Customers forced to pay surcharge on board, Thomas Cook Canada launches

November 17, 2011

Customers forced to pay surcharge on board, Thomas Cook Canada launches

I can just see the flight attendant. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, does anyone on board happen to have an ATM in their pocket?"

It sounds like theatre of the absurd times 100, but reports out of Britain and Austria say passengers on a chartered Austrian Comtel Air (never heard of it) flight from Amritsar, India to Birmingham, England were forced to pay out more than $30,000 in cash to pay for fuel.

According to the BBC, more than 180 passengers were stranded on the tarmac in Vienna during a refuelling stop after being told the airline "ran out of cash to fund the last leg of the trip".

Passengers (thanks to the Mail online for the photo) said the airline then threatened to remove their luggage from the plane if they did not pay up. There was a six-hour standoff (bet they didnt' serve food) before Austrian police arrived and escorted passengers to ATMs to get cash.

Bhunpinder Kandra, director of passenger services for Comtel Air, reportedly said: "I have heard what happened, it shouldn't have happened, and I will investigate why it happened.

"The people who had to pay the money will receive a refund."

Gee, what a guy. And you thought Ryanair's idea of paying for on-board toilets was tough.

THOMAS COOK CANADA

Thomas Cook, a global travel company with more than 170 years experience in the biz, this week announced its new Canadian website - thomascook.ca. The site was launched in conjunction with the rebranding of 150 Thomas Cook retail shops across Canada, from B.C. to Newfoundland.

"Consumers now have more choice when booking travel with Thomas Cook by giving them a call, clicking to book online or coming in to any of the Thomas Cook branded retailers," officials said.

Stuart Morris, Senior Vice President of Ecommerce, said the site was developed with Canadian travelers in mind and includes a full offering of online travel tools and options at exceptional prices. In addition, he said, Thomas Cook Affiliate Agencies have customized versions of the Thomascook.ca site with deals selected for their local market.

And that can't help but be good news for Canadian consumers.

Posted by Jim Byers at 08:23:28 AM in airlines, asia, Bargains, canada, Current Affairs, europe, Great Britain, tourism, Travel, Web/Tech

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Travel Blog by Jim Byers

Jim Byers is the Star's Travel Editor. He has been writing travel stories for more than a decade, covered five Olympic Games and spent years covering the Blue Jays, the Toronto Raptors and the PGA Tour. He's been everywhere from Bonavista to Vancouver Island, as well as China, Hong Kong, Australia, the Caribbean, Thailand, Mexico, Tahiti, New Zealand, Vietnam, a dozen countries in Europe and just about every major city in the U.S. Okay, he was only in Liechtenstein for a couple hours in a rental car and his only visit to New Orleans was when he was 12, but you get the picture.

November 17, 2011