Stranded Thomas Cook holidaymaker dies at Reus airport while waiting for UK return flight

Distraught tourists report being thrown out of their hotel rooms in the Canaries and on the Costas

In the wake of the collapse of global travel group Thomas Cook, which was confirmed on Monday leaving debts of more than 200 million euros to companies in Spain, the Spanish government is working to avoid the disappearance of subsidiary companies in this country, particularly Condor and Thomas Cook Escandinavia, according to Reyes Maroto, the caretaker Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism.

In the meantime, though, the nervousness among Spanish hotels which have relied on Thomas Cook for all or most of their revenue is leading to disturbing reports of tourists being thrown out of their hotel rooms in some of the Costas. The UK media have received complaints from tourists who claim to have been presented with bills for the amounts owed by Thomas Cook relating to their stays and ordered to “pay up or get out”, with these reports emanating from a variety of destinations – the Costa Cálida is unaffected, since the Region of Murcia was not a Thomas Cook destination.

This has prompted a reminder to tourists that if they are on a package holiday they are covered by the Atol insurance scheme, which will pay for their accommodation abroad, although they may have to move to a different hotel or apartment. Atol will also pay to have them taken home if the airline is no longer operating, and if they have a holiday booked in the future they will be refunded by the scheme.

The British government’s repatriation plans include 1,000 flights in 55 countries between now and 6^th October, but one woman died at the airport of Reus in southern Catalunya on Tuesday while waiting for her return flight to the UK. It is reported that the 67-year-old began to feel unwell while travelling to the airport and then suffered a cardiac arrest: she was treated by a German nurse while the medics reached the scene but their attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.

During the day flights left Reus carrying holidaymakers back to the UK airports of Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow.

The Civil Aviation Authority estimates that 30,000 tourists have found themselves stranded in Spain, but the Spanish authorities place the figure at over 53,000 including 35,000 in the Canaries, 13,000 in the Balearics, 5,000 in Catalunya and numerous more in Andalucía and the Comunidad Valenciana.

Image: Grobuonis (Wikicommons)

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