Saga Travel and sister firm Titan have become the latest operators to agree to the transfer of bookings from ex-Freedom Travel members to their new consortia following the collapse of Thomas Cook.
Agents will be able to reclaim the booking and full commission on all qualifying bookings.
Titan will also transfer bookings back to agents and their new consortia to ensure that they continue to be the client’s point of contact regarding their holiday.
Agents will be required to confirm their new Abta number to secure the booking.
All affected agents who were part of the former Thomas Cook-owned Freedom Travel Group consortium will be contacted by the Saga trade team by the end of the month.
If a booking does not qualify to be transferred back to the agent, Saga pledged to work with the agent to ensure suitable alternatives are offered and a “mutually agreeable solution” is reached.
Saga Travel head of trade sales Iain Powell said: “All of us at Saga are deeply saddened by the collapse of Thomas Cook.
“We have worked extremely hard in the last few weeks to minimise the impact on our mutual customers. At the same time, we have been working closely with all our trade partners to ensure the continuation of the fantastic relationships we have built in recent years.
“Those trade relationships are vital to the long-term growth and success of Saga Travel and we are therefore committed to managing this very complex process as fairly and quickly as possible.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our trade partners for their understanding and patience, as well as recognising the incredible industry we work in, which has pulled together so well in the face of unprecedented adversity.”
Saga will directly manage all holidays booked by the Thomas Cook Group departing before January 1, 2020, to provide minimal disruption to clients departing in the near future.
Titan Travel head of trade sales Edwina Coppock said: “Titan is very proud of the close relationship it holds with the trade and wants to reassure Freedom Travel Group members that we are here to support them.
“We wish to work with all agents going forward and help them reclaim their bookings, as per their new consortium’s agreement, as quickly as possible.
“We greatly appreciate all the hard work independent agents do and wish to honour those affected by the collapse of the Thomas Cook Group as fairly as possible.
“We look forward to continue trading with all ex-Thomas Cook Group members and homeworkers under their new consortiums.”
Meanwhile, attraction tickets specialist Do Something Different has fulfilled all 675 forward bookings made by Freedom members when Thomas Cook collapsed. The bookings were worth £685,000.
Head of sales and marketing Annabel Cove said the teams had been working 12 and 14-hour shifts to secure bookings.
She said: “There was a long period of uncertainty over how much risk we were going to be exposed to.”