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Passengers stranded as discount airline Primera Air collapses Primera Air collapse: CAA will not rescue stranded passengers
(about 2 hours later)
Would-be passengers have been warned not to turn up for Primera Air flights after the discount airline ceased operations ahead of filing for bankruptcy. Britain’s airline authority will not intervene to bring UK passengers home following the collapse of the Danish airline Primera Air, which has left thousands stranded abroad and holiday plans ruined.
Stansted said on Monday that travellers due to fly with the airline should not travel to the airport, from which Primera operated flights to Spain and the US. Birmingham Airport referred customers to the Civil Aviation Authority advice, which urged those expecting return flights to the UK with the operator to make fresh arrangements home. The Civil Aviation Authority said it was not obliged to mount a rescue operation because the budget airline was not covered by its Atol protection scheme.
The regulator said passengers who had already flown would have to make their own own arrangements to return home and should contact their travel insurer or travel agent for assistance.
If you have been affected by the airline's collapse in any way – whether you are a customer with cancelled flights or work for Primera Air – we would like to hear from you.If you have been affected by the airline's collapse in any way – whether you are a customer with cancelled flights or work for Primera Air – we would like to hear from you.
You can get in touch by filling in this encrypted form or contact the via WhatsApp by adding the contact +44(0)7867825056You can get in touch by filling in this encrypted form or contact the via WhatsApp by adding the contact +44(0)7867825056
Your responses will only be seen by the Guardian and we’ll be in touch if we are considering your response as part of our reporting. You can read terms of service here.Your responses will only be seen by the Guardian and we’ll be in touch if we are considering your response as part of our reporting. You can read terms of service here.
The Foreign Office said its consulate in Malaga had already been contacted for advice . It advised those yet to travel and wishing to obtain a refund for unused tickets to contact the company directly. “Passengers who booked directly with the company via either a credit, charge or debit card may alternatively be able to make a claim against their card provider,” it added.
Stansted Airport said in a statement: “Passengers due to travel with Primera Air are advised not to travel to the airport and instead contact the airline directly.” A spokesman said the CAA was trying to ascertain the number of UK passengers affected.
The Danish airline said it was a “sad day” for staff and passengers but it had “no other choice than filing for bankruptcy”. Its final flight was from Malaga to Copenhagen. When the British airline Monarch went bust a year ago, about 110,000 customers were brought home by the Civil Aviation Authority on specially chartered planes, in the biggest ever peacetime repatriation.
Primera served Stansted with flights to Washington, Newark, Boston and Toronto. It also had a base at Birmingham airport serving the US, but this was due to be switched to Manchester at the end of October. It also served other destinations across Europe and the US east coast, and had a fleet of nine aircraft. Primera said on Tuesday it was “sad” to announce that after 14 years in operation it had ceased flying after “several unforeseen misfortunate events” severely affected its financial position.
What should you do if your flight is cancelled? “On behalf of Primera Air team, we would like to thank you for your loyalty. On this sad day we are saying goodbye to all of you,” the airline said in a statement on its website.
It depends on how you purchased the flight. If you booked through a travel agent, then you may be covered by Atol protection. If you purchased the flight directly then normally this will not be covered by the Atol scheme. Dear Passengers, Airline Primera Air and IATA codes PF and 6F have been suspended as of today, please find more information here: https://t.co/DgKuVIZB5S
Can I claim a refund through my credit card company? In the UK, the airline operated flights from London Stansted and Birmingham to destinations including New York, Boston, Washington DC, Toronto and Malaga. Flights from Manchester to Malaga were due to start later this month.
You may be able to claim the cost of the flight back through the Consumer Credit Act. To be eligible for this, the flight has to have cost more than £100 and been paid for with a credit card. Flights due to leave Stansted for the US on Monday night were grounded, and passengers due to fly on Tuesday have been told not to go to the airport.
What happens if I am stranded abroad? The airline, which had a fleet of 15 planes, specialised mainly in taking Scandinavian holidaymakers to destinations including Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Egypt.
If you have Atol protection, then you must be found an alternative flight home and need to contact your travel agent. If not, then you will need to book flights and pay for them out of your own pocket. Cabin crew were apparently among those left stranded.
@British_Airways I am Cabin Crew for Primera Air and they’ve left us stranded in Toronto. If I go to the desk with my ID will anybody be able to help? I just wanna go home! 😭
Stansted airport said in a statement: “Passengers due to travel with Primera Air are advised not to travel to the airport and instead contact the airline direct for the latest information regarding their flight.”
It advised customers to visit the airline’s website for updates in the next few days. “Tour operator passengers are kindly suggested to address their tour operators and agents for further information and actions,” it said.
Tara Noe and her husband Remy, from Canada, had booked fly to Toronto with Primera next week for a two-week trip to see family and to take part in her first marathon in the city.
The 42-year-old, who lives in Kent, said she was in “shock” over the announcement, and that the service had been “horrendous”.
“You can’t contact them, they have shut down the phone lines and the website is inaccessible. Everything is shut down, you can’t get anywhere,” she told Press Association.
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