Freedom Travel Group consortium members and homeworkers have been given access to their Tarsc booking systems just over a week after they were shut down following the collapse of Thomas Cook.
Vertical Systems, which owns and runs Tarsc, said it was given authorisation to allow access at 10am on Tuesday morning after “lengthy discussions” with liquidators KPMG.
Members will have view-only access to the data for six months in order to manage claims processes and fulfil bookings.
Vertical’s managing director Chris North told Travel Weekly Abta had “made the access possible” by funding the additional work taken on by the tech firm to reactivate servers.
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He said access had been delayed due to it needing to be signed off by KPMG’s legal team.
“We would like to thank Abta, especially John de Vial (head of financial protection) and his team for making this possible in the interests of our travel industry friends,” North said. “The association wanted to protect industry and they deserve credit.”
A note that went out to Freedom members today stated: “Abta has enabled this facility in order to assist users in supporting Abta and CAA claims processes, supporting fulfilment where relevant and providing support to third party (non-Thomas Cook Group) tour operators, all for the benefit of consumers.
“Freedom Travel and Freedom PTA agents will have access to their Freedom and Future Tarsc system bookings from 10am Tuesday 1st October. The system will be available for an initial 6-month period.
“Thereafter, any further access will be subject to normal commercial negotiations with Vertical Systems.”
North said Vertical had “come to an agreement” with the CAA and had passed on booking data to Hays Travel last week.
Hays was appointed by the CAA to fulfil Freedom agency members’ bookings made under its own Atol.
But the deal did not cover the bookings of 140 homeworkers who are part of Freedom Personal Travel Advisors, the trading name of Future Travel.
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