Costs build for Britons stranded overseas by XL collapse

Thousands of XL Leisure Group customers who booked their holidays with the collapsed tour operator were frantically trying to find alternative ways home on Sunday when it became clear that many of them would face high air fares, and additional nights in hotels due to delays of up to a week to return to the UK.

When XL Leisure went into administration early last Friday, 85,000 of the company’s customers found themselves stranded overseas.

Some of the first of the stranded customers arrived back in the UK on Sunday, but around 10,000 others are still waiting for replacement flights. Many of those still waiting are travellers who booked their flights either directly with the airline or through the travel company’s website, xl.com, meaning that they are not covered by ATOL, the plan that protects holidaymakers who book through participating travel agents.

“We are facing a huge task to find replacement planes,” said an ATOL spokesperson. “People who booked flights only will have to arrange their own flights, or wait for spare tickets on the replacement flights at cost price.”

Travellers waiting on Sunday at Dalaman Airport in Turkey for replacement flights, found themselves either in a group holding Freedom Flight tickets, which were issued as part of an entire package holiday by XL, or in a group holding identical tickets, but issued by XL direct.

Freedom Flight ticket-holders waited in an airport lounge where they were provided transportation to free overnight accommodation and then seats on an alternative flight back to the UK. Travellers who had booked their flights with XL direct found that they were on their own.

www.xl.com