Goldtrail collapse leaves Britons in Greece and Turkey

Mark McLay arrived at Glasgow airport for a 2045 BST flight but was not told of the company’s demise until the early hours of Saturday, long after he and his girlfriend had already checked in for his plane to Bodrum in Turkey.

“At 0100 BST we were called together and told over the Tannoy that Goldtrail had gone into administation, that we would not be flying and that we would be escorted out of the building,” he said.

“One woman was crying and it was bad for the families although everyone took it as well as could be expected.”

The CAA said flights home from Turkey would operate as normal but holidaymakers in Greece were warned to expect changes.

Those in Greece are advised to check with representatives at local airports. The company used charter airlines such as Onur Air, Turkuaz and Viking.

It is thought that as many as 50,000 holidaymakers who have booked flights over the summer will be affected by the company’s collapse.

One traveller, Martin Plimmer, said he had booked his flights through Goldtrail and faced losing all the money spent on his accommodation if he couldn’t find the finances to pay for new flights.

“We were told we would have to pay for any new flights and claim that back through the CAA as Goldtrail were ATOL-protected.

“Our predicament was however that if we couldn’t afford the flights we would lose the £1500 that we paid for our all-inclusive hotel because it was through a different company.”

Another customer, Cassie Inns, from Surrey, was hoping to fly to Turkey on Monday, and said the situation was “a nightmare”.

Manchester Airport has said it is expecting about 800 passengers booked with Goldtrail to pass through the airport on Saturday and a further 800 on Sunday.

‘Join queue’

Simon Calder, Travel Editor of the Independent, said: “There will be people waking up, hearing the news that Goldtrail has gone bust, thinking ‘well, what’s going to happen to my holiday?’