The collapse of seat-only operator Kiss Flights has left agents struggling to find replacement holidays for clients, some of whom had rebooked with Kiss after the failure of Goldtrail Holidays last month.
Online agents and small independents were scouring their systems this week to rebook clients. Bookable Holidays marketing director Craig Ashford said: “We are struggling to find availability and costs are astronomical. There is nothing left that’s cheap and cheerful.”
Grant Lawson, the northeast general manager of Broadway Travel, said all his staff were working on rebooking hundreds of customers.
“It is a different ball game following the Goldtrail collapse. It is not about prices shooting up: there’s no availability over the next seven to 10 days after what’s been a poor British summer.”
Dave Clayton, managing director of Global Travel Group, said members had about 400 customers overseas and 1,400 customers with forward bookings. He said agents specialising in dynamic packaging had been worst hit.
Travel Counsellors chairman David Speakman, who did not sell Kiss Flights, said the collapse would knock consumer confidence in the travel industry.
He said: “It doesn’t do any good for the customer to continually see this in the press. The industry will have to do something to tackle financial protection and not leave it to the government.”
Kiss ceased trading with 13,000 customers overseas and 60,000 booked to travel. Some holidaymakers lost their second holiday in weeks as Kiss had picked up many Goldtrail bookings.
Those abroad will be able to complete their holidays and, for the first time, the Civil Aviation Authority arranged for people to travel on holiday for the 24 hours following the failure.
Flight Options boss Gary Ash said he was “devastated” at the company’s failure. He blamed the combination of April’s volcanic ash crisis, the failure of Goldtrail, late booking trends and “negative publicity”.