Monarch: what to do if you have flights booked with airline

The news that Monarch, the UK’s fifth-largest airline, was going into administration and cancelling all scheduled flights threw thousands of holidaymakers into panic this morning.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it is launching a massive operation to ensure the 110,000 Monarch customers left stranded abroad get back to the UK - but for the 300,000 people booked to fly with the airline in the coming weeks and months, the future is uncertain.

Customers hoping to find advice on Monarch’s Twitter feed were greeted with a message simply stating that “there will be no more Monarch flights” and that the airline’s Twitter account would no longer be monitored.

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So here’s what to do if you were booked to fly with Monarch:

- If you have already made your outward journey, don’t worry: You will almost certainly be eligible to be brought back to the UK at no extra charge.

If your flights were part of a package holiday booked in the UK, you are Atol-protected, which means you are entitled to a refund and will be found a seat on a return flight with a different carrier at the scheduled end of your trip: you do not have to cut your holiday short.

Customers with a flight-only Monarch booking made on or before 14 December 2016 are also Atol-protected.

Those who booked flights only after 14 December are not Atol-protected, but anyone due to return to the UK between now and 15 October will be brought home “at no cost to them, by the Government, via one of 30 planes being chartered by the CAA”, says The Guardian.

- If your return flight was due to leave after 15 October and you are not Atol-protected, unfortunately, you must make alternative travel arrangements. Contact your card issuer and travel insurance provider for information on refunds.

- Check for news on the Monarch website: customer information and details of all return flights can be found on Monarch’s website, which is now being run by the CAA.

The site says: “If your flight is not yet shown, please do not worry as we are working around the clock to rearrange flights and will publish details when they are confirmed.” Information about return flights should be available at least 48 hours before passengers are due to travel.

- If you are supposed to return to the UK within the next 48 hours and cannot see the details for your replacement flight, you can call the CAA’s helpline. From the UK, call 0300 303 280: from outside the UK, the number is +44 1753 330 330.

- Get to the airport early for return flights. Due to the short notice and large scale of the operation to get stranded passengers back to the UK, the CAA is advising passengers to get to the airport at least three hours before their scheduled replacement flight.

- If you have booked to travel to the UK and then to a non-UK country, you will be able to fly to the UK on a replacement flight but you will need to book new transport home.

- If you have yet to begin your journey, do not go to the airport: as of midnight 2 October, Monarch has ceased trading and will not operate any further flights. If you were booked to travel as part of a package holiday or booked your flight before 15 December 2016, you will be able to claim a refund through Atol - a claim form will be made available. If your flight-only booking was made after this date, you will need to contact your card issuer or insurer for information about refunds.