XL information for affected customers

[Dawn]

Businesses affected

Travel City Direct - ATOL Protected
Excel Holidays - ATOL Protected
XL Airways UK Limited - Not ATOL Protected
Excel Aviation Limited - Not ATOL Protected
Explorer House Limited
Aspire Holidays Limited - ATOL Protected
Freedom Flights Limited - ATOL Protected
The Really Great Holiday Company plc - ATOL Protected
Medlife Hotels Limited - Not ATOL Protected
Travel City Flights Limited
Kosmar Villa Holidays plc

These companies are all in Administration, therefore no longer in business

Package deals are covered by the CAA's Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) scheme and those customers will be offered repatriation flights or their money back if they have an advance booking.

Atol does not extend to flights booked with XL but passengers can, for a small fee, return home on a CAA flight.

Those with future flights to check their insurance policies, and with their banks or credit card companies about refunds.




More info will be added as it becomes available.

[Dawn]

From the BBC

Holiday makers abroad

People on package holidays abroad who booked through the XL group's UK businesses, including those who booked a flight with its Freedom Flights operation, will be flown home at no extra cost by the CAA once it has made the arrangements.

If you booked a package tour or flight with another tour company which had planned to use an XL flight then that operator will also make alternative arrangements for you.

Get in contact with them directly.

Your holiday should not be cut short if you are abroad.

The CAA says it will make sure that hotels and staff in resorts will be paid so that holiday-makers abroad can continue to enjoy themselves as normal.

About 10,000 people who bought flight tickets on an XL plane either through the website www.xl.com or through a travel agent and are currently abroad are not formally covered by the ATOL scheme.

But the CAA says it will arrange to bring you home anyway, though you will be charged the cost price of the flight.

If you do not like that idea, you can make your own arrangements, at your own cost.

Those yet to fly abroad

Do not go to the airport. Your holiday has been cancelled.

If you booked an XL holiday, or a flight with Freedom Flights, you will get your money back by claiming a refund from ATOL. Your travel agent should help you do this.

Those who had advance bookings for flights only with XL Airways will not get compensation from ATOL.

Credit and debit cards

If your flight is not covered by the ATOL arrangements you are advised to try to get your money back by contacting your credit card company (if you paid by credit card).

Under the law, if you spent £100 or more on your tickets you can claim a full refund from the credit card company - Visa or Mastercard.

If you paid by a Visa debit card then your bank may be willing to try to get your money back from XL's bank.

But it is not clear that this can happen in this case, even if your own bank is happy to have a go.

XL is now in administration and any money still in its bank accounts is under the jurisdiction of the administrators.

You might also look at the fine print of your holiday or travel insurance. But many policies do not cover an airline going bust.

[Dawn]

Overall, anyone who has lost money, or incurred extra expenditure as a result of XL going bust has become a creditor of the firm.

You should contact the administrators, Kroll Ltd, but in reality you are unlikely to get much money back, if any.

[Dawn]

Further advice is avaliable from the companies Administrators, Kroll.

From UK 0800 068 6991
Abroad +44 (0) 208 242 4783

Emergency call centre from 6am onwards:
Calls from within UK: 0870 5900 927
Calls from abroad: 02891 85 6547