Stranded Zoom Crews getting home

[Romeo Zulu]

Crew stranded in Vancouver/ Toronto/ New York/ Calgary: BA are blatantly refusing to help ..................... the truly is no honour amongst thieves.

[Tiger]

OK your upset regards your job and how the company you work for has gone tits up, but posting your comment on here serves you no purpose and won`t make anything better for you..

Perhaps the flights are full so they can`t help you. And what have the other airlines said to you?
The BA staff in the similar destinations as you flew are now dealing with your passengers.

Now take a deep breath.. and start again...

Why and should BA staff being helping you back to the UK?

If BA staff in those destinations read your above posting do you think they will help?

[Virginia]

To be fair, if my airline had gone bust I wouldn't be thinking straight would be upset/angry and worrying how to get home and how to pay my bills and mortgage!

After Silverjet stopped operations I'm sure the other airlines got the crew home.

BBC news says that Virgin/BA are offering Zoom pax vastly reduced fares...surely crew can take advantage of this too? You can't stay stranded abroad, you would get deported anyway?

Full sympathies to any crew affected, there for the grace of God etc In these difficult times it could happen to any of us. I know they had just restarted recruitment for LGW base as well. Very sad day. :(

This reminds me of when Swissair collapsed...crew downroute had to make their own way home.

[Virginia]

The London Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/2640412/Thousands-of-passengers-stranded-as-low-cost-airline-Zoom-collapses.html) says "British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are understood to be ready to fly passengers home with special one-way deals, following talks with Zoom. … Virgin Atlantic said that it was flying members of Zoom’s crew from New York to London as a 'gesture of goodwill' to the carrier."

[747-436]

BA are a business not a charity, I am sure they will help out all they can but why should they fly all the Zoom crew home for free?!??!

[Air123]

As someone who has been affected by an airline going bust i can only send my sympathys to the FD/CCrew of Zoom. Some of you are full of ''why should they help .. and they are business's''.. which is true.. but .. There before the grace of god... it could happen to anyone... I hope its true that Virgin or other airlines assist in giving up some seats to get these poor people home.. they are at work remember .. and they have just lost their jobs.. their problems have only just began as someone has already said'' they have bills/morgages to pay'' and partners to tell!!! :(

[Carnage Matey!]

Zoom went bust at 19:00 Uk time and 100 minutes later somebody is complaining that BA won't fly their staff home for nothing. Reality check please.

[saffaboi]

Why start slagging us off at BA, what about American airline,Air Canada,Virgin Atlantic,Air Transat helping out the stranded crew????????

We are helping your PAYING pax to get home or to there destination!! Really annoys me when people start posting NEGATIVE things about BA, when there are other airlines concerned!!!!!! v:mad:

[wiggy]

If you are a Zoom crewmember ( are you?) I accept you're upset but it's time to breath deeply rather than lash out, that comment was well below the belt. If you aren't a Zoom crew member ....


AFAIK BA's loads into the UK are high the moment (end of school holiday's) The Company have, I believe, already offered to help Zoom's commercial Pax but stranded crew always end up at the end of the line when this happens. I'm sure that crewmembers of any airline would will try to help Zoom crewmembers trying to get back to the UK, especially ppruner's, so please don't start slinging mud, particularly at specific airlines.. especially as it might come down to getting home on jumpseats.

[BAladdy]

The fact is there is no availability ex YYC/YVR or YYZ today due to the high volume of ex Zoom pax requiring flights across to the Uk and Europe also the flights are busy as many schools start back on Monday. There are quite a few flights tonight that have fare paying pax on standby .

As someone has said BA is not a charity and would only give away seats to Zoom's crew if there was seats available. Sadly theres not.

If they can't get on BA flights due them being commercially full why don't they try another airline. BA isn't the only airline to fly to the UK from Canada and USA.

Infact Air Canada has flights today from YYZ/YYC and YVR

Flyglobesoan has a flight with seats ex YVR to LGW.

From JFK VS/AA/DL/AI and KU all have flight to LHR today

[The Real Slim Shady]

Instead of having a dig at BA / VS / AC / AA et al the vitriol would be better vented towards the Zoom management who would have known well advance that they were going to pull the plug yet left the crew stranded.

[luvly jubbly]

to be fair to the Zoom management, they were still working on refinancing up to the moment the aircraft's owners and the GLA & YYC airport owners decided enough was enough...................

It was not the Zoom management that "pulled the plug"

[Skysurfer1]

Seem to forget here, there are Canadian crews stranded in the Uk still.

Lets not start insulting, instead think of the families affected by this and hope life returns to normal.

[elcAbron07]

Zoom went bust at 19:00 Uk time and 100 minutes later somebody is complaining that BA won't fly their staff home for nothing. Reality check please.


Very well put Carnage Matey :ok:.

Not even being an employee of BA, but having been employed by Emirates and BMI, have found to have been much better looked after far more often by BA, than by any other airline!!

Unfortunately it seems some people (press included) have nothing better to do but slag off BA.

[Dolley]

I know it would be really crap to be stuck downroute in this situation....however, surely this would be an occasion to have a credit card for and make use of it?
(And if you shouldn't have an emergency credit card -which I personally can't understand in this job- there is still international money transfers, and all sorts of options that I can't even think of.)
Get yourself home, and then deal with the rest!

Best of luck to all affected out there!

[crewmeal]

Not only the crew but it seems that BA & Virgin don't know about any special fares for passengers either.

Sky News Blogs - Eyewitness Blog (http://blogs.news.sky.com/eyewitnessblog/Post:c91bcd84-488a-457d-8976-a51fe1f854ea)

[saffaboi]

There is indeed a special deal on for all the stranded ZOOM customers, and there is a contact number for the customers to call ba on!!!! to be given the special "one way rate" as it is called, the customer must be in possession of there zoom tickets!!!

No idea who the SKY writer spoke to!!!!!!!:rolleyes:

[Tiger]

British Airways offer special fare for Zoom customers
Summary


Following Zoom’s announcement that they have suspended operations, British Airways is offering a special one-way fare of half the usual return price for customers who have been stranded.

The fare is available to those customers mid-way through their travel plans who are booked to travel from August 28, 2008 either to the UK or all North American gateways and Bermuda.
More information


BA will also give a discount from its current World Offer fares to those passengers booked on Zoom but yet to travel.

To take advantage of either the special one-way fare or the discounted World Offer fare, customers must have proof of purchase with Zoom.

Stranded customers can book with British Airways directly by calling 0844 493 0 787 in the UK or 1-800-AIRWAYS in North America.

A special fare is also now available for those Zoom customers who have not yet commenced any part of their itinerary and were due to travel over the coming months. We are offering a direct only special offer on all North America routes including Bermuda.

British Airways flights to these destinations are very busy but the airline will do all it can to repatriate as many of Zoom’s customers as possible.

[Tiger]

SPECIAL FARES FOR TICKET HOLDERS STRANDED BY CANCELLATION OF ZOOM AIRLINES SERVICES
Virgin Atlantic is offering special one way fares between London Heathrow and all of our USA destinations for passengers who were booked on Zoom Airlines, which has now ceased trading.

For journeys from New York, Boston or Washington to London Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic is offering passengers a special one way Economy fare of $299, from Miami and Chicago to London Heathrow for $349, from Orlando to London Gatwick for $349 and from Los Angeles to London Heathrow for $399. The fare includes all taxes and charges, is subject to availability and can be booked through US reservations on 1 800 821 5438 or at the airport ticket desks.

Please be advised Virgin Atlantic flights are currently very busy, however Virgin Atlantic representatives will do their all to assist in accommodating Zoom customers.

[apaddyinuk]

Now, this is only what I would if I was in that situation...

So I have lost my job, Im a thousand miles away from home with no way of getting back and I am in a hotel room next door to my colleagues! Serious time for a credit card funded PISS UP!

[PPRuNe Towers]

On the crew side of things Danny let me know this morning that VS would be helping out.

I've just been talking to the skipper of one crew who've made it down from their layover in Canada and are patiently waiting in Terminal 7, JFK for sub load seats to get them back to the UK.

However VS are overbooked for the next 2 nights and there's presently some cunning ticket revalidation going on.

If that pans out and tickets are endorsed it's BA who are actually getting the Ottawa crew home after a 10 hour drive south. Hopes too that it's also going to be BA that get the Vancouver crew home.

The inbound crew to Ottowa got stuck in Halifax and I've presently no news on those in San Diego. There are suggestions that the Miami layover group are trying to make their way to Sanford where the UK charter companies congregate and I have heard a suggestion that the sub leased Finnish aircraft left their girls in New York.

I'll update if I get any better or more accurate information.

Regards
Rob

[Viewfrom5Bells]

waiting at Vancouver and Toronto. Should imagine it'll take ages to get back

[Old King Coal]

Well, sitting here in Terminal 7 at JFK, waiting for our BA flight to London Heathrow I can attest that the last +36 hours have been a bit 'emotional'. :{ :ugh: :mad: :yuk: :(

We found out at very short notice, i.e. actually whilst waiting, booted & suited in our uniform in the hotel lobby for our crew transport from our Ottawa hotel over to the cities airport (to operate the return UK flight), that the transport would not be coming... due to the collapse of Zoom Inc also dragging down Zoom Ltd. We had absolutely no inkling that this was on the cards. It was most definitely a shock (much tears), along with the speed of this demise. :eek:

After a moderately lengthy wait (one can imagine that it was a tadge chaotic at back at home base), it was decided that the best course of action, i.e. to expidite our UK return, would be to go by road from Ottawa to JFK (as there more UK flights from JFK)- a journey of 480 miles, which took us exactly 10 hours in a minibus through the night (i.e. leaving at 7pm and arriving at 5am).

Here at JFK we joined up with some other Zoom Cabin Crew (whom had been stranded off a New York trip), and were fortunate enough get ourselves booked (sub-load basis) on to Virgin Atlantic - courtesy of much work behind the scene between Zoom Ltd & Virgin Atlantic (albeit that the New York crew had been 'bumped' once, or twice?, all ready; and that you couldn't pick a worse weekend to for air travel if you tried, as a great many flights - especially VA's - are chockablock full / overbooked).

People worthy of mention in this tale include: The folks still working behind the scenes at Zoom who are trying to sort something out this mess for both stranded passengers and stranded crew - and with bugger all money available to do so, and suffering from systems which are being closed down as I type. The hotel manager at the Southway Inn in Ottawa who kindly provided us with a gratis 'day-room' whilst we came up with plan 'A'.
Luis, the Southway Inn's consierge who greatly assisted in sorting our overland transport.
The the transport company (name escapes me, it's been a v.long 2 days) who magic'd up a minibus & driver at incredibly short notice.
Our minibus driver, Michael, who drove us safely for 10 hours through the night to JFK. A rocky steady rock solid bloke.
The folks at Vigrin Atlantic who've been helping assist with repatriating us (albeit that their a/c might be a tadge over-full this weekend.... it's still the thought that counts).
To BA, who agreed to accept our Virgin Atlantic tickets, given that BA has some spare seats tonight (and that VA was probably going to be full, which would result in us still being stranded).
To Zoom's Operations Director, (MS) who decided that enough-was-enough and organised (from own pocket?) firm-seat tickets with BA for all the crew stranded in JFK (especially so given that Iceland Air has cancelled it's flight and is now code-sharing their flight with BA, and therein it suddenly looked like we were going to get bumped off BA unless we had 'firm seat' tickets). Bravo Malcolm! :ok:
To the BA cabin crew folks whom will be serving the crew & I copious G&T's et al on our way home tonight... cheers in advance, hic.I'm sure that similar heriocs are being conducted at many locales by Zoom Crew, plus facilitating airlines and associated industries.

I'm confident when I say that I & my crew will be VERY relieved to be home tomorrow morning, even if it is into a somewhat changed world of job searching and belt tightening. :uhoh:

TTFN,

OKC


Ps. Since Virgin Media kindly barred / blocked our Captain's mobile phone's earlier today, it's been the devils own job trying to keep comms open with our LGW Ops and has caused serious inconvenience (& cost) to people whom are stuck overseas and who have just lost their jobs through no fault of their own! Nice one Virgin Media, NOT! :*

PPs. 'Air Canada' should hang their heads in shame.
Keen to avoid the journey to JFK if at all possible, we personally went to the airport in Ottawa to to see if Air Canada might assist us (veritably as a crew in their hour of need) in repatriating some (or even all?) of us on their London service yesterday evening?
Oh they had seats alright, indeed plenty for all of us, but the deal we were offered was... now get this?!...

"Just the Captain & the F/O, but not the Cabin Crew".

So we agreed that the F/O should go (it's one less person after all to have to repatriate) and that I would stay with the Cabin Crew, i.e. to ensure their proper & safe return to the UK... and hence our 10 hour dash to JFK.
So Air Canada, imho, you are a bunch of first class A1 tossers! :mad:

[Tiger]

As previous posters have said this all happened in late afternoon/evening UK time, which wasn`t the best time for Zoom to go tits up. Other airlines start sorting the mess out and unfortunately a Zoom crew member decided to post maybe an unappropriate message on here. Maybe in the heat of the moment, and possibly on "waking up to a new day" regrets the starting of this.

Should they wish to delete this posting or maybe change the header to this (mods) as appropriate.
Its unfortunate, and pleased that other carriers are helping, but no airline deserves being slated because they won`t take you home.

[Old King Coal]

Tiger, might I remind you that not so long ago Zoom went out of its way to repatriate the crews of SilverJet... that sort of thing is called professional courtesy... maybe Air Canada should look it up in a dictionary... BA & Virgin have been exemplary in this respect?!

[loloflyer]

Airlines have no obligation to help in the repatriation of former Zoom flight/cabin crew members. After all, they are sadly now unemployed members of 'Joe Public' and have to make the best of it - just like Zoom's passengers who are left to sort things out themselves.

Zoom management is responsible for their downfall.

[jetset lady]

Old King Coal,

Any one of us may be telling your tale sometime soon. I can only wish you, your crew and other Zoom crews a safe journey home and all at Zoom the very best of luck. Not a lot of help to you, I know but I felt I had to say something.

Safe flight,

Jsl

[CallBell]

very well said JetSetLady.... My sentiments exactly. I hope all the Zoom crew get home asap. Best wishes for the future.
CallBell

[Tiger]

Old King Coal.. I understand the difficult time you are having, but before reminding me of what Zoom has done in the past, the Thread here is Ba Refuse To Help Stranded Zoom Crew not Air Canada.

Hence why I have suggest that perhaps the poster/mods maybe either delete the post or correct it. (previous posters not previous poster ie not you, the person who started this thread)

[bright star]

Old King Coal,
i wish you guys all the best of luck and a very safe journey home ,at the end of the day we all do the same job just different uniforms and this could happen to any of us. xx

[tedbud]

when airlines go bust, as they always have done (and guess they always will), isn't it right and proper that those of us still lucky to have jobs in god's chosen industry, shouldn't go out of our way to help our collegues who have been left in the sht? Might be us next time.

This industry is like a merry go go round. Think we should remember that.:ugh:

[Service Swerver]

To all of you who have used the term"BA is not a charity" might I remind you that you, as a company,gratefully accepted huge charitable donations from the government at the time, on more than one occasion, to keep you from a similar ending to ZOOM?
I have sympathy for all those who have lost jobs.
It's time a few BA employess woke up, smelt the coffee and realised the industry needs to pull together as one at present. :mad:

[Justin Cyder-Belvoir]

If you have any sense you will ask the company.

When the say "No you can't carry them" you will agree.

Then ignore it and offer any spare seats on the basis that the mates say nowt.

[Crew_Girl_2]

Hope all the crew get home safely (can't believe that Air Canada only offered to fly the flight deck even though thet had the seats avaliable they should be discraced with themselves).

Having been stranded in NYC with Silverjet recently Zoom took the courtesy to fly us all home for free it's such a horrible feeling of disbelief and sadness. I felt lost for a long time after that.

I do hope you all find employment soon (and at least that you got paid!).

I know too well how you must be feeling but it does get better once reality kicks in.

Wish you all the best of luck!

[Carnage Matey!]

Perhaps Service Swerver would like to look at Old King Coals post to see what BA are doing for Zooms crews, then consider that BA has been a private company since circa 1986. But then why let that get in the way of an uninformed rant? Quite why you think the industry needs to pull together is beyond me. By all means we can help the crews of defunct airlines get home but this isn't some socialist transport cooperative, it's a competitive business.

[Rollingthunder]

Let's see. Two multi-millianaire owners. You can't tell me they didn't know where things were heading. The decent thing to do would have been to set aside a reserve (from their own pockets) of several thousand pounds and then use it to get their loyal hard-working crews back to base. Couldn't have done that for the 45,000 pax currently stranded tho.

[Spongebobsquarepants]

Old King Cole

By the sounds of it you went through some right old s**t to get back to the UK and i can only hope that you are all now safely home.

Im really supprised by the attitude of some of the people on this site as there seems to be alot of the opinion that the crew should have a hard time getting back as it was "thier" airline that went under and all "their" passengers are in the same situation. So, so what, why should we all care. I really cant believe this.

I for one feel for you all so much. I couldnt imagine what it would be like to come down to check out to find out that you no longer had a job and not just that but you were stranded thousands of miles from home with no immediate way of getting there. I understand that all airlines are buisnesses but really in times like this you would hope that there would be some kind of compassion from other carriers as after all it could be any of us in these uncretain times.

To be told by an airline that they would only take some of the crew is really awful and good for you for sticking together. I can unfortunatly think of some flight crew in my own airline that would quite happily leave us behind in a heartbeat. You are a really good bloke and an example to others. By the sounds of it both BA and Virgin have done what they could to get you home and for that they should be commended and im glad the title of this thread has been altered. I would like to think that all the UK carriers would do the same.

I wish you all the best of luck for the future and i can only imagine how you are feeling. All the best.

[wobble2plank]

Service Swerver,

You are doing our industry a gross mis-service by posting an uninformed rant against BA thus, once again, trying to hijack the thread back to a 'why we hate BA' thread.

I have little doubt in saying that out of the 3,300 flight crew and 15,000 Cabin Crew the vast majority, myself included, would do everything within our power to assist fellow professionals who have been placed in this unfortunate situation. Many believe in the adage 'What goes around comes around'. We are constrained by the DfT and company policy with regards to giving cockpit jumps seats. As a staff travel member a couple of weeks ago I agreed to take a jump seat in order to give up my cabin seat for a staff member from another airline. If I hadn't they wouldn't of traveled.

So please don't broad brush tar us all with your high horse sanctimonious waffle. 22 years of private operation behind, many to come.

Best of luck to the Zoom crews, I hope the refinance package comes through and that you have managed to get back home.

[Old King Coal]

I'm sure I speak for the whole of my crew when I say that BA, from ticketing, to check-in, to boarding and the in-flight service (indeed, most especially the Cabin Crew who looked after us) were a total credit to BA. They were kindness & compassion personified - BRAVO BA!!!! :D
:D :D

All-in-all, I would like to extend my personal thanks to those concerned with repatriating my crew & I under very difficult circumstances. It's very, very, nice to be home! :ok:

[jimmychinchin]

I operated a BA flight from JFK yesterday, arriving LHR this morning. A ZOOM crew were sat in Club World, aswell as some of their passengers in WT. Hope everything sorts itself out for the ex ZOOM crew. Glad you got home in some degree of comfort. Just from the original posts i think BA did everything it could to help both crew and pax out!

[Tiger]

I`m glad BA was able to help Zoom crews and back in the UK. I expect tired and worn out with everything which has happen to you in the last 24 hours or so.
I`m pleased the heading and the rather daft start of this thread has been sorted out. I`ve never known BA not to help out, or VS and even bmi where possible. As this post was started in cabin crew I guessed (right or wrongly) Zoom cabin crew had either approached BA crew or the ticket desk of course not in the best state of mind. Now the crew wouldn`t be able to help you.. the ticket desk/ground staff may not be able to help straight away, but this thread was started about an hour after it was announced Zoom had finished and it was expected that everyone else not related to the airline should know about it, plus all the displaced passenger now hammering Zoom desks and other airline desks. Its unfair to blame and condemn other carriers for not "jumping" to help immediately.

Romeo Zulu, I hope you are getting home safely and perhaps rather than "getting on your high horse" via the internet and p**sing off the hand which can help you; although not in your time frame the other airlines have helped.

At least Zoom employees aren`t being dangled on like Silverjet staff.
Have a good rest!

[Jonathan Hinkles]

Firstly, I offer my most sincere apologies to all of our passengers and employees whose travel plans and livelihoods have been affected by Zoom's closure.

The final Zoom Airlines Ltd crews have now landed in the UK and are on their way back to Gatwick right now. I met our team arriving back from Florida in the early hours of this morning at Gatwick and have then been to Heathrow to assist our crew arriving from Halifax to return back to Gatwick. Both I and our Flight Ops Director Malcolm Sutherland will remain here to provide transport and assist wherever we can until everyone is safely home. After doing whatever we can for our customers, my priority is the welfare of our crew members and employees, who have been the most fantastic team with whom one could ever wish to have worked.

I should like to express my thanks to everyone concerned in assisting my team to get home. We purchased a number of tickets - primarily on BA at a special rate set aside for Zoom passengers and crew - but our contingency funding set aside for such eventualities was, unfortunately, heavily depleted by the actions of one US crew hotel which has made a number of unauthorised transactions to take these funds in spite of an administration order which prevents them from doing this type of thing.

In particular, I would like to thank:
* XL Airways for volunteering to carry our team back from Sanford plus some of our staff members on vacation travel
* Virgin Atlantic for offering special assistance fares to our passengers and for their assistance with returning crew members from New York
* British Airways for offering special fares to our customers and crew and for upgrading a number of the team on their flights home
* Thomas Cook for carrying part of the team back from Vancouver
* The crew of last night's Halifax-Heathrow Air Canada service for the kindness and compassion shown to our crew members
* Halifax Airport Authority for their care for the wellbeing of the crew there
* Our crew hotel in San Diego - the Hilton Mission Valley - for their amazing hospitality for our team during their last night there.

I'm sure that there have been many more people who have assisted our crews and if you have helped in any way, please accept my grateful thanks. Sadly, in the same way as this type of situation often brings out the best in people, so it can also bring out the worst in others. There will inevitable be stories of both sides, but I would strongly prefer to just stick to saying thank you to those who undoubtedly have helped.

In the same way as we assisted Silverjet's people wherever we could at the time of its sad demise, our team too have been helped greatly by other airlines. I would very much hope that airline staff everywhere will continue to do the same for anyone who finds themselves stranded as a result of such unhappy circumstances. In the current environment, you never know when you personally may need the favour to be repaid by somebody somewhere around the world.

Best wishes
Jonathan Hinkles
Managing Director
Zoom Airlines Ltd