Traffic & Transit
LAX Grapples With Sudden Collapse Of Venerable Airline
More than 100,000 travelers have been stranded by the sudden collapse of Thomas Cook, including many in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES, CA — The collapse of a famed British travel agency has left hundreds of thousands of people stranded across the globe, including travelers at Los Angeles International Airport. British Consulate Representatives are be on hand at the Thomas Cook Airlines ticketing counter at LAX Tuesday to assist travelers left stranded by the venerable travel company's sudden collapse.
The unexpected closure of the firm that has been in existence since the 1800s has had shockwaves around the world. According to some estimates, it may have left as many 600,000 travelers were left in limbo. Media reports out of London indicated that about 150,000 British nationals, alone, have been left stuck at overseas locations, prompting what's being called the country's largest-ever repatriation effort.
'I've worked for Thomas Cook for 36 years': Staff voice shock at collapse https://t.co/yOgTmJHGvS
— Guardian Business (@BusinessDesk) September 24, 2019
It was unclear how many of those people might be in the Los Angeles area. Heath Montgomery of Los Angeles World Airports said it's difficult to tell how many passengers might be stranded in the city because of Thomas Cook's limited and seasonal flight schedule. The airline provided trips only on Tuesdays and Fridays during the summer months, so there could be passengers trying to depart on those days.
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According to Los Angeles International Airport, the British Consulate will have representatives on hand at the Thomas Cook Airlines ticketing counter in Terminal 6 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to assist passengers.
Montgomery said by the time the consulate-general sets up its passenger assistance at LAX, he expects most passengers will be aware of the situation and will have already made alternate travel arrangements.
Find out what's happening in Los Angeleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to Thomas Cook's website, the British government and Civil Aviation Authority are "working together to do everything we can to support passengers due to fly back to the UK with Thomas Cook" through Oct. 6.
Around the world, travellers are having bigger problems than being stranded at the . Several people contacted the embassy in Cuba, contending their loved ones who booked travel through Thomas Cook have been ordered to pay massive bills, The Guardian reported.
City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.
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