Any dibbers actually in Orlando now who came with TC

[Starky]

Well I’m completely confused? I have this from the caa page
“This repatriation programme will only be operating for the next two weeks (up to and including Sunday 6 October). After this date you will have to make your own travel arrangements. If you are ATOL protected you will be reimbursed for the cost of your new flight”
And I have this,
“If you are currently abroad and due to return to the UK on or after 7 October 2019 and your holiday is ATOL protected with Thomas Cook, we will be making individual arrangements for you to return to the UK with existing flights on other airlines. Details of this will be sent directly to these customers”

Am I being stupid? What advice should I be using? I can get virgin flights home £6000 for the four of us ( which is funny as 3 weeks in Coronado springs cost me £7800! ) but don’t want to buy them if they are getting me a flight home.
On a happier note, I did get to fly the Millenium Falcon today.

[Miss_Shell]

Originally Posted by Starky

Well I’m completely confused? I have this from the caa page
“This repatriation programme will only be operating for the next two weeks (up to and including Sunday 6 October). After this date you will have to make your own travel arrangements. If you are ATOL protected you will be reimbursed for the cost of your new flight”
And I have this,
“If you are currently abroad and due to return to the UK on or after 7 October 2019 and your holiday is ATOL protected with Thomas Cook, we will be making individual arrangements for you to return to the UK with existing flights on other airlines. Details of this will be sent directly to these customers”

Am I being stupid? What advice should I be using? I can get virgin flights home £6000 for the four of us ( which is funny as 3 weeks in Coronado springs cost me £7800! ) but don’t want to buy them if they are getting me a flight home.
On a happier note, I did get to fly the Millenium Falcon today.

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Where were you provided with the second piece of information? Only because we leave after the 6th and have coughed up money for alternative flights home

[Tiggernut]

We were due home tonight but there was a problem with the plane and are due to fly home tomorrow morning at 9am. The CAA staff have arranged for everyone to stay at the Hyatt Regency at the airport with a $25 each food voucher. We're flight only passengers too so not just the ATOL passengers.

[chelsie15]

We are due to fly home on the 6th to Manchester. We are flight only so hoping we get a flight back. Have filled in the CAA form & checking daily to see how other flights are getting on. Good luck everyone for getting home on time x

[Libby29]

After a long day ( up for 32 hours) we eventually got home. We got to MCO and there's was no one at the TC desk. We are told to go online and check out the details from a member of staf. Most folk had already done this. They sent the Manchester passengers to the virgin desk saying they would be flying with them. We were to stay put if flying to glasgow. I got interviewed by fox news, as there was Camera crew everywhere wanting a dramatic scoop! Then the British consulate staff turn up. Saying that we will be sent home on a flight by ATLAS air. We all go through to the gate. After a 6 hour wait, due to the fact the baggage handler was stretchered off the flight after taking down an internal wall on the flight, we had to then wait to see if the flight was safe to fly. Then they discover the airplane from ATLAS is only half the size. So they stop about 40 passengers from checking in. Then at the gate they are slowly shouting out random names telling folk they won't be flying tonight, and they have to offload their luggage , it was random as it wasn't just couples or single folk, it was whole families. Crying. Folk are starting to panic and all queuing to ask what was happening so the cops were called.

Once we eventually, get to board, then the fun begins... They have discovered that they have miscalculated the passengers and one family, is one seat short.
The infants have to travel on parents knees as there are not enough seats. One family decide their infant is 2.5 and as they paid for her seat then the child deserves the seat. However what they don't realise is that if they wait and argue much longer the flight staff will be past their flight hours and we will all be off loaded.
This continues for 35 minutes! Passengers getting weary. So one lady stands up and says.. I have only hand luggage I will not hold up the whole plane so he can have my seat. Then the whole plane clap for her as that was some gesture to make!
Theres a guy that's bought two seats as he's got a medical condition but the were trying to make him have one seat. ( poor guy!) he'd paid for two seats for a reason. Then the engineers were aboard trying to sort something with a laptop. They're both ended up flying to Glasgow with us. Trying to sort the IFE which was the old style in the ceiling type. It was like faulty towers. There was no bar and no duty free, ( which I didn't care for but I think a few stressed passengers needed a proper drink). On landing in Glasgow, the luggage took another 55 mins to arrive, then it was only half off it. The ground staff were not doing anything whilst folk with tired kids , elderly, etc were beyond consoling. They decided to make. A phone call to see what the hold up was. It turns out the luggage had been on two parts of the flight and they only offloaded one lot. It was a shambles. Then Glasgow press we're waiting with cameras for their scoop. It was complete madness. We also saw all the Thomas Cook planes sitting there that have been impounded, it's a sad sight.
I think there may have been more to it though, because the Manchester flight that boarded the virgin plane were sat on the runways for 3 hours and it was only when we were told we were going to fly did they take off, so perhaps there was a money issue as well. There was no reason for the virgin flight not to have left the terminal.
P.s I was flight only too.

[chelsie15]

What a nightmare. Glad you finally made it back. X

[Libby29]

Thanks, I'm SO glad to be home. There was no vouchers handed out either and some folk had no money for food. ( fortunately I was ok, but I was offering to buy folk water etc).

[tinkerbell59a]

QUOTE=Libby29;14093058]After a long day ( up for 32 hours) we eventually got home. We got to MCO and there's was no one at the TC desk. We are told to go online and check out the details from a member of staf. Most folk had already done this. They sent the Manchester passengers to the virgin desk saying they would be flying with them. We were to stay put if flying to glasgow. I got interviewed by fox news, as there was Camera crew everywhere wanting a dramatic scoop! Then the British consulate staff turn up. Saying that we will be sent home on a flight by ATLAS air. We all go through to the gate. After a 6 hour wait, due to the fact the baggage handler was stretchered off the flight after taking down an internal wall on the flight, we had to then wait to see if the flight was safe to fly. Then they discover the airplane from ATLAS is only half the size. So they stop about 40 passengers from checking in. Then at the gate they are slowly shouting out random names telling folk they won't be flying tonight, and they have to offload their luggage , it was random as it wasn't just couples or single folk, it was whole families. Crying. Folk are starting to panic and all queuing to ask what was happening so the cops were called.

Once we eventually, get to board, then the fun begins... They have discovered that they have miscalculated the passengers and one family, is one seat short.
The infants have to travel on parents knees as there are not enough seats. One family decide their infant is 2.5 and as they paid for her seat then the child deserves the seat. However what they don't realise is that if they wait and argue much longer the flight staff will be past their flight hours and we will all be off loaded.
This continues for 35 minutes! Passengers getting weary. So one lady stands up and says.. I have only hand luggage I will not hold up the whole plane so he can have my seat. Then the whole plane clap for her as that was some gesture to make!
Theres a guy that's bought two seats as he's got a medical condition but the were trying to make him have one seat. ( poor guy!) he'd paid for two seats for a reason. Then the engineers were aboard trying to sort something with a laptop. They're both ended up flying to Glasgow with us. Trying to sort the IFE which was the old style in the ceiling type. It was like faulty towers. There was no bar and no duty free, ( which I didn't care for but I think a few stressed passengers needed a proper drink). On landing in Glasgow, the luggage took another 55 mins to arrive, then it was only half off it. The ground staff were not doing anything whilst folk with tired kids , elderly, etc were beyond consoling. They decided to make. A phone call to see what the hold up was. It turns out the luggage had been on two parts of the flight and they only offloaded one lot. It was a shambles. Then Glasgow press we're waiting with cameras for their scoop. It was complete madness. We also saw all the Thomas Cook planes sitting there that have been impounded, it's a sad sight.
I think there may have been more to it though, because the Manchester flight that boarded the virgin plane were sat on the runways for 3 hours and it was only when we were told we were going to fly did they take off, so perhaps there was a money issue as well. There was no reason for the virgin flight not to have left the terminal.
P.s I was flight only too. [/QUOTE]
Blimey sounds like a nightmare. Glad you are now home safe and sound.

[anj]

Originally Posted by Tiggernut

We were due home tonight but there was a problem with the plane and are due to fly home tomorrow morning at 9am. The CAA staff have arranged for everyone to stay at the Hyatt Regency at the airport with a $25 each food voucher. We're flight only passengers too so not just the ATOL passengers.

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That’s good to know. We are flying out tomorrow and I think our plane is the atlas air too. So if it’s the one you are heading home on at 9am I think we can assume our flights will be delayed as well.

We are flight only too so glad to hear they still sorted you out for the night.

Good luck for tomorrow

[Quensabob]

We are here too,fly back home on the 3rd was flight only and have booked new flights home with Norweigan,I have contacted our insurance and now have to wait around a month for an answer!