Holidaymaker left devastated after dream retirement trip is cancelled when All Leisure Holidays goes bust
Up to 13,000 customers have been affected by the company ceasing trading
A DISAPPOINTED traveller had her dream retirement cruise cancelled after All Leisure Holidays Ltd went bust.
Lynda Clapham had already packed her suitcase and treated herself to a manicure and pedicure when she was dealt the devastating blow that her luxury £3,000 Malaysia cruise was axed.
The 62-year-old was due to fly out yesterday to join the Voyages of Discovery cruise in Kuala Lumpur for a two-and-a-half week trip around the Far East.
But the company called on Friday to say the trip was off because of "operational reasons".
She is now fuming after discovering the real reason the trip was cancelled was because All Leisure Holidays Ltd has gone bust.
The Civil Aviation Authority has been forced to step in to support up to 13,000 holidaymakers who were booked to travel with the company, as well as 400 others currently stranded abroad.
The 7,000 trips booked with All Leisure Holidays - including cruise providers Voyages of Discovery and Swan Hellenic - will now be cancelled.
Lynda, who worked as a NHS records administrator for 21 years, said: "This was meant to be my dream trip after retirement but now it's been cancelled.
"I'm so disappointed.
"I've been working for the last 21 years and was looking forward to a break.
"The whole situation has been a massive shock. I'd done all my preparations for holiday including getting a mani/pedi and packing my suitcase.
"I was in the holiday mindset so to suddenly be told four days before I was due to fly that the trip is off has messed with my head.
"At first when they phoned I thought someone was playing a joke on me and it was just a wind-up. I can't believe this has happened."
The company is ATOL protected so the 13,000 customers booked on trips will be able to claim a full refund.
Around 400 customers are currently overseas, but the CAA says they will be able to use their scheduled airline tickets included as part of their booking to return to the UK.
They have also reassured customers they will work to get refunds as quickly as possible.
But Lynda, who lives in Leeds, West Yorks, now fears she will have to wait for her retirement trip as she can't afford to book another holiday until she gets her refund.
She said: "I just want my money back as soon as possible now.
"I spent £3,000 on the trip so it would be an awful lot of money to lose.
"The thing that worries me is the lack of information that has been given. This can't have just happened - they must have had some inclination beforehand.
"The company has not been open honest.
"I booked the trip thinking it was a wonderful way to escape from a dismal January in the UK and start my retirement but it's been ruined now."
Around 500 passengers - including Lynda - have been left high and dry after Voyages of Discovery cancelled the New Year trip from Malaysia.
Swan Hellenic did the same for a cruise due to leave on January 3, citing "operational reasons" for the cancellation.
Have you had a booking cancelled or are you currently abroad on one of their trips? Call Sun Online on 0207 782 4383 or email [email protected]
Andy Cohen, Head of ATOL at the CAA, said: “We understand this will be concerning news for anyone who has booked to travel with the company. However, the ATOL scheme exists for exactly this kind of situation and we are making immediate arrangements so all ATOL protected customers can claim full refunds as quickly as possible.
“We are also arranging for people currently overseas to get back home to the UK at no extra cost – meaning no-one will be left stranded abroad.
“So while this situation is very disappointing for the customers affected, it is also a timely reminder of the importance of remembering to check for ATOL protection when booking holidays.
"By making sure you receive an ATOL certificate when you book, you have peace of mind you will not lose your money or have to make your own way home – even if your travel company stops trading.”
related stories
Cruise passengers who booked their trips through Voyages of Discovery and Swan Hellenic with a flight should be ATOL protected.
A dedicated helpline, 0808 164 8810, has been set up.
Those who booked without a flight are financially protected by travel association ABTA.
A spokesman for ABTA said 13,000 passengers booked on Minerva or Voyager cruises will now have their bookings cancelled.
They added: "Approximately a third of the future bookings are UK departing cruises that are financially protected by ABTA. Customers who booked a flight and cruise package will be protected under the CAA ATOL scheme.
"All customers should check on the or websites to obtain the relevant claim form and advice on how to obtain a refund of the money they have paid for their cruise.
"If customers have booked through a travel agent, they should contact the agent in the first instance for assistance with their claim and help in possible rebooking. There are a small number of customers currently overseas who will be repatriated."
All Leisure chairman Roger Allard has apologised to holidaymakers, but blamed a ";perfect storm" of political events for the closure.
Speaking to , he said: "“I am personally very sad and I apologise to everyone affected, but you can’t keep putting more and more money into a bottomless hole when it’s not working and you can’t control things that are thwarting your efforts.”
He continued: "Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery dealt in cruises for more mature guests to cultural and iconic destinations like the eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and the Black Sea where there are lots of sights.
“But increasingly over the last few years, since the Arab Spring, it has been increasingly difficult to operate to these areas, either because of Foreign Office advice or a dampening of demand from consumers to travel to certain areas where we specialised."
Page and Moy Travel Group Holidays, which trades as Just You and Travelsphere, has also ceased trading, but its bookings have been switched to G Adventures (UK) Ltd and will go ahead.
All Leisure offloaded a number of its brands recently.
The company's other cruise brand, Hebridean Island Cruises, was sold to a consortium of trade buyers before Christmas.
Other assets including tour operator Discover Egypt and Hebridean’s cruise ship Hebridean Princess - which had a Royal Warrant after twice being chartered by The Queen - were sold in late 2015 and during 2016.
What to do if you're holiday plans are affected
If you are currently abroad or have a holiday booked with the company, the CAA has issued the following advice:
- Head to the ATOL website where a refund claim form will be available shortly
- A dedicated helpline has also been set up - 0808 164 8810
- Customers who paid for their trip using a credit card are advised to contact their card provider to arrange a refund
Mr Allard, who believes up to 30 jobs in the UK will be lost, said: "It was difficult, but you hope things will get better. But then Brexit happened. The impact of that was on currency which was another blow. It was the exchange rate that became the issue for us."
The closure comes after Lowcostholidays went bust last July causing misery for hundreds of thousands of British travellers because it wasn't ATOL protected.
Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368