Struggling with a little Man Flu today, I have listened to a lot of radio coverage of the Thomas Cook debacle. The sad stories were mainly involving customers whose holidays had been ruined and, almost as an afterthought, the poor workers who have lost their jobs. I kind of understand why the stories were mainly of ruined holidays because within some of the stories were individual sad stories. A government minister, Grant Shapps, spoke, I felt, dismissively of suggestions that Thomas Cook might be saved. Business was business. Government was not in the business of stopping holiday companies go bust.
I probably agree with him, too, I think. Thomas Cook has been in bother for years. This was hardly a surprise. I know it would have cost £200 million to save the company and it will cost £600 million to bring about the largest repatriation ever in peacetime Britain but who knows if Thomas Cook might have been in the same boat next month? Would you have bought a package holiday with them if they survived? I am not sure I would. But then, I might have done.
Ironically, in recent years we have gone back to package holidays. Indeed, our main holiday in June was with Thomas Cook. It was our third successive Thomas Cook holiday and easily the best, possibly ever. The certainty we had of transfers arriving on time and having a rep nearby, as well as the holiday almost certainly being cheaper than booking independently, was wonderful. I suspect we would happily have booked a package next year. As things currently stand, what with the uncertainty of the holiday sector, as well as the lingering uncertainty of Brexit, we might not go abroad at all for our main holiday.
One thing is for sure: every kind of holiday will soon be dearer. The flight only option or the independent option: both will cost more, simply because there will be less fights and holidays. As more of us are travelling than ever before, just do the maths.
Typical me, then. Back to package holidays just as everyone else wants to travel independently. I’ve got it wrong again. Oh well.
