A Thomas Cook manager and four colleagues from an Edinburgh branch have volunteered to help customers with CAA claim forms following the company’s collapse.
Paul Morgan will host an advice session on Friday (October 11) with Rachael Miller, Nadia Galeotti, Joni McKenzie and Lynne Nelson at their former premises in the Cameron Toll shopping centre.
He said they will go ahead with the session as they wait to hear about what the Hays Travel acquisition of Thomas Cook shops will mean for them.
They may even hold a second session if there is demand, as there were more than 100 messages on the Facebook page of the Edinburgh Evening News, which posted an article about their plans.
Morgan said he was “dumbstruck but in a pleasant way” when he heard about the Hays Travel acquisition.
“I have felt numb and sick over the past couple of weeks,” said Morgan, who has worked for Thomas Cook for 19 years, since leaving school.
“Nothing has been set in black-and-white yet but [Hays] could be the golden pot at the end of the rainbow.”
He said he has a love of travel and felt the need to help clients despite losing his job, especially as some customers were not tech-savvy.
His team has permission and tables from Costa Coffee to set up their pop-up advice hub outside the cafe in Cameron Toll shopping centre.
They will be equipped with iPads to help former customers from 10am until 2pm.
“It will be a real team effort,” he added.
Meanehile, Pat Rafferty, Scottish secretary for the Unite union, said: “Unite is delighted that Hays Travel has stepped in to save the former Thomas Cook shops potentially saving thousands of jobs.
“It’s as yet unclear whether all the 60 shops and all the jobs in Scotland will be saved, and there are also a number of legal issues which require further clarification.
“Unite looks forward to representing our members to be employed by Hays Travel and to having discussions with the company about how we can assist in ensuring as many jobs are saved as possible.
“Whilst this is potentially good news for the Thomas Cook shop workers, the fight goes on with regards to the cabin crew and engineers.”
More: Ex-Thomas Cook agents hold advice clinic for customers