailed below may be able to assist you:
Thomas Cook � 0871 010 1806 Lufthansa � 0871 945 9747 Easyjet � 0871 244 2366 Thomson � 0871 231 4787 Ryanair � 0871 246 0000 Air France � 0871 663 3777 Who can I contact for more information?
On appointment, the administrators set up a helpline. This helpline will be available between the hours of 9am and 8.00pm, Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.30pm on Saturday and from 9am to 5.00pm on Sunday. The number to call is:
From the UK � 0871 271 9000 From Abroad � +44 141 332 3233 Press related enquiries
All press related queries concerning the Companies Administration should be redirected to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Press Office on 0207 839 4051 / 0141 355 4015.
All press enquiries concerning ATOL protection should be directed to the CAA Press Office on 0207 453 6030.
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