Stranded XL holidaymakers begin to arrive home in UK

Some of the 85,000 holidaymakers stranded overseas following the collapse of Britain’s third largest tour operator are trickling home today.

Thousands more are stuck at UK airports after the XL Leisure Group went into administration in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) vowed to repatriate those affected while airlines and travel agents also pledged to do everything they can to get people home.

The Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Atol) scheme, which checks tour operators and travel organisers, said “repatriation aircraft” were being scrambled.

British holidaymaker David Halligan landed at Manchester Airport this morning having spent £880 (€1,113) on new flights after he and his family were stranded in Florida.

The 50-year-old engineer from Bradford spent £2,000 (€2,530) on a two-week XL villa holiday in the Sunshine State for his family of four.

Mr Halligan found out about the firm’s collapse yesterday from friends in the UK.

He said: “We were rung early morning by friends saying XL had gone under so we proceeded to get ourselves sorted out.

“We got on the internet. We were lucky to be in a villa with internet access.”

He said he used contacts and took advantage of a friend’s frequent flyer status to get cheaper-than-normal Virgin flights.

Their XL flight was from Orlando Sanford International Airport but they had to travel 34 miles to Orlando International Airport to pick up their Virgin Atlantic flight.

Mr Halligan said: “All the people that went to Sanford won’t have known they’ve gone under.

“XL have gone under but they’ve got a French and German arm that’s not been affected, why weren’t they used to bring people home?”

Atol said stranded XL passengers will be returning to the UK today, both on specially chartered flights and on already scheduled flights that have spare seats on board.

Virgin Atlantic are offering stranded XL passengers stuck at airports in Florida and the Caribbean special one-way fares to fly home until the end of September.

Peter Long, chief executive of Thomson and First Choice owner TUI Travel, said the two firms would also joining the effort to help stranded passengers.

Phil Wyatt, chief executive of XL Leisure Group, described arranging flights to accommodate those affected as “the most challenging airlift that anyone has undertaken”.

In an emotional statement yesterday, Mr Wyatt said he was “devastated” at the company’s collapse and apologised to his customers and employees.

Speaking at a press conference at the Hilton Hotel at Gatwick Airport, XL’s chief executive said: “Ultimately I blame myself, I’m the CEO, I take legal responsibility for it.”

But he added that the withdrawal of support from lenders had left them with no option than to call in administrators.

Mr Wyatt said: “We have made every effort to refinance the principal debt of the group but, despite significant interest, the group was unsuccessful.

“More recently, record oil prices and a worsening economic environment has meant our economic requirements have increased and our efforts have been overwhelmed.”

He expressed his “gratitude” to XL’s 1,700 staff, who will now face an uncertain future.

The high-profile collapse prompted a prediction by British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh that another 30 airlines would go out of business within the next four months.

Administrators now have an uphill battle to save the profitable part of the firm.

Stuart Mackellar, a partner at Kroll appointed as joint administrator, said: “We are not thinking about liquidation at the moment. We are thinking about a rescue plan for the survival of parts of the business.”

Mr Mackellar added: “Liquidation is well down the line.”

XL’s administrators said most people who booked holidays with the troubled tour operator should be eligible for a refund.

Those who paid by credit card or used a tour operator affiliated to the Atol scheme should get their money back.

In some cases travel insurance and payment by Visa debit card also offers protection.

But people who booked a flight directly with XL Airways and paid with another kind of debit card will not be protected – and will have to pay again to get a flight home.

They can make a claim for their expenses through Kroll, but there is no guarantee this will be successful.