23.09.19
Train companies support Thomas Cook customers by relaxing ticket rules
Train companies under Network Rail have stepped in to help amid the Thomas Cook travel chaos, with the Rail Delivery Group has released a statement today saying that they will relax ticket rules for Thomas Cook customers who are affected by the collapse.
Thomas Cook, the oldest travel company in the UK, announced it was ceasing trading this morning (23 September), leaving 150,000 stranded on holiday and 21,000 people without jobs.
Some people will have specific trains booked as part of a Thomas Cook package and some might have booked trains separately in order to get to the airport.
Regardless of the situation, the message from the Rail Delivery Group is that train operators will let people catch the first available train, irrespective of the ticket you have booked, in order to get home as quickly and smoothly as possible.
The only stipulation is that it has to be a train with the same operator as who you booked the original ticket with.
In order to claim the offer, people will just need to prove that they were a customer of Thomas Cook. This can be through a booking confirmation, e-ticket or boarding pass.
Billy Denyer, director of customer propositions at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “The collapse of Thomas Cook is very sad news for the company’s customers and staff.
“Train companies understand that people returning from their holidays will just want to get home quickly and with as little stress as possible and are happy to help by relaxing normal ticket rules.”