Flight attendant’s devastating announcement on last ever flight
The world reacted with shock and fury when Thomas Cook collapsed, leaving thousands of travellers around the world stranded, but true heartbreak was felt by those who worked on the front line – the cabin crew.
As passengers on an overnight Thomas Cook flight from Cancun to Manchester woke to the news the 179-year-old travel company had gone under, a flight attendant took to the in-flight PA system to deliver a heartbreaking message as the plane made its last ever trip to the UK.
The gut wrenching moment was recorded by a passenger.
Visibly emotional, the flight attendant began the announcement by apologising for the delay in boarding the aircraft in Cancun.
“As some of you may be aware, you may have switched your phones on this morning …” he told passengers, before becoming too overwhelmed with emotion as he found it hard to continue.
“Come on, come on!” called out passengers, as they encouraged him to keep going.
The flight attendant took a moment before saying: “I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all the crew on board for operating in such a professional manner, all the way back to the UK, getting you all back here safe and sound.”
“We do have many friends, colleagues, throughout the business today and we’re sure you’ll appreciate…
“We’d just like to say thank you to those customers who’ve flown with us for many years, those customers who’ve flown with us for the first time. We do hope you’ve enjoyed your flight with Thomas Cook, and you’ve been the last people to be on this aircraft. So please have a safe journey onwards. Thank you.”
After a huge round of applause from all those present, the pilot then made an announcement of his own on the PA system, as he echoed the flight attendant’s sentiments.
He said his colleagues at Thomas Cook had been “fantastic people to work with”.
“It’s been a pleasure for 25 years now, for me,” he said. “Thank you very much, crew.”
The flight from Cancun to Manchester was one of the final flights for Thomas Cook, which announced that it was going into compulsory liquidation after failing to secure an extra $368 million demanded by its lenders over the weekend.