XL holidays about to go tits up

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

Seriously big travel company, lots of flights from Gatwick

Thousands may be stranded as XL Leisure prepares to declare bankruptcy - Times Online

Frankly it serves them right for stiffing me €45 for six kilos of excess baggage at Malaga airport last month. C**ts.

 

[Al Bion]

Not good news for anyone who has a holiday booked with them

or West Ham

 

[Icy Gull]

Now happened

BBC NEWS | Business | Holiday firm XL in administration

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Bad news - third largest tour operator in the UK the report says. Based in Crawley.

 

[Everest]

Bugger. That means I won't be getting rid of the wife in a couple of weeks

 

[GatwickEmployee]

Lots of unhappy people at Gatwick today when i was coming home...
All flights completely grounded to a halt... Major shock as was not expected

Who do u book with now?

Is anyone safe?

 

[Gazwag]

Lots of unhappy people at Gatwick today when i was coming home...
All flights completely grounded to a halt... Major shock as was not expected

Who do u book with now?

Is anyone safe?

they are the lucky ones though, my sister was flying home from Florida tomorrow with them and it appear they are not even ATOL protected

 

[coventrygull]

Think it will be the first of many. So be carefull who you book with and how you book.

 

[Beach Hut]

Think it will be the first of many. So be carefull who you book with and how you book.

Definitely how you book and suggest not over the web.

Thankfully our half-term week in Lanzarote is not with XL

 

[clippedgull]

Book with credit card and then you are 100% safe (as long as your spend is over £100). NOT debit card.

 

[Easy 10]

Book with credit card and then you are 100% safe (as long as your spend is over £100). NOT debit card.

Absolutely.
So many people on the radio this morning who paid by debit card - they are basically STUFFED, and will get absolutely nothing for their lost booking.

In this day and age, its an absolute no-brainer. Any flights or holidays MUST be booked with a credit card, you'd be an idiot not to.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Oh dear. The father of a good friend is/was a pilot for XL. Moved there from BA as they were a proper airline and nice to work for.

Whilst I have sympathy for the holidaymakers, it is much worse for those who will be out of a job.

 

[Beach Hut]

Absolutely.
So many people on the radio this morning who paid by debit card - they are basically STUFFED, and will get absolutely nothing for their lost booking.

In this day and age, its an absolute no-brainer. Any flights or holidays MUST be booked with a credit card, you'd be an idiot not to.

Although if you book by credit card you are normally charged 3% tax as opposed to none with a debit card

 

[hitony]

Bugger. That means I won't be getting rid of the wife in a couple of weeks

I think I will be mine is the Accounts Manager for a string of travel Agents, here in south Wales and i just spoke to her and because of this, it is causing her absolute havoc and grief, apparently they started queing up outside the differant branches from ell early this morning, not that i blame the people for doing so.

But methinks she will be burning the midnight oil on this one

 

[hitony]

Absolutely.
So many people on the radio this morning who paid by debit card - they are basically STUFFED, and will get absolutely nothing for their lost booking.

In this day and age, its an absolute no-brainer. Any flights or holidays MUST be booked with a credit card, you'd be an idiot not to.

Or via an agent and you are covered by ATOL & ABTA.

 

[binky]

Although if you book by credit card you are normally charged 3% tax as opposed to none with a debit card

Which helps to pay for the insurance you get... duh

 

[Beach Hut]

Which helps to pay for the insurance you get... duh

The point is why should you need to pay a credit card charge for every purchase ?

If you bought something in Next with a credit card you do not pay an extra 3%..........

 

[binky]

The point is why should you need to pay a credit card charge for every purchase ?

If you bought something in Next with a credit card you do not pay an extra 3%..........

There is a credit card charge on every transaction, to the merchant.
That charge, the discount rate, can vary between 1.75% and 5%, depending on size of merchant, size of average transaction at the merchant, and lots of other variables.

Some merchants simply absorb the charge as part of the cost of doing business. It gets embedded into the price of the goods. (This is why it's always worthwhile asking for a discount for cash).

Other merchants, particularly in industries with competition driven by price, and where margins are low, expose the charge to the cardmember so that their headline prices look cheaper.

 

[Bozza]

The point is why should you need to pay a credit card charge for every purchase ?

If you bought something in Next with a credit card you do not pay an extra 3%..........

You don't spend £4000 in Next when you make a purchase though, do you? Or maybe you do.

Regardless, the money (which is a charge, not a tax as you stated above) recompenses the merchant for the charge levied by the card payment provider for allowing them to accept the payment by credit card.

When your margins are wafer thin, taking a £120 charge for making a £4000 sale would sting you considerably.

But no-one is under any obligation to use a credit card to make a travel booking, but if you are paying cash, or equivalent, make sure you are buying a package, or similar, from an ABTA or ATOL bonded agent or operator. Do not buy flight only direct with the airline in this way as if they do go bust, you're money is gone.

 

[Mr Burns]

There is a credit card charge on every transaction, to the merchant.
That charge, the discount rate, can vary between 1.75% and 5%, depending on size of merchant, size of average transaction at the merchant, and lots of other variables.

Some merchants simply absorb the charge as part of the cost of doing business. It gets embedded into the price of the goods. (This is why it's always worthwhile asking for a discount for cash).

Other merchants, particularly in industries with competition driven by price, and where margins are low, expose the charge to the cardmember so that their headline prices look cheaper.

I am a merchant, and pay 2.1% and my turnover is a piss in the ocean compared to these companies, and theres no way they more than 2%, more likely as low as 1% so theres profit in this 3% charge they make.

There waS TALK a while ago that this charge was going to be made illegal, but i dont know what come of that