FLY-BYE
Flybe stewardess breaks down in tears after airline ‘made her & colleagues redundant via email’ as collapse sparks chaos
A DEVASTATED Flybe air stewardess broke down in tears as she described the heartache of becoming jobless from the airline’s collapse.
Katherine Densham, who had worked for the carrier for 13 years, wept as she told a reporter “I’m not sure what I’m going to do”.
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The air stewardess said: "I've worked for them since leaving college.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do now.
"I heard in the early hours of the morning.
"It's a shock, I thought we'd be safe but not this time."
When asked what she planned to do next, she replied: "No idea. Try and find some way to pay the bills."
I've worked for them since leaving college. I'm not sure what I'm going to do now.
Katherine Densham
Katherine confirmed that staff were sent an email by Flybe boss Mark Anderson after rumours of the collapse broke on social media last night.
Now 2,400 workers face an uncertain future as they look for new jobs in an industry that saw Monarch and Thomas Cook airlines go bust over the past three years.
Flybe collapsed after panic over coronavirus dealt the carrier's fragile finances a killer blow - leaving tens of thousands of passengers stuck at airports home and abroad.
It comes as:
- easyJet offers free flights home for stranded Flybe passengers and staff
- Government asks train and bus companies to accept Flybe tickets
- Passengers who had bookings for today are urged to stay away from airports
- Customers will be forced to recoup cash from travel agents as many were not Atol protected
- Passengers will not be flown home in publicly-funded repatriation mission, CAA says
The carrier narrowly avoided going under in January but has continued to lose money.
It had tried to broker a £100m rescue loan with the government, but a deal could not be done in time.
A drop in demand for flights caused by the coronavirus fears "made a difficult situation worse" for the budget airline.
Mr Anderson last night told of his "enormous sadness" in a letter to staff in which he said Ernst & Young are expected to be appointed as administrators for the company.
Are you an affected passenger? Do you work for Flybe? Please phone +44 (0) 20 7782 4368 or email [email protected]
He wrote: "It's with enormous sadness and a deep feeling of sorrow that I share the upsetting news that Flybe is shortly being put into administration.
"Despite every effort, we now have no alternative — having failed to find a feasible solution to allow us to keep trading.
"Although I have only had the honour of being your CEO for eight months, its been an incredible privilege to lead such an amazing team of people and the Flybe family."
'No surprise'
CORONAVIRUS may have been the final nail in the coffin for Flybe but its failure was no surprise.
The regional airline had been critical for months. Back in January, the Government had to step in when the carrier ran low on funds.
And cash injections from its new owners — a consortium led by Virgin Atlantic — were not enough to stave off the inevitable.
Despite being the largest regional airline in Europe, it struggled to compete against low-cost carriers.
It was also hit by a double whammy of Air Passenger Duty on both legs on domestic flights.
Flybe will be mourned but with demand for flights falling since the start of the coronavirus epidemic, it may well not be the last airline infected by the climate of fear.
STRANDED PASSENGERS
Many passengers are now stranded in the wrong city with no means of getting home as seizure notices are placed on Flybe planes across the country.
When Monarch and Thomas Cook collapsed, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was ordered by the Department for Transport to launch a major repatriation operation to fly them home.
But the CAA has now confirmed the government would not order a publicy-funded widespread repatriation of stranded Flybe passengers.
In an effort to help stricken flyers, the government has told rail and bus firms to accept Flybe tickets and easyJet has offered those stuck at airports free flights home.
While RyanAir has launched rescue fares starting from £19.99 on five routes to accommodate those affected.
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FLY-BYE
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FLYBE AIRPORTS
The full list of UK airports used by Flybe is as follows:
Aberdeen
Anglesey
Barra
Benbecula
Belfast
Birmingham
Bristol
Cardiff
Derry
Doncaster
East Midlands
Edinburgh
Exeter
Glasgow
Guernsey
Humberside
Inverness
Islay
Isle of Man
Jersey
Kirkwall
Leeds Bradford
Liverpool
London City
London Gatwick
London Heathrow
London Southend
Manchester
Newcastle
Newquay
Southampton
Stornoway
Among those left in the lurch is Debbie Jonathan, who had forked out £160 to fly from Manchester to Exeter to visit her ex-serviceman son at the end of March.
But the 51-year-old said she had to cancel the weekend trip to see her son over the Flybe collapse - unable to drive down due to her Fibromyalgia, a syndrome that causes pain all over the body.
She told The Sun Online: "I only get to see my son about twice a year."
And she has almost given up on the trip to see her 30-year-old son, saying she needs to get the money back before she is able to book any more travel.
Debbie, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, said: "I paid on debit card so I'm hoping I can get it back from them but I don't think we'll be going anymore.
I can't afford to pay any more money until I can get the other money I spent back
Debbie Jonathan
"I can't afford to pay any more money until I can get the other money I spent back."
And biology student Gabriela Ribeiro, 22, is now stuck in Birmingham after her flight home to Aberdeen for tonight was cancelled.
She had flown to the West Midlands for her PHD interview at University of Warwick last night - but received a text message just this morning telling her that the return flight would no longer be going ahead.
Gabriela told Sun Online: "I was quite lucky because I came here from Aberdeen at 9pm last night - it was a flight from Glasgow that was one of the last Flybe flights to leave.
"But now I'm stuck.
I have to get home, I have lectures and exams and stuff. It's so stressful, I don't know what to do.
Gabriela Ribeiro
"I'm in Warwick and I got a text message. It just said 'Flybe has gone into administration, don't go to the airport.
"That was a 6 in the morning - what a way to start the day."
She said she had since called train services but was told a ticket home could cost more than £200 - something she can't afford.
Gabriela said: "I have to get home, I have lectures and exams and stuff.
"It's so stressful, I don't know what to do."
Patricia Quirke, 60, booked £73 flights from Dublin to Cardiff yesterday - hours before the collapse of the airline.
She told The Sun Online: "I just found out the news on my phone about Flybe - I just said 'what?!'."
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Patricia, who lives in Cork, said she had booked the flight to Wales to visit a friend - unsure how she would be able to travel there for future trips.
She added: "I feel really sorry for those people who are stranded, God love them.
"It's awful."
Phil Hoult was on a flight from Manchester bound for Exeter when it was grounded on the tarmac.
He believes he is one of the last passengers ever to travel on a Flybe flight.
Phil said: “It was really weird.
"It was hot and everybody was worried we’d be kicked out the airport with nowhere to go.
“Then all of a sudden the captain came out and told us they’d been playing with our emotions and we could go.”
Phil, who travelled up and back in a day for a funeral, said the plane eventually landed at 11pm, more than an hour after it was meant to.
He added: “It was a very long day."
NO BAIL OUT
Staff have also been left devastated by the airline's collapse with hundreds now forced to look for new jobs.
Back in January, it was thought a £100million bailout had been agreed between the government and Flybe to save the beleaguered airline from collapse.
Former business secretary, Andrea Leadsom, tweeted at the time: "Delighted that we have reached agreement with Flybe's shareholders to keep the company operating, ensuring that U.K. regions remain connected.
"This will be welcome news for Flybe's staff, customers and creditors and we will continue the hard work to ensure a sustainable future."
What does Flybe's collapse mean for staff and customers?
What would happen to customers already on holiday?
When previous airlines such as Monarch Airlines and Thomas Cook collapsed, the Civil Aviation Authority was ordered by the Department for Transport to launch a major repatriation operation to fly them home.
But the Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the government would order a publicy-funded widespread repatriation of stranded passengers.
Will travellers get a refund?
Some travel insurance companies will cover cancelled flights if they are the result of an airline collapse, but not all policies provide this coverage.
Holidaymakers can apply to their credit or debit card provider to be reimbursed.
Flights bought directly from airlines such as Flybe are not generally Atol protected but those bought through a separate travel company may be covered.
What type of bookings are protected?
The scheme protects most trips booked as a package, such as flights and accommodation, or flights and car hire. It also applies to some flight-only bookings, particularly when the tickets are not received immediately.
What protection does it offer?
If a business collapses while you are on holiday, the scheme will make sure you can finish your holiday and return home.
Customers who have not yet left home will be given a refund or replacement holi
But just a day later the government backtracked saying no such loan was confirmed after British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG) complained to the EU over the "unfair" rescue deal.
IAG said such a loan would give the struggling airline an unfair advantage.
Ms Leadsom was then axed from her role as secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in February as part of a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
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