Passengers come through for Thomas Cook Cabin Crew
It’s been a catastrophic week for Thomas Cook Cabin Crew and staff. The global holiday and travel company went into liquidation in the early hours of Monday morning.
However the public response has been nothing short of amazing.
Passenger Kindness
On one of the the last Thomas Cook flights on Monday, from Dalamam, Turkey, to Cardiff a kind-hearted passenger Elaine Kerslake from Pontypridd started an impromptu whip-round for the crew on board. This raised more than £700 from generous passengers.
Elaine said:
“We got on the plane and found out that the air hostesses were working for free to get us all home. So I said, I’m going to start a whip-round. I thought, it’s not fair on these girls, and went around and raised over £700.”
Crew made an emotional announcement over the PA system expressing their gratitude to the passengers for their kindness.
Similarly, on what operators stated was officially the final Thomas Cook flight from Orlando to Manchester, passengers collected around £5000 for the staff. Crew were apparently visibly upset after having found out mid-flight that they had lost their jobs, and would not be getting paid at the end of the month.
Overwhelmed crew were in tears as they thanked the passengers for their generosity.
Passenger Stephanie Kaye from Leeds reported that staff were “Really friendly and professional” during boarding, despite at that point not knowing if the company could be saved.
Apparently the crew were informed by the pilot during the flight of the company’s demise.
Emotions Running High
On the Thomas Cook flight from Cancun to Manchester on Sunday Cabin crew manager Alex sobbed as he made the landing announcement. In the emotional speech he thanked the crew for maintaining a professional attitude, and the passengers for choosing to fly with the airline.
You can watch the video here. The support from passengers can clearly be seen as they clap and cheer the distraught Alex on through his announcement.
Thomas Cook crew on all of the final flights have been commended by passengers and colleagues alike for their professionalism and excellent customer service, despite the devastating news.
With all the difficulties that crew experience on a daily basis, dealing with sometimes difficult passengers and keeping everything on board running smoothly, it’s heartwarming to see the appreciation for the job that they do!
Some long-haul Thomas Cook crew were stranded in Cuba and Las Vegas, struggling to arrange flights back to the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority launched ‘Operation Matterhorn’ to get stranded crew home, and Virgin Atlantic were praised for their role in assisting crew in getting seats.
Virgin have also stepped in to help Thomas Cook Cabin Crew by opening an exclusive recruitment campaign.
Were you part of the affected Thomas Cook Crew? Do you know someone who was? Our article could be helpful!