The Monarch Airlines chief executive sent an upbeat email telling staff to ‘have a good week!’ just seven days before it went bust, MailOnline can reveal.
Andrew Swaffield told staff to and ignore speculation over airline’s future as it nosedived towards administration.
But just a week later Monarch collapsed leaving them all without jobs and 110,000 passengers stranded abroad.
In his email, airline boss Swaffield said: ‘Michael O’Leary’s recent press statement that Monarch would not survive the winter has caused much consternation, not least amongst our employees judging by the number of you that have written to me about it.
‘He is clearly trying to manage a crisis of his own making with his pilot shortage and his aggressive attack is irresponsible and unhelpful. Again, my advice is to ignore him.
‘I realise that speculation and rumour is stressful for you. I cannot stop stories appearing in the media, but I will try to keep you up to date as much as I can. These are challenging times, but the best way you can help is – as always – to continue to look after our customers day in day out, to do your job to the best of your abilities and do not believe everything you read in the press.’
He signed off with: ‘Have a good week everyone wherever you are based.’
Meanwhile MailOnline can reveal Swaffield splashed out tens of thousands of pounds a year on a private polo team while the business collapsed.
The aviation chief plays for his hugely successful Alcedo team which was in action just weeks before Monarch went bust.
Experts believe the 50-year-old spends at least £60,000 per season on top flight players and horses. His best player, James Harper, 37, a household name in the polo world, is said to command fees of about £3,000 per game.
Unlike Monarch, Alcedo enjoyed an ‘outstanding season’ this year, according to the prestigious Cowdray Park Polo Club, the ‘home of polo’ where Princes Charles, William and Harry have also played.
Polo player: Andrew Swaffield taught himself to play polo and now runs the hugely successful Alcedo team, which won at least two trophies this summer
Chukkas away: Andrew Swaffield joined Monarch to help rescue its ailing fortunes but has been unable to save the firm from collapse
Top team: Despite the troubles at Monarch, Andrew Swaffield stormed to victory on the Polo field this summer, winning at least two trophies with his Alcedo team
Reflecting the investment into the team, Mr Swaffield’s Alcedo won the prestigious Benson Cup at Cowdray Park in July.
The Monarch boss has previously told how he is ‘consumed’ by polo after teaching himself the sport later in life.
The youngest of four siblings growing up on a council estate in Bournemouth, Swaffield developed an early interest in horses. ‘I was always interested in horses but we couldn’t afford it,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘So I got a book about them instead.’
As he rose within the aviation industry, his wealth grew and allowed him to realise his childhood dream in style.
‘That’s been my passion and that consumes me now at weekends,’ he said.
He is thought to own four horses, each of which is estimated to cost between £15,000 and £30,000. A polo associate compared his horses to ‘the equivalent of a fleet of BMW Three Series’.
‘The more money you spend, the better the team performs,’ a source said.
‘He plays at the top end of the sport, using the best horses, the best players and the best fields,’ they added.
Winners: Andrew Swaffield and his Alcedo side of Angus Rowan Hamilton, Nick Clague and James Harper enjoyed an ‘outstanding’ season this summer. Pictured: The winning team with Andrew’s mother
Driven: Andrew Swaffield, who was brought in to help rescue Monarch, describes himself as ‘passionate’ about polo and said it consumes him at weekends
‘It’s a level at which only the wealthiest people can compete. It must cost him at least £60,000 a season, probably several times that sum.’
Alcedo played competitively as recently as 2nd September, in the semi-finals of the 2017 Six-Goal West Sussex Cup. A report of the team’s victory in the Benson Cup in July concluded: ‘Another Sunday and another trophy for a delighted Andrew Swaffield.’
In 2015, Swaffield was listed on the Financial Times / OUTstanding list of the most powerful LGBT executives in the world.
Today, at his smart £600,000 bungalow in West Sussex, his partner William Low said: ‘I’m afraid he’s not here. He’s busy.’
Asked whether he was dealing with the fall-out from the airline going into administration Low said: ‘He’s not going to be here all day or this evening.’
The house, which the Monarch boss shares with his partner, has also recently been sold and has a ‘Sale Agreed’ at its entrance. There was also a blue Mercedes car parked on the drive.
A neighbour said: ‘I should imagine Andrew is going to be very, very busy. We didn’t see him all weekend so I presume he was in negotiations and talks with the Civil Aviation Authority.
‘It’s shame, but Andrew is a really nice guy. I’m pretty sure he tried everything to save the company.’
Two Monarch staff sob at its Luton headquarters as more than 2,100 people lost their jobs today
Builder Alan Jee, 42, from Bournemouth, has been saving ‘for years’ to pay for his £15,000 ‘love island’ wedding with sweetheart Donna Smith, 40, and they were flying to Gran Canaria from Gatwick with 30 loved-ones today (pictured)
Today Monarch bosses were accused of ‘picking the pockets of customers’ because they launched a new sale on Friday despite being on the brink of collapse.
The company’s board knew it was going bust on Saturday night but allowed new bookings until minutes before the company collapsed at 3am this morning.
More than 110,000 Monarch customers were left stranded abroad today, with many flights axed just five minutes before boarding.
Thirty-four planes have been chartered to bring passengers back to the UK over the next two weeks in the country’s biggest-ever peacetime repatriation of citizens.
The collapse — the largest to ever hit a UK airline — happened at 3am when all planes were on the ground and could be seized.
It caused chaos as travellers arrived at airports across Britain and Europe this morning to be told by text message that their flights were cancelled. No staff were on hand to speak to distressed customers.
More than 2,100 Monarch workers also lost their jobs but were not told in advance of the announcement, leaving many in tears at its Luton headquarters today as they cleared their desks.
The Civil Aviation Authority, which is in charge of getting stranded customers home, admitted it knew the airline was in trouble early last month.
Grounded Monarch airplanes sit on the tarmac at Luton airport today as they were taken by administrators
An empty check-in desk for Monarch Airlines at Gatwick Airport today as the airline ceased trading at 3am
Chief Executive Andrew Haines said: ‘We had notification from Monarch four and a half weeks ago that there were issues they were dealing with.
‘Unfortunately we didn’t get final confirmation until 4am this morning and my understanding is that the board resolution to go into administration didn’t take place until close to midnight on Saturday night’.
In a letter to staff which he described as ‘the update I hoped I would never have to write’, polo enthusiast Swaffield explained that the firm had failed ‘despite our best efforts’.
Monarch had attempted to ‘pivot our airline from short-haul to long-haul to reduce losses’, he said, but it was unable to find a ‘deliverable offer’ from a buyer for its short-haul services.
Apologising for the ‘huge inconvenience to customers’, Swaffield wrote: ‘We are working with the joint administrators and the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) to do everything we possibly can to help minimise disruption where we can, but are under no illusion as to the problems this will cause.
‘And many suppliers will suffer hugely as a result of our insolvency — for which I am equally sorry.’
Employees, he said, could ‘all hold your heads up high and be proud of what you achieved at Monarch’, adding: ‘I cannot tell you how much I wanted to avoid this outcome and how truly sorry I am.’
A group of passengers at Gatwick today after arriving to learn that their flight would not take off
Apology: Monarch chief executive Andrew Swaffield issued an apology to staff today after the airline collapsed at 3am
Builder Alan Jee, 42, from Bournemouth, has been saving ‘for years’ to pay for his £15,000 ‘love island’ wedding with sweetheart Donna Smith, 40 – but their dream is in tatters today
More than 110,000 Monarch customers are stranded abroad today after the airline went bust and cancelled all its flights.
34 planes have been chartered to bring passengers back to the UK over the next two weeks in the country’s biggest-ever peacetime repatriation of citizens.
At least 300,000 future bookings worth £60million and involving up 750,000 customers have also been axed – leaving many out of pocket and left to pay hiked-up prices from rivals to save their holidays.
Builder Alan Jee, 42, from Bournemouth, has been saving ‘for years’ to pay for his £15,000 ‘love island’ wedding with sweetheart Donna Smith, 40, and they were flying to Gran Canaria from Gatwick with 30 loved-ones today.
He said: ‘Five minutes before we were due to go on the plane they just put an announcement out saying everything’s been cancelled. My missus is in tears. We have been left high and dry. It’s all ruined. We might have to sleep in the airport to see what we can get later in the week’.
Today it emerged Monarch’s board knew it was going bust on Saturday night but kept it secret, allowing new booking until minutes before it collapsed at 3am today.
Bosses were accused of ‘picking the pockets of customers’ because they launched a new sale on Friday despite being on the brink of collapse.
The collapse – the largest to ever hit a UK airline – happened at 3am when all planes were on the ground and could be seized.
It caused chaos as travellers arrived at airports across the UK and Europe this morning to be told that their flights were cancelled in text messages with no staff to speak to.
More than 2,100 Monarch workers also lost their jobs but were not told in advance of the announcement, leaving many in tears at its Luton headquarters today as they cleared their desks.
As the crisis-hit airline was grounded today it has emerged:
- Monarch knew it was in trouble four weeks ago and its board agreed to go into administration on Saturday – but it was still selling seats minutes before collapse today;
- 110,000 people are stranded abroad and will be repatriated over the next two weeks on 34 planes;
- 300,000 bookings involving 750,000 people to 40 destinations axed with people warned not to travel to airports if they are in the UK;
- People who booked flights as part of a package will be flown home for free or get their money back if it is a future holiday;
- Flight-only customers are not Atol-protected and insurance is unlikely to cover airline failure;
- 2,100 members of staff have lost their jobs after collapse in Monarch’s 50th year;
- Scramble for tickets with rival airlines as Monarch try to save their holidays – but it appears budget airlines have already jacked the prices;
- Victims needing advice should visit monarch.caa.co.uk, or call the helpline on 0300 303 2800 if calling from the UK or +44 1753 330330 from abroad
Monarch has been accused of ‘trying to pick the pockets’ of customers by selling seats up until minutes before its collapse including a sale on routes to Portugal and Spain launched three days ago.
On Saturday night the board agreed it would go into administration but this was only announced at 3am today.
Stephen Dodgson, 60, and wife Lin, 50, were turned away from the Monarch check-in desk in the early hours of this morning.
He said: ‘We were standing in the queue at 3.15am this morning you could still go on Monarch and book flights’.
Judy Ballard, who was due to fly from Gatwick to Menorca today, said: ‘I saw Monarch were still selling flights yesterday evening, that is just awful behaviour.’
The Civil Aviation Authority, who is ion charge of getting people home, admiteed they knew the airline was in trouble early last month.
Chief executive Andrew Haines said: ‘We had notification from Monarch four and a half weeks ago that there were issues they were dealing with.
‘Unfortunately we didn’t get final confirmation until 4am this morning and my understanding is that the board resolution to go into administration didn’t take place until close to midnight on Saturday night’.
Alan Jee, 42, said their week had been plunged into chaos after flights for 30 of his friends and family – including fiancee Donna Smith – were also affected.
A tearful Monarch worker hugs a security guard at the Luton headquarters today after clearing her desk. 2,100 staff have lost their jobs
Describing what happened he said: ‘Five minutes before we were due to go on the plane they just put an announcement out saying everything’s been cancelled and if we want to get flights anywhere else we have to pay for them ourselves.
‘My missus just burst straight into tears, and my mother-in-law, and my mum. They (Monarch) are doing absolutely nothing about it whatsoever, they’ve palmed us off.
‘No one’s told us anything about it, we’ve tried speaking to Monarch but they’ve gone into liquidation. They can’t get any more flights and we can’t get a hotel out here until this is sorted.’
Mr Jee, who left his home in Christchurch at midnight on Monday, said he was due to be in the air by 6am, with his stag party originally scheduled to take place later in the week.
He said: ‘It’s been an absolute nightmare so far. I’ve got to (keep calm) for the kids. I’ve got another 36 people due to come out this week and I’m not sure if they’re going to get out either.
‘My missus phoned Monarch yesterday. They told us it’s only the package holidays that are going to be cancelled – all our flights will be fine, the rest of our week’s going to be fine.
‘Then five minutes before we were due to board the plane, they’ve just told us ‘No, nothing – everything’s been cancelled’.
‘We’re stuck here now, we can’t find a hotel because everything’s been booked.
‘We are looking to get flights now from anywhere, even if it’s one or two here, four or five on a flight there. But I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think it’s just a joke – an absolute joke.’
This is the announcement made on Twitter confirming customers’ worst fears that Monarch was no more
Monarch passengers have been stranded abroad including these people whose flight home from Las Palmas to Gatwick was cancelled this morning
A locked-up customer service desk at Manchester Airport today as 2,100 people lost their jobs
Monarch Airlines check-in desks stand empty after the airline ceased trading at Birmingham Airport
Stranded passengers outside the Monarch customer services desk at Gatwick Airport where CAA staff are assisting them
Passengers who arrived to fly today were handed this note from the Civil Aviation Authority informing them that the company has gone bust while TV screens informed them it has collapsed
Travellers walk past the rows and rows of empty check-in desks at Gatwick Airport today
Furious Monarch passengers found out their flights had been cancelled when the company texted them saying they had gone bust.
Rickey Lal, 25, was already at Birmingham Airport when he received the text – just two-and-a-half hours before he was due to board his flight to Barcelona.
The project manager, from Walsall, West Mids., said: ‘I’d booked a flight to Barcelona with Monarch with my cousins when I found out the news.
‘We had a text at 4.09am from Monarch. We were at the airport by then anyway so it was just pointless’.
All Monarch customers currently abroad will be flown home for free around the time of their Monarch booking.
But flight-only customers are likely to be left out of pocket because they are not ATOL-protected and unlikely to be covered by travel insurance.
Flight companies have already been accused of cashing in on the chaos from the Monarch collapse as flight prices increased as desperate passengers struggled to re-book flights.
One nurse from London stuck at Gatwick today said the price of a Ryanair flight to Alicante went up £60 as she tried to book a replacement.
More than 2,100 Monarch staff also learned this morning that they had lost their jobs and were not told in advance about the collapse.
A man could miss out on walking his daughter down the aisle after the collapse of Monarch Airlines.
Barry Gill was due to fly out to Cyprus on Wednesday for the wedding of his daughter, Gemma Brown – but could miss out on walking his daughter down the aisle after the collapse of Monarch Airlines.
But the cancellation of all Monarch flights from the UK has left him and his wife Deborah wondering whether they will even be able to make it to Friday’s ceremony at all.
Mr Gill’s stepdaughter, Joanne Richardson, 24, said her parents could be forced to shell out as much as £800 for new flights, but they were unsure if they could afford it.
She said: ‘We found out early this morning that Monarch had gone bust and we’ve spent all the time since then trying to sort out new flights.
‘We (she and her stepsister) are already out in Cyprus but Mum and Dad, with working during the week, had been planning to come Wednesday through to Saturday.
‘We checked the website in the morning and it said all the flights were cancelled. It’s left people in the lurch.
‘I’m not sure whether they’re going to be able to get out as it’s a lot of money to find in the space of a day.’
Mr and Mrs Gill, aged 54 and 49, from Hartlepool, had been due to fly from Leeds Bradford Airport for the wedding in Larnaka.
The whole family now face a worrying wait to see if alternative arrangements can be made.
Ms Richardson added: ‘It was the news nobody wanted.
‘My stepsister has got all the wedding preparations to deal with, so we’re trying to get it sorted.
‘We just don’t know whether he’s going to be there to give her away.’
John Connerty arrived at Manchester Airport today to fly to Marbella and said: ‘In airport ready to fly out with Monarch then an announcement states that Monarch has gone into administration – so upsetting to see kids and pensioners crying, along with wife’.
About 300,000 future bookings were cancelled when Monarch was placed into administration on Monday morning.
Customers have been told to keep away from airports as there will be no more flights.
They have been advised to check a dedicated website, monarch.caa.co.uk, for advice.
Karen Patrick, from Northamptonshire, was due to fly with Monarch Airlines to Rome, Italy, with relatives who are visiting from the United States.
The 53-year-old said fights with alternative operators were ‘going so quickly’ as the group tried to work out what to do.
She said: ‘We just could not believe it and we have our relatives who have come from America too. It’s just unbelievable.’
The group only discovered that travel with Monarch had been suspended when they arrived at Luton Airport.
They have managed to get seats on a flight with easyJet on Tuesday and have been forced to pay for the new flights, but hope the cost will be covered by their insurance.
Ms Patrick’s cousin, Deborah Bond, 55, from Texas, said: ‘We are not going to let it ruin our holiday.’
Check-in desks are empty as two Monarch flights to Dalaman, Turkey, and Naples, Italy, have been cancelled at Leeds Bradford Airport
An upset woman looks heartbroken after Monarch’s collapse left thousands stranded
Staff at Gatwick airport helping to advise customers due to the closure of Monarch airlines
Two young women check their phones while another man sleeps on the floor at Gatwick Airport
A passenger left stranded by the Monarch crisis is among hundreds of thousands affected
Ann Johnson, from Luton, said there had been a lack of information for holidaymakers.
The 75-year-old, who was due to go with her husband on a one-week package holiday to Faro, Portugal, arrived at Luton airport at about 4am on Monday.
She said: ‘There was no notice up – nothing. We were just walking around looking for the check-in desk.’
The couple have been forced to pay approximately £450 for two Ryanair flights on Monday evening, including baggage, but face a twelve-hour wait at the airport before take-off.
Ms Johnson said the couple were ‘angry’, adding: ‘There’s no actual information desk here to go and ask anyone and no-one knows what to do.
‘There’s no-one giving out food or vouchers.’
A Lithuanian couple on their honeymoon were among passengers who arrived at Luton Airport in Bedfordshire on Monday morning to find their flight had been cancelled.
Customers due to fly out of the UK with Monarch have been warned not to travel to airports as there will be no further flights.
Vilius Linkunaitis, 31, said he and his new wife, Zivile Rakauskaite, 32, felt ‘stranded’ and ‘lost’ after learning they would not be able to fly.
He said: ‘We are trying to fly as it’s our honeymoon holiday and we are totally screwed at the moment.’
The couple, who married just days ago, had flown to London from Riga, Latvia, and were due to travel on to Malaga in Spain for the end of their honeymoon.
They said Monarch was not answering its phones and they could not get through to Kiwi.com, the website operator they booked the flights with.
Mr Linkunaitis said: ‘We feel very stranded and just lost and I don’t know what to do now.’
He said they had been told by airport staff to go online to find the cheapest seats on an alternative flight.
A spokesman for Leeds Bradford Airport said around 250 passengers turned up on Monday morning for cancelled flights to Dalaman and Naples.
He said: ‘People were very, very understanding; there was a lot of disappointment but people were understanding.
‘It was disappointing having to tell people who had come for their holiday that it was not going to happen.
‘We tried the best we could to facilitate people.’
The spokesman urged passengers not to turn up at the airport for cancelled flights to Barcelona and Menorca, which were due to depart on Monday afternoon.
Replacement flights from Naples, Dalaman, Barcelona and Menorca are due to bring Monarch customers back to Leeds Bradford later.
Stricken passengers have taken to social media to voice their frustration over the collapse
A fleet of jets has been chartered to rescue up to 100,000 British holidaymakers who are stranded
CAA chief executive Andrew Haines said the decision to stop trading would be ‘very distressing for all of its customers and employees’.
Staff left crying and laughing after 2,100 jobs are lost at airline
Following the announcement that Monarch Airlines had gone into administration, staff at the Luton head office were laughing, then crying at the news that they no longer had jobs.
Initially, when they found out the news, staff came out laughing, waving banners and drinking champagne, showing bravado, akin to Gallows humour, and celebrating all the years they’d worked for Monarch.
A little while later, as the realisation hit them that they no longer had jobs at Monarch, the same staff were crying their eyes out.
Staff were seen leaving the building from a back entrance after clearing out their desks.
As they drove away from the airport in their vehicles, staff were tooting their car horns as they left.
Some staff cracked open the fizz as they maintained humour at a time of crisis
‘We are putting together, at very short notice and for a period of two weeks, what is effectively one of the UK’s largest airlines to manage this task,’ he said.
‘The scale and challenge of this operation means that some disruption is inevitable. We ask customers to bear with us as we work around the clock to bring everyone home.’
The regulator said all Monarch customers who are abroad and due to return to the UK in the next two weeks will be flown home.
The flights will be at no extra cost to passengers and they do not need to cut short their stay, the CAA said. New flight details will be available a minimum of 48 hours in advance of customers’ original departure times.
The Government has warned passengers to expect disruption and delay as it works to ensure there are enough flights to return the ‘huge number’ of passengers.
Commenting on the ‘extraordinary operation’, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: ‘I have immediately ordered the country’s biggest ever peacetime repatriation to fly about 110,000 passengers who could otherwise have been left stranded abroad.
‘This is an unprecedented response to an unprecedented situation. Together with the Civil Aviation Authority, we will work around the clock to ensure Monarch passengers get the support they need.
‘Nobody should underestimate the size of the challenge, so I ask passengers to be patient and act on the advice given by the CAA.’
Administrator Blair Nimmo said Monarch, which employs around 2,100 people across its airline and tour group, had struggled with mounting costs and competitive market conditions that saw it suffer a period of sustained losses.
Mr Nimmo told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the administrators were considering breaking up the company as no buyer has been found to purchase Monarch in its entirety.
He said: ‘While there have been some expressions of interest, in reality no offers for the business as a whole have been forthcoming, so we now are looking for who might be interested in certain parts of business, whether it be physical assets or whether it be slots, i.e. routes that they currently operate.’
On the prospect of job losses, he said that because of the timing of the announcement, staff have not yet been spoken to about their futures.
‘We have not spoken to the staff, we have people at all the major sites from KPMG this morning and we are going to… explain to them exactly where we are with them at the moment and where things are going to move going forward, what their rights and statutory rights are in these circumstances. That should become clearer over the next few hours.’
Wedding couple and their family stranded at Gatwick with flights to Gran Canaria ‘love island’ axed
Builder Alan Jee, 42, pictured far right, fears he may not be able to attend his dream wedding with his family after Monarch collapsed
A couple’s £15,000 dream wedding on a private Gran Canaria ‘love island’ is in tatters because Monarch cancelled their flights.
The heartbroken couple and 30 members of their family have been left ‘high and dry’ at Gatwick Airport after the airline went bust overnight.
Builder Alan Jee, 42, said he has been saving for the tropical wedding for ‘years’ and now fears he will have to cancel – because they can’t get there.
Speaking at the airport today, the father-of-two said: ‘My missus is in tears.
‘I have got 30 people here, they have travelled from all over the country, I’ve spent £12,000 to £15,000.
‘Monarch have just told us we have to book new flights with other airlines, I am going to really struggle to do that.
‘The prices have gone up from around £120 return to £480 return.
‘We were meant to be flying out at 5.30am, ten minutes before we were due to board a tannoy announcement went out informing everyone that the flight had been cancelled.
Alan, from Bournemouth, was set to marry sweetheart Donna Smith, 40, on Saturday morning, but they have a lot of planning and preparation still left to do.
He added: ‘We have been left high and dry.
‘We were meant to be seeing the wedding planners tomorrow, my missus was getting her hair done on Wednesday, it’s all ruined.
‘We have been engaged for two years, I wanted everything to be right.
‘We hired out a private love island, it is shaped like a little love heart.
‘We might have to sleep in the airport to see what we can get later in the week, all my family have coaches booked and paid for so they are stuck here too.
‘Even if we do get out there we will have probably spent all our money on hotels, I can’t believe this has happened.’
Monarch Airlines ceased trading overnight meaning 300,000 future bookings for flights and holidays have been cancelled.
About 110,000 customers are currently overseas and the government has asked the Civil Aviation Authority to charter more than 30 planes to bring them back to the UK.
Leeds Bradford customers arrive to find their flights to Turkey and Italy will not fly as planned
Monarch has gone bust after 50 years – but its own staff were not told in advance of losing their jobs
Stricken airline Monarch had been handed a 24-hour reprieve as it teetered on the brink of financial collapse
Mr Nimmo explained that Monarch had been ‘significantly loss-making’ over the last year and those losses were projected to continue in the year ahead.
In the last year the airline had taken 14% more customers but revenue was £100 million less, while adverse movement of the pound against the dollar had increased costs including fuel, handling charges and lease payments.
Monarch boss: ‘I’m truly sorry’
Monarch’s boss said today he is ‘truly sorry’ as the airline was shut down.
Chief executive Andrew Swaffield said the ‘root cause’ of Monarch’s reduction in revenue was terror attacks in Egypt and Tunisia as well as the ‘decimation’ of Turkey.
Mr Swaffield said the airline was carrying 14% more passengers than last year for £100 million less revenue.
It was badly affected by the 2015 bombing of a Russian airliner which departed from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, an attack in Sousse, Tunisia, during the same year which left 30 Britons dead and a 2016 attempted coup in Turkey.
In a letter to staff which he described as ‘the update I hoped I would never have to write’, Mr Swaffield explained that the firm went into administration ‘despite our best efforts’.
He said Monarch attempted to ‘pivot our airline from short-haul to long-haul to reduce losses’, but was unable to find a ‘deliverable offer’ from a buyer for its short-haul operations or assets.
Mr Swaffield said he was ‘so sorry’ for causing ‘huge inconvenience to customers’.
He went on: ‘We are working with the joint administrators and the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) to do everything we possibly can to help minimise disruption where we can, but are under no illusion as to the problems this will cause.
‘And many suppliers will suffer hugely as a result of our insolvency – for which I am equally sorry.’
Mr Swaffield told his employees that they can ‘all hold your heads up high and be proud of what you achieved at Monarch’.
He added: ‘It has been a company that has cared for its customers and which has been like a family for many people for five decades. I cannot tell you how much I wanted to avoid this outcome and how truly sorry I am.’
He said affected customers currently abroad will ‘broadly’ get home when they were anticipating and ‘in a similar manner’ and urged them to check the website.
Unite, which represents around 1,800 engineers and cabin crew working for Monarch, said it understands that potential investors and buyers were deterred by the continuing uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
The union claimed that ministers rebuffed requests by Monarch to provide a bridging loan, charged at commercial rates, to tide the company over while it restructured the business to focus on its long-haul operations.
Such assistance is not without precedent and was recently given by the German government to Air Berlin, said Unite.
The union’s national officer Oliver Richardson said: ‘Monarch’s workforce has worked tirelessly and loyally, with great sacrifice, to try and turn the airline around in the last year.
‘Their hard work has been undone by a government seemingly content to sit on its hands and allow one of the UK’s oldest airlines go into administration.
‘There were a number of factors that impacted negatively on the company. However, continuing uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the ability of UK airlines to fly freely in Europe after the UK has left the EU undoubtedly hindered Monarch getting the investment it needed to restructure and survive.
‘This uncertainty, combined with the apparent unwillingness of the government to assist at commercial rates and at a profit to the taxpayer, has left thousands of jobs at a great British airline hanging by a thread.
‘Now is not the time for government ministers to wash their hands of a problem they have contributed to.
‘Ministers need to act fast by intervening in a similar way as their German counterparts did with Air Berlin and help secure a future for Monarch.
‘The government must also secure the current freedoms to fly that UK airlines enjoy in Brexit negotiations as a matter of urgency to stabilise confidence in the airline industry.’
Monarch, whose headquarters are at London Luton Airport, was founded in 1968.
It also operates from four other UK bases including London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds Bradford to more than 40 destinations around Europe and further afield.
It is Monarch’s second such temporary extension in two years and follows a spotlight being shone on the carrier’s finances.
The company employs approximately 2,750 predominantly UK based staff, its website states.
UK travel firms selling holidays and flights are required to hold an Atol, which protects customers with pre-booked holidays from being stranded abroad in the event of circumstances such as the company ceasing to trade.
It is thought Monarch bosses held talks with other airlines such as easyJet and Hungarian firm Wizz over a potential rescue deal.
Last year, Monarch was forced to turn to Greybull for a £165million rescue package to keep flying.
And last month Monarch chief executive Andrew Swaffield hit back after Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said in an interview: ‘It is an open secret that Monarch and Norwegian will not make it through the winter.’
- Customers affected by the company’s collapse have been urged to check a dedicated website, monarch.caa.co.uk, for advice and information on flights back to the UK. A 24-hour helpline is also available on 0300 303 2800 from in the UK and Ireland, and +44 1753 330330 from overseas.
Rival airlines including Ryanair ‘cash in’ on stranded Monarch passengers by hiking up flight prices as easyJet hosts ‘recruitment day’ for jobless pilots
Monarch’s rivals have been accused of hiking up prices of flights after it went bust and victims started scrambling to save their holidays.
At least 300,000 future bookings worth £60million and involving up 750,000 customers have also been axed – leaving many out of pocket and left to pay hiked-up prices from rivals to save their holidays.
An intensive care nurse from south London rebooked flights to Alicante and saw the quoted price rise from £138 to £199 per person on the Ryanair site in the time it took to complete the booking.
She said: ‘It is scandalous that Monarch were allowed to carry on taking bookings when it is now clear the Government knew they were about to fold.
‘I haven’t had a proper pay rise in seven years and was forced to either cancel my holiday or stump up an inflated price to Ryanair.
‘I blame the Government for standing by and allowing ordinary working people like myself to be ripped off in this outrageous fashion.’
EasyJet is set to hold a recruitment day for Monarch staff and Ryanair will be eyeing pilots to deal with its own cancellation crisis.
Monarch’s rivals hiked up prices of flights after it went bust and victims started scrambling to save their holidays as the planes were grounded today (pictured at Birmingham today)
Customers said they were ‘disgusted’ as they accused Monarch’s rivals of bumping up prices
Amy Hodson wrote: ‘Looks like @Ryanair are using the #monarch bust to their advantage and upping the prices… Nice one.
@Cyba3security said; ‘Not good business @Ryanair putting prices of flights up mid booking (46 to 116!) Taking advantage of Monarch cancellations. #thieves’/
Joshua Courtney said: ‘It’s absolutely disgusting that @easyJet are raising prices to nearly DOUBLE because of the #Monarch situation.
Sean Celecia wrote: ‘@British_Airways @easyJet taking advantage that @Monarch have cancelled all flights! Ridiculous prices’.
Ryanair’s chief marketing officer, Kenny Jacobs, said: ‘Ryanair’s fares are only coming down this winter’ while British Airways denied it had changed its fare levels’.
Today it emerged Monarch’s board knew it was going bust on Saturday night but kept it secret, allowing new booking until minutes before it collapsed at 3am today.
Ahic Sahhadpao, 59, and his wife Michelle, 52, had checked in bags at Gatwick airport last night for an early flight to Gran Canaria but the flight was then cancelled.
They quickly managed to find an alternative flight for £230 with Thomson, plus £150 for the taxi journey from Gatwick to Birmingham.
A total of 27 flights were affected at Birmingham Airport today with 17 due to depart and another 10 arriving.
Ahic from Surrey, said: ‘We had checked in and our bags had been taken when we heard an announcement to suspend all transactions, not even the staff knew what was happening.
‘One of the staff told us they had turned up for work this morning and they were removed of their staff passes, they just stood around not knowing what to do. They found out when customers found out.
‘It was chaos at the check-in, people were shouting at staff and children were crying.
‘We saw a wedding party of 30 stranded, trying to get an alternative flight..
‘We are lucky because we booked flights and accommodation separately but people with package holidays will now be struggling to get flights changed.
‘As soon as we knew, we booked a flight through Skyscanner first thing this morning, around 4am.
‘I’ve noticed that flights have now gone up to £800-£1000.’
Check-in desks stand empty in the Monarch flights departures area after the airline ceased trading, at Luton airport as victims scrambled for tickets
Hilary and Richard Penn, both in their mid sixties, were due to fly to Barcelona at 6.45am this morning when they found out their Monarch flight had been cancelled.
Having booked through a travel agent the couple tried to organise a refund but were told that was not an option and they would be transferred onto a Ryanair flight this afternoon and 3.45pm
Hilary said: ‘I would have rather gone home and had a refund but our travel agent told us that was not an option as they were organising flight for stranded passengers.
‘We haven’t slept all night and now we have to wait around the check in area with no where comfortable to sit until we can get through the departure lounge.
‘I feel terrible for the staff who have lost their jobs, they have been really good and helped us as much as they can.’
A group of three woman, travelling out to Lanzarote, had booked a departure flight with Ryanair but were due to fly home with Monarch airlines.
One lady said: ‘We have been keeping and eye on the news the last few days and it’s been worrying as we don’t want to be stranded.
‘When we saw the news this morning we were certain we would have to book another flight and luckily we managed to get one, even if it has put us out of pocket.
‘I think the price will go up throughout the day as desperate people book alternative flights.
‘It’s enivitable that airline will try and make money off the back of this.’
Another couple in their mid 60’s, who were supposed to be jetting off on their holidays to barcelona, were left stranded. With a 11 hour wait for an alternative flight.
Stephen and Miranda Jeffs were due to fly with monarch airline at 6.45am.
Miranda said: ‘We heard on the news this morning but came to airport anyway to see what was going to happen with our flights.
‘It was very busy with people this morning but they have left now.
‘The staff have lost their jobs and will have to deal with all the customer complaints. I feel so sorry for them.’
Richard Wainright, 68, who was also due to board the 6.45am flight with his wife will now have to wait for an alternative flight at 3.45pm.
He said: ‘We have been told that we can now fly with Ryan Air but for that airline you need to print boarding passes and we can’t do that here.
‘So the travel company is travelling down to the airport to bring out boarding passes around 1 pm.
‘We have had to buy food and drinks in the airport that aren’t cheap because we are having to wait and were also going to be missing two days of our holiday due to this alternative flight.
‘We not sure I we can claim some money back through out travel insurance or the travel company.
‘If it’s the only way we can get home then we don’t have a choice.
‘We spoke to a couple earlier who were meant to be flying to Portugal.
‘They have been sent in a taxi from here to Luton airport and put in a hotel over night to fly first thing in the morning.’
John and Dionne, both 66, from Telford arrived at the airport at 2am to fly to Tenerife when they found out their flight had been cancelled.
The couple have had to pay nearly £800 for an alternative flight, meaning they must transfer in Madrid and won’t arrive in Santa Cruz till later tonight before getting a hours taxi to their hotel.
John said: ‘This the third time we have had a holiday cancelled before but not when we have already checked in.
‘We now have to tell the travel company we booked with that we have an alternative flight otherwise they will cancel our holiday.
‘We will miss a day in Tenerife because of this and will spend hours and hours travelling with transfers, not too mention what we have had to pay to get there.’
Is this Ryanair’s best Monday morning ever? Users flood Twitter with hilarious memes after Monarch airline collapse
As British holidaymakers are plummeted into chaos with tens of thousands stuck overseas, social media users have taken the opportunity to respond in typically witty fashion.
Monarch Airlines collapsed today leaving more than 110,000 British tourists stranded abroad and all customers in the UK told not to travel to the airport.
And the beleaguered airline has now fallen victim to the inevitable onslaught of memes poking fun at its financial misfortune.
Social media users have taken the opportunity to shed some light on the situation
Social media has erupted with hilarious pictures mocking Monarch – with many suggesting Ryanair could now take on its staff.
Many memes focus on Ryanair – which has cut thousands of flights due to pilots’ annual leave, strikes and air traffic delays – now profiting from Monarch’s troubles.
Monarch travellers arrived at airports across the UK and Europe this morning to be told that their flights were cancelled while 300,000 future bookings worth at least £60million and involving 750,000 customers have also been axed.
The collapse – the largest to ever hit a UK airline – happened at 3am when all planes were on the ground and could be seized.
But many are trying to take a lighthearted view online.
Ryan Gibbs posted an image of Tom Hanks in the blockbuster Castaway, with the caption: ‘My current feeling knowing Monarch have gone into administration and my flight home still hasn’t been changed’.
Another wrote: ‘Ryanair looking at the Monarch situation like…yep, won’t have to worry about pilot shortage soon.’
Social media has erupted with hilarious pictures mocking Monarch – with some asking for suggestions and help re-booking their holidays
Administrators have confirmed Monarch package holidaymakers will be flown home for free or get a full refund on bookings – but flight-only customers are likely to be left out of pocket.
Flight companies have already been accused of cashing in on the chaos from the Monarch collapse as flight prices were allegedly increased by the minute as desperate passengers struggled to re-book flights.
One nurse from London stuck at Gatwick today said the price of a Ryanair flight to Alicante went up £60 as she tried to book a replacement.
This comes after under-fire carrier Ryanair revealed 2,024 routes will be axed over the next six weeks, leaving the travel plans of up to 400,000 passengers in chaos.
More than 250,000 people caught up in the cancellation chaos will miss out on compensation but boss Michael O’Leary insisted he won’t quit and said: ‘It’s not my biggest cock-up’.