Thomas Cook staff are paying tribute to the company on social media as employees remember their experiences.

One tweet from a former staff member reads: "Thanks for the memories that are priceless... so very, very sad."

Others spoke of their "privilege" to have worked for the 178-year-old firm.

Alex Regan
BBC News

Outside Leicester railway station a statue of Thomas Cook stands.

Near this site, the Midlands Baptist preacher organised day trips between Leicester and Loughborough in 1841.

Those day trips helped Cook build one of the most well-known travel companies in the UK.

Yvonne Russell, who walks past the statue daily, said: "Everyone from Leicestershire knows about Thomas Cook.

"My boyfriend’s from Loughborough and he said it started as train journeys between there and Leicester.”

But now the firm's 178-year reign has ended.

With the increase in cheap flights from the likes of EasyJet, Ryanair, and Jet 2, the High Street package holiday firm fell out of favour with the British public.

Mrs Russell said: “It’s the same where I work at Debenhams, online means no-one comes to the High Street.”

Image source, PA Wire

Downing Street has defended its decision not to use government money to rescue Thomas Cook.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: "A bailout would not have been a good use of taxpayers' money. We would have had to repatriate people later down the line and have lost more money in the process.

"It is obviously a very competitive market and it isn't the government's role to prop up companies when this sort of issue arises.

"Our decision was that injecting cash into the situation was not going to make it any better."

Around 21,000 are at risk after Thomas Cook went into liquidation in the early hours of Monday morning, 9,000 of which are based in the UK.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, reuters

BBC Radio 5 Live's Your Call programme featured travel expert Simon Calder and personal finance expert Martin Lewis taking calls from listeners on the collapse of Thomas Cook.

Questions included: What should you do if you are on holiday at the moment? What if you have a wedding booked abroad? And what should you do if you are a Thomas Cook employee?

Click here to listen on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Leanne Jones

Leanne Jones, a mother of two small boys in Milton Keynes, has found out that the Thomas Cook vouchers she’s been saving towards a holiday are worthless.

“I’m feeling rubbish. Every birthday and Christmas over the last two years I’ve been saving Thomas Cook vouchers to take my two young children on their first holiday abroad – Disneyland was the plan.

"I’ve got £800 worth and was planning to fly out next summer. I stand to lose all the money from the vouchers and my children will no longer get their holiday. After speaking with ATOL my vouchers are not covered and there is nothing anyone can do to help.

"That’s it, I’m going to have to start saving again. I have no other option. We’ll have to wait another two years for our next holiday."

Image source, PA Media

Staff at Thomas Cook's Peterborough headquarters have reportedly left the building in tears following the collapse of the tour operator.

Some were seen carrying boxes of their belongings.

Around 1,000 people were employed by the firm at its headquarters and it has 9,000 UK staff overall.

Image source, Getty Images

About 50,000 mainly British tourists are stranded in Greece predominantly on the island resorts of Zakynthos, Kos, Corfu, Skiathos and Crete, the country's tourism minister said.

"We have about 50,000 people in Greece and there has been a rescue plan, a plan of repatriation currently underway," Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis told Reuters.

"We are supporting as much as we can," he said.

"Extra flights have been booked at Greek airports and already the first 15 have come to ensure those people go back smoothly to their homeland. Also, the cost of their stay for the rest of their holidays is being covered," he Theoharis said.

Image source, PA Media

Employees at Thomas Cook's High Street shops had meetings this morning with representatives from the special managers, KPMG who have been appointed to oversee the liquidation of the the travel company.

Most were told that they were being made redundant and pointed to the information here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thomas-cook-information-for-customers-employees-creditors-and-shareholders, external

In short, they should apply for redundancy payments from the Insolvency Service.

Employees at the airline and engineering arms will also have to apply for redundancy.

Some of the shop workers are being kept on – but there is no definite number.

The shops did not open and will remain closed today.

The Thomas Cook engineering team were also met by KPMG staff.

Thomas Cook's flight from Orlando to Manchester landed at 08:52 - according to Flight Radar, external, it was the stricken operator's final flight. The BBC has spoken to some of the passengers who were on board.

Anthony Speak, 64, and Wendy Willis, 57, said the atmosphere on the flight was very different from their outward journey on 8 September.

"The staff were crying and it was very sombre," said Ms Willis.

"But the staff were brilliant and very professional, despite not having a job when they landed."

"We saw one of the girls in floods of tears," added Mr Speak, from Dudley, West Midlands.

More here

Great Northern, the rail operator, says it will allow Thomas Cook passengers who have travelled to an airport to obtain a full refund for train tickets.

It said it wanted to "support those impacted" by waiving refund fees on train journeys to and from London Luton Airport and London Gatwick Airport.

It will also allow those who may return later than planned to travel on the next available service.

Mounting delays have been reported at Mahon Airport in Menorca in Spain.

Repatriation flights are on their way to destinations across the world to help transport Thomas Cook passengers back to Britain, the Civil Aviation Autority said.

Image source, Getty Images

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) should step in to protect the more than 13,000 members of Thomas Cook’s four pension schemes following the group’s collapse.

However, while workers who are over the age of their normal retirement will get full benefits, those who have not yet reached normal retirement age will be paid 90% of their promised pension, up to a cap of £40,000.

Members with bigger pensions will get at least 50% of their old age pensions, under PPF rules.

Meanwhile, the 3,000 or so retired members of Thomas Cook’s pension schemes will continue to have their pensions paid in full by the trustees.

A PPF spokesperson said: “Following the confirmation that Thomas Cook has gone into liquidation we await notification that the associated schemes have entered PPF assessment.

"We want to assure members of Thomas Cook’s defined benefit pension schemes that their benefits remain protected by the PPF at what must be a very worrying time for all concerned.”

Kevin Peachey
Personal finance reporter

Thomas Cook customers have a host of questions, affecting everything from cruises to gift cards.

Some of today’s key questions are answered here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49768687

The answers to some others will only emerge in the coming days.

Consumer experts suggest that anyone who is affected should keep paperwork, receipts, and emails safe for any possible future claims.

Holidaymaker Fatima De Andrade said that the hotel she is staying has tried to stop residents from leaving.

Image source, Getty Images

Good news for holders of Lyk, Thomas Cook's pre-paid card: your cash should be safe despite the holiday company's collapse.

"The Thomas Cook multi-currency travel card is unaffected by today’s news," a Mastercard spokesperson told the BBC.

"The safety of your money is not affected as the funds are not held by Thomas Cook, but by Wirecard Card Solutions Limited (Wirecard) as the issuer of your card.

"Cardholders can continue to use their cards as normal."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Ruth Morse was to get married in Cyprus on 14 October and had paid for a package holiday and some wedding services through Thomas Cook.

“Two years ago my brother was murdered it was a sad time for the family. My partner had always planned to propose to me and was going to ask my brother’s permission but never got round to it,” she said, adding that it was her late brother's money which paid for the wedding.

“As a family, two years we’ve planned for our dream wedding, it’s kept us going and kept us focussed and then waking up to this news today is just absolutely devastating.”

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

There's good news for Meghan in Turkey (see post below) after the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism pledged protection for UK tourists from being charged extra or thrown out by local hotels.

It's also promised financial support to businesses that may be affected from Thomas Cook's collapse.

NTV news channel reported that a "credit loan package" will shortly be announced for any businesses that may damaged by Thomas Cook's activities.

There are 21,033 guests from Thomas Cook UK in Turkey, it said, adding that all payments associated with their stay are covered by ATOL.

The ministry warned hotel managements against demanding payments from Thomas Cook UK guests or evicting them.

Legal proceedings will be launched against any such companies, it said.