Everyone is talking as if Monarch actually needs an ATOL to sell its flights. It doesn't and neither does (for example) easyJet .
From the easyJet site this evening:
"FAQ: Does easyJet have an ATOL/ABTA number?
Answer: We do not have an ATOL or ABTA number.
ABTA numbers are for members of the Association of British Travel Agents and ATOL is a protection scheme that does not apply when you book directly with an airline. If you book your flights or holiday via a travel agent or other third party ask them for their ABTA or ATOL numbers."
So let's keep things in perspective here - the press (circling like vultures as they always do for a nice juicy company failure) is basically saying that Monarch needs an ATOL licence or it is bust, but in reality ZB only actually needs this licence to sell holidays. Mon was profitable last year and expects to be so this and has submitted Companies House figures for last year and EBITDAR figures for this to support this. Plenty of other operators don't need to even have the annual conversation with the CAA over ATOL (and they thus contribute nothing to that particular holiday bail-out fund), and so we are thus deprived of the CAA's annual opinion of their finances.
easyJet (for example) sells ALL of its flight-only bookings without giving an ATOL certificate (except those asscociated with easyJet holidays, which are sold through a third party).