Stranded Zoom passengers faced with hotel and parking costs

Travellers who have been left marooned by the failure of budget trans-Atlantic carrier Zoom have described how they have had to cancel long-awaited holidays or have had to pay thousands of pounds for alternate flights to their destinations.

Zoom was founded six years ago by two Scottish millionaires, Hugh and John Boyle, and at the time of its collapse employed 600 staff in the UK and Canada. The airline grounded all of its flights on Friday night as it began the process of going into administration, citing the cause of its failure on high fuel prices.

The collapse of the airline left nearly 4,500 passengers from Britain already on holiday in another country, and without a way back home. Of this number, 650 were scheduled to travel in the 36 hour period following the grounding of Zoom’s flights. Another 2,000 customers of the budget airline were due to fly out from the UK during the next week.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stated that passengers who had purchased package deals were guaranteed a flight back home, and that those who booked their flights separately would have to seek assistance through their travel agents or credit card companies. Zoom indicated that around 80 per cent of its customers booked through a travel agent or used a credit card – or both – affording them some protection.

Many Zoom passengers who returned to Glasgow airport early on Saturday morning were trying to salvage their holiday plans, after spending Friday night in nearby airport hotels. The only help they found from their airline was a customer announcement that was taped to the desk at the Zoom counter.

www.flyzoom.com