Thomas Cook passenger who organised £5,000 for flight crew revealed

The kind-hearted Thomas Cook passenger who organised a whip round for crew on the travel agent’s final flight has called her actions ‘a small act of kindness’.

Ashleigh MacLennan filled two pillow cases with £5,000 in cash from her fellow passengers for distraught flight staff after learning they would lose their jobs.

The hairdresser revealed how she was sprung into action during the flight from Las Vegas to Manchester after the plane’s captain announced the news mid-flight.

She asked for two pillows before taking off the cases and writing ‘whip round for our amazing crew’ across both and sending them to the front and back of the plane.

After handing the cash over to the distraught staff, she was hugged by their weeping manager.

The hairdresser revealed how she was sprung into action during the flight from Las Vegas to Manchester after the plane’s captain announced the news mid-flight

The 31-year-old, from Glasgow, said emotional crew told them there was ‘some uncertainty with regards to the airline’ when their flight took off on Monday.

She added: ‘Towards the end of the flight the crew updated passengers that Thomas Cook had in fact ceased trading in the early hours of the morning.

The captain then came on to thank the crew but explain that they wouldn’t be getting paid.’

Ms MacLennan says at this point the cabin crew, who had looked after them as normal throughout the 10-hour flight, were very distressed.

‘They were so upset, it was heart-breaking to see,’ she said. ‘That’s when I felt it was only right that we showed our appreciation.’

Fellow passengers agreed and they were soon stuffing notes into Ms MacLennan’s two pillow cases.

She added: ‘When I handed them over to the flight manager she was crying and hugged me so tight.’

Ms MacLennan, who manages Angus Gordon Hairdressing Salon in Perth, had been in Vegas for a week with her family for her brother’s wedding. 

Choatic scenes at Reus airport, next to Tarragona, Spain this morning as stranded Brits queue in front of check-in desks on the second day of repatriations 

Passengers at Palma Airport in Mallorca queue as they prepare to fly back to the UK following the sudden collapse of Thomas Cook yesterday

British Government officials help passengers at Palma the Mallorca airport this morning on the second day of repatriation efforts

She said: ‘It was awful but when we gave them our collection the crew were all just so grateful and made an emotional thank you to everyone.’

Thomas Cook’s demise in the early hours of Monday morning means around 9,000 UK workers face being out of work.

Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom has called on the Insolvency Service (IS) to ‘fast-track’ its investigation of Thomas Cook.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched the UK’s largest peacetime repatriation on Monday, bringing 14,700 Thomas Cook customers home on 64 flights.

That was 95 per cent  of the holidaymakers who were originally booked to fly home on that day.

A further 135,000 passengers are expected to be brought back on rescue flights over the next 13 days, including 16,800 on 74 flights on Tuesday. 

A further 135,000 passengers are expected to be brought back on rescue flights over the next 13 days, including 16,800 on 74 flights on Tuesday

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