Thousands of Britons stranded in Canada due to Zoom bankruptcy

Nearly 4,500 Britons are believed to be stranded in Canada, after discount carrier Zoom Airlines declared bankruptcy yesterday. Zoom was forced to permanently cancel all of its flights, after creditors and airport operators started repossessing its airplanes, due to the Canadian company’s massive debt. According to media reports, Zoom Airlines owes a long list of creditors $121.9 million. Due to this staggering outstanding balance and the potentially irreparable damage that the Zoom brand suffered yesterday after stranding its passengers and not refunding reservations, most analysts believe that there is very little chance that the carrier will ever take to the skies again.
Hugh Boyle, one of Zoom’s founders, told reporters of the Toronto Star that it was “possible, but unlikely” that the carrier would be able to resurrect its business. Yet Boyle did mention that he was in the process of negotiating with another carrier, but the discount company’s founder did not elaborate on the details of those discussions and what he hoped to achieve.
Meanwhile, 4,500 British citizens remain stranded at Canadian airports due to the bankruptcy. Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority also estimated that around 60,000 UK residents probably have Zoom reservations for future flights. In all of these cases, it will be up to the passenger to try to obtain a refund. The carrier is not offering any assistance in this, but is instead advising all passengers to contact their credit card issuer as soon as possible.
www.flyzoom.com
Thank you to Chris Sorensen of the Toronto Star for the initial report.