General Chat

Another Airline down. Monarch has gone into administration. More poor people with cancelled holidays. :-( :-(

Monarch has been on the edge of going bust for months and has been likely to fold for a month. Don't people ever read the news or make basic checks?

Airline costs are mostly in hard currency - €uro, $US - while UK airlines revenue mostly soft £. This is not a viable business model.

Do you mean me Rollo. Yes I knew that but it is news that they have actually gone into administration. Most people will have booked holidays quite a long time ago before the 'rumblings' about Monarch started.

You are so lucky to be so intelligent to never get caught out. I envy you! (not) But you could be a little compassionate to those who have lost holidays. :-(

Rollo's 'understanding' response: "Monarch has been on the edge of going bust for months and has been likely to fold for a month. Don't people ever read the news or make basic checks?"

Well Monarch was in financial difficulties 3 years ago, but agreed a rescue deal.
So, should no-one have flown with them for the past 3 years?
Also , some 'all in' holiday deals use Monarch - should people not have taken that holiday?

It's not up to the General Public to assess the financial position of a firm that is offering a service. They can assess their general ability to run that service, but most of us don't look at the Financial Times before we hire a window cleaner.

Hi Ann,
At least, unlike Ryanair, people who are already on holiday won't be stranded (according to Monarch), and people have been told not to go to the Airport.
As you say, it's a shame for those who may have 'lost' a holiday.

My sister's friend is at an hotel in Birmingham desperately trying to find a flight to Turkey. My sister is flying to Turkey in a few days time, they were to spend the holiday together. (sister not with Monarch). So two people's holiday plans upset.

Monarch's financial woes stretch back a couple of years getting worse all the time gradually moving from the financial papers to mainstream - even the Mail was picking up on Monarch's problems earlier this year.

For those who paid by credit card getting a refund is fairly easy. Others are unlikely to see much short term compensation beyond a free trip home.

Monarch are far from being the first budget airline to fold in the lat few years and the industry expects more. The whole show has been built on the shaky foundations of an over valued £ sterling. RyanAir for instance has pulled in its horns very sharply.

All of the Monarch pilots will get a job in no time as there is a Europe wide pilot shortage. Experience crew will have few problems either.

Any consumer orientated business operating in the UK but with the bulk of its product costs within €uroland is going to be facing strong headwinds, not only airlines.

Good luck, I am sorry you were blitzed by this.

I always buy my tickets as late as poss. and have never bought a package holiday anyway. I like to see where I am staying before parting with my money.

yes, it is grown up people's responsibility to check out deals not to expect somebody to hand hold them all the time - a state of mind championed by Watchdog and others.

Monarch and tour operators using Monarch have been offering some very good deals. Maybe too good.

caveat emptor

Visa Debit payers are also covered but it may take a little while to get the money according to what I've just read.

Wonder if Ryan Air are recruiting Monarch pilots and staff :-D

Pat! :-D :-D :-D

Possibly - Monarch staff had a pay cut 3 years ago.

The company come under ATOS as well, so some protection.

I have a friend who comes to visit me every February. She booked for next year at the 'unbelievable' price of £68.00 return. More 'unbelievable' than she thought.

Another friend, with her daughter and baby grandson, were flying back from UK to Tenerife next Thursday with Monarch. Now booked flying via Madrid at a cost of 630 euros for two singles :-(

They should be ale to claim back the money for the alternative flight.

We personally gave up flying with Monarch when we had one flight where the seats were so close together you could not even get the tray down. when people complained to the crew, the response was, we have some planes even closer than this one.

Some years ago we flew with Monarch to Florida, 4 adults three young children (about 1998/9), we were delayed for something like 10 hours and we had the devil of a job to get any information or food vouchers out of them.

Many people have no choice but to book up months in advance, in which case any checks you make at that point may not reflect the situation months later. As much as they should always be aware it might be all they can afford.

Monarch has, or had, been used by tour operators. When you book a package holiday, you’ve virtually no choice which carrier you fly with.
Way back, ‘flight only’ seats used to be cheaper the closer to departure. Nowadays the price goes up.

It did amuse me last night when a couple were interviewed on TV. They were waiting to check in for a flight to Gibraltar. Let’s hope they have the money or credit limit to find an alternative homeward flight!

Be kind.

When you are an expert in every field ( apart maybe from the one with barley in it behind the cow shed) it must be very hard to conceive that others may not be.

...or don't want to be.......

What a life - staring at columns of figures and working out whether X Y or Z will still be viable before you book your flight for a holiday in 6 months time!

'Somebody' must be a reincarnation of Mystic Meg - as he believes he knows what the future holds, and we're all 'fools' for not knowing :-P

Shame he didn't warn everyone YEARS ago, when he first knew.

OH has a holiday booked for next June through "Sailing Holidays". If you book before December you get this year's prices, and to get the yacht you want you have to book early. The company always use Monarch, but presumably will now have to find an alternative carrier. They must have chartered the whole plane, because virtually all the passengers each time have been going sailing in Greece.

When you book an all inclusive hollday you aren't always aware which. Airline you will be travelling with
Last year our daughter and sil wanted to go to Egypt.
They booked online with a travel agent who were offering all inclusive via Sham el sheik

They weren't awsre that the airport wss closed because of an earlier terriost bomb on a german flighty

Trying to get a refund was trying to pull teeth even though there was no way we could fly into the airport cos no British airlines were scheduled to fly there

After a lot of emails and threats to report them to trading standards they backed down and refunded almost all the money and we rebooked to Hurghada

Had a lovely holiday but tt was after a lot of stress

The vote to leave the EU causing a run on the £ was the final straw, perhaps?