Originally Posted by
oldart
I read somewhere that the government were footing the bill for getting Thomas Cook customers back home. However I am aware that when bookings were made and a ATOL certificate was issued, there was a small charge made for this. Where did that money go, does anybody know?
Funding and administration
ATOL is run by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It is able to provide assistance by requiring ATOL holders to pay a fee of £2.50 for each traveller, which is held in a fund managed by the Air Travel Trust. This fund is used to refund, repatriate or reimburse travellers for the cost of repaying for the affected parts of their trip.
This money creates a fund that will support consumers to minimise disruption to their holiday or, if they are no longer able to travel, provide a full refund for the holiday.