Thomas Cook staff were seen hugging each other in tears at the company’s headquarters this morning – after the travel giant collapsed overnight.
Hundreds of employees have been seen heading into the offices at Lynch Wood in Peterborough for a 10am meeting about the compulsory liquidation, which happened this morning after a weekend of talks to save the company.
Many looked tearful as they arrived at the headquarters, which employs around 1,000 people.
Others spoke of how ‘heartbroken’ they were at the firm’s collapse, with many writing on Twitter about their years of service for the travel giant.
Many employees looked tearful as they arrived at the Thomas Cook headquarters at Lynch Wood in Peterborough this morning. The company’s headquarters employs around 1,000 people
Thomas Cook staff were seen hugging each other in tears at the company’s headquarters this morning (pictured) – after the travel giant collapsed overnight
Thomas Cook employed around 9,000 people in the UK and had around 600 high street stores (pictured, staff arriving at its headquarters this morning)
Employees poke of how ‘heartbroken’ they were at the firm’s collapse, with many writing on Twitter about their years of service for the travel giant (above and below)
Another employee said she would be ‘gutted’ if the firm collapsed and shared a number of pictures from her time working for the company
Family and friends of those affected have also been writing on social media about the effect of the collapse. One user said he was ‘so proud’ of his girlfriend for her hard work over the years
One employee said this morning: ‘Two years with my Thomas Cook family. Absolutely no words to describe how this feels.
‘Never wanted to put my uniform on and go to work so much on a Monday morning’.
A relative of another employee said: ‘My girlfriend was a flight attendant with Thomas Cook, she has worked her a*** off doing flights at ungodly hours, [only] to lose her job and wage over night, as have many others.
‘I’m proud of her! My heart goes out to all of you left unemployed. Good luck’.
Others spoke of their fear’s the firm would collapse last night, with another employee writing on Twitter: ‘I love my job and would be terribly sad if I couldn’t do it anymore’.
And another relative said: ‘So off the wife has popped to work! Looking as gorgeous and pristine as ever.
‘Not having a clue if she’ll even still have a job by the time she lands in Turkey. So proud she’s my wife’.
While employee Stacy Wood said: ‘This has been the longest day ever but I’m praying we wake up to good news. Can’t imagine not donning that uniform again’.
Staff arriving at Thomas Cook headquarters in Peterborough this morning after the company went into administration
One staff member looked disheartened as she arrived at the Thomas Cook headquarters in Peterborough this morning
Employees spoke of their heartbreak after losing their jobs at Thomas Cook, with one saying: ‘Never wanted to put my uniform on and go to work so much on a Monday morning’
Another employee wrote: ‘Didn’t think I’d have to be writing this but never been so upset’
Other Thomas Cook staff spoke of how ‘proud’ they were to have worked at the travel firm
Relatives of those employed by the travel firm also took to Twitter to share their sadness at the firm’s collapse
Others spoke of their fear the firm would collapse last night, with another employee writing on Twitter: ‘I love my job and would be terribly sad if I couldn’t do it anymore’ (above and below)
Another, writing on Twitter, said: ‘To say I’m heartbroken is an understatement. Landed from Antalya to see every Thomas Cook aircraft next to each other knowing it was the end of the best four years.
‘Thanks to all the lovely passengers, Thomas Cook you’ve been my dream.’
Thomas Cook was founded in 1841 and was one of the world’s oldest travel companies. It employed around 9,000 people in the UK and had around 600 high street stores.
A £100million taxpayer-funded fleet of 40 or more jets are today already heading to Europe, America and Asia to start bringing 160,000 Britons home from more than 50 destinations over the coming fortnight.
Britain’s biggest peacetime repatriation effort, codenamed Operation Matterhorn, will see around 16,000 people flown back to UK airports every day.
Holidaymakers stuck in resorts around the world are today waiting for news about how and when they will get home.
Thomas Cook check-in desks at the 20-plus UK airports the business flew from are shut today with all customers with holidays and flights told they are cancelled – but many will not get their money back for months. 600 high street store are also locked up today.
Last-minute talks to try and rescue the ailing firm collapsed last night with nobody willing to service its £1.7billion debt, and the Civil Aviation Authority announced the end for the 178-year-old company in the early hours of this morning.
Another, writing on Twitter, said: ‘To say I’m heartbroken is an understatement. Landed from Antalya to see every Thomas Cook aircraft next to each other knowing it was the end of the best four years. Thanks to all the lovely passengers, #thomascook you’ve been my dream’
Another employee, Courtenay Burnett, wrote: ‘Praying for good news for my Thomas Cook family’
Others spoke of their joy at wearing the uniform, with Stacy Wood writing on Twitter: ‘This has been the longest day ever but I’m praying we wake up to good news’
Thomas Cook staff have taken to Twitter to express their grief about losing their jobs as thousands are now out of work
Boris Johnson today said that the Government had been asked to bail-out the business with £150million of taxpayers’ money but they had refused.
He said: ‘Clearly that’s a lot of taxpayers’ money and sets up, as people will appreciate, a moral hazard in the case of future such commercial difficulties that companies face.’
Charter company Titan Airways, based at Stansted, are understood to carrying out a large number of the repatriation flights while British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Easyjet, Tui, Jet2 and Malaysia Airlines also approached to step in.
Because the Civil Aviation Authority knew Thomas Cook’s collapse was likely planes are either on their way to – or already at destinations in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States.
A number of support schemes have also been set up to help Thomas Cook employees.