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Newlyweds left ‘devastated’ after £7,000 Maldives honeymoon cancelled in Thomas Cook collapse

Tourists stand by a counter of Thomas Cook at Heraklion airport on the island of Crete after the travel group collapsed
Tourists stand by a counter of Thomas Cook at Heraklion airport on the island of Crete after the travel group collapsed (Picture: AFP/Getty)

A pair of newlyweds say they are “devastated” after the collapse of Thomas Cook led to the cancellation of their honeymoon in the Maldives.

The tourism giant announced on Monday that it had ceased trading after failing to secure a last-ditch rescue deal and the Government’s refusal to bail it out.

Lewis and Amy Bromiley from Manchester, had been looking forward to their honeymoon booked with Thomas Cook after getting married in August.

Mr Bromiley, a 25-year-old insurance worker from Manchester, said: “We’ve got our honeymoon package booked which was the last one available in January, and now it’s cancelled.

“It appears we won’t be able to go to the same place now, and will have to wait a while to get our £7,000 refunded.

“We’ll have to wait for the refund which could takes months, due to the amount of people claiming. We won’t be able to rebook now, we’ll have to change destination as this was the last availability.

Empty check-in desks at the Thomas Cook section of Manchester Airport
Empty check-in desks at the Thomas Cook section of Manchester Airport (Picture: PA/Getty)

“We booked it over a year ago, so we were well prepared and had got the best deal. Me and my wife are devastated.”

Meanwhile, a bride and groom whose wedding party paid £40,000 for flights and hotels through Thomas Cook are nervously waiting to find out if their marriage can go ahead.

Amy Wright, 27, and a wedding party of about 40 people were due to travel on October 3 to the island of Kos in Greece.

Her sister Katie Langley, 23, said the group had paid between £35,000 and £40,000 for the two-week trip through Thomas Cook, including flights and hotels.

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After booking through a freelance travel agent who uses Thomas Cook, the group are waiting to find out what their options are before contacting the hotel who have been arranging the ceremony.

The wedding party has looked at alternative flights but prices have "shot up" since the news of the collapse, Ms Langley said.

"We're ATOL protected but we've found out that if your hotel hasn't been paid yet that you might not get your money back," she said.

"We paid by credit card but some people in the group didn't. We've got a six-month period to wait to get the money back."

Asked if the wedding might need to be rearranged for next year, the law student, from Manchester, said: "I think she'll have to.

A Thomas Cook passenger aircraft taxis after landing at Manchester Airport on Monday
A Thomas Cook passenger aircraft taxis after landing at Manchester Airport on Monday (Picture: AFP/Getty)

"She was having a party on November 16 for the people back at home, so I guess she could turn the party into a non-wedding party.

"Everybody has booked two weeks off work so we're not sure what to do with the time off if we don't go."

Lucy Jessop from Hull has been holidaying in Mexico for two weeks and said she had been set to fly to Manchester with Thomas Cook on Tuesday.

She said she was “initially worried” after hearing about the company’s closure but the government had been “amazing” in organising an alternative flight.

Ms Jessop said: “It’s the employees of Thomas Cook and all those due to go on holiday I feel for. We were the lucky ones, I suppose.”

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