Passengers On Thomas Cook's Flights Arrange Whip Rounds For Staff

Passengers aboard Thomas Cook's final flights have organised whip rounds for staff after being told the company had collapsed.

Staff on flights from Orlando and Las Vegas were reportedly left in tears after the kind gesture from passengers as they dealt with the devastating news that Thomas Cook had gone into liquidation, leaving cabin crew in the dark about whether they would even get paid.

Speaking to the Mirror, Stephanie Kaye, who was one of the 326 passengers on the flight from Las Vegas, said: "One of the staff members made an announcement at the beginning of the journey to say they knew as much as we did, so please bear that in mind if you hear anything.

"And she said, if you're that way inclined, please say a little prayer for us and it got a bit emotional as everyone started clapping.

"At the end, the pilot came over on the tannoy and said, 'That's the end of our dream.'

"And he mentioned how staff wouldn't be getting paid so he asked us to thank the rest of the crew.

"Then, everyone clapped again and staff were in tears and thanking the passengers for making it a nice flight."

She says that then as the journey was almost over, some passengers decided to get together a collection for staff and most people were happy enough to dig deep.

"People were very generous," she told the paper. "They were throwing in wads of dollars, it was two carrier bags worth of coins and notes.

"And it got handed over at the end of the flight and staff came over the tannoy, they thanked us again for the support, and said how overwhelmed they were."

She went on to say the staff acted professionally through the flight and that they 'could not be faulted'.

Fellow passenger Tommy Laing took to Facebook to say he was on his way back from Vegas when they were told 'mid-flight' that the flight they were on was one of 'the last Thomas Cook flights anywhere and they had lost their jobs' - leaving many of the passengers in tears.

However, he says a woman then suggested they organise a whip-round and 'got £5,000'.

Many people have been quick to heap praise on the hard-working staff; a couple of days ago a plane full of passengers were filmed applauding staff and wishing them 'good luck' for the future.

Topics: UK News

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

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