Thomas Cook’s collapse makes ordinary holiday makers out of pocket and anxious – all because of corporate greed

We will all have to pay for the travel company’s incompetent manager as Atol refuses to meet the full £500m cost of reimbursing stranded travellers

Let’s not forget the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people stranded by the Thomas Cook debacle.

They might have slipped down the news agenda, but many are still waiting for return flights – even having to dig into their own pockets to pay for accommodation and food, and will have to wait to be reimbursed when they return.

The fallout has spread to customers with Tui and First Choice, tour operators forced to cancel holidays which were scheduled to use Thomas Cook aircraft. These travellers are ordinary working people and their holiday bookings represent a huge slice of their annual income. They are not the frequent fliers the eco-activists want to tax.

Worse, it’s now emerged that taxpayers may have to contribute towards the £500m bill caused by the debacle because the Atol insurance scheme will not cover the cost of reimbursing future bookings as well as paying overseas hotels and flying home stranded customers.

The situation has placed those involved under a huge amount of stress; one woman has reportedly died after suffering a heart attack when trying to get to her nearest airport in Spain, and all this anxiety caused by nothing other than corporate greed and mismanagement.

The government might say everyone can complete their holidays, but what about anxious cardholders who are being forced to cough up for day-to-day expenses and wait for refunds? The bosses of Thomas Cook shouldn’t just face a government inquiry, their bonuses need to be repaid, even if that means legal action.

This summer holidaymakers have faced strikes by pilots and airport workers; this is becoming an industry in which the customer comes last, especially if they are on a budget airline or booked a package deal holiday.