Passengers have been left stranded in huge airport queues after travel giant Thomas Cook went under.
Among the estimated 150,000 Brits caught in the disruption is Geordie Paul Hutton, who told ChronicleLive of the "chaos" in one Egyptian airport as he faces a seven-hour wait to get home.
Paul, 23, was due to leave Hurghada Airport, in Egypt, on a Thomas Cook flight at 9.35 (local time) on Monday evening.
But as throngs of people wait with "no communication", Paul discovered his plane won't be with him until 1am on Tuesday.
He said: "We haven't got a clue what's going on.
"Our flight was meant to be at 9.35, but the plane that's meant to be taking us has been in Birmingham. We are now being told it won't be here until between 1am and 1.30."
Paul said huge crowds of passengers were frustrated at the lack of information and having spent hours in the airport. Many, including Paul, arrived up to four hours early for the flight and are facing the prospect of spending at least seven hours in a busy airport.
"We got told to arrive early because of the delays," Paul said.
"Which meant people got here four hours early instead of the usual two. Everyone's still waiting to check in now.
"People are pretty annoyed - there are just massive queues.
"It's absolutely chaos, we're not being told anything, you have to find out all the information by yourself. Everyone is just standing around - I can see huge queues for Manchester, and London Gatwick, as well."
Thousands of Thomas Cook passengers are being brought home in what the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has called "the UK's largest ever peacetime repatriation", after the company failed to secure a last-ditch rescue deal in meetings with shareholders and creditors on Sunday.
Paul said his main sympathies are with the thousands of Thomas Cook staff who have lost their jobs.
But he said the long wait was proving stressful, and had ruined the end of his break in Egypt, where he had been visiting friends.
"We are all stuck here, we haven't been offered any refreshment or anything, and it's an airport, so it's about £10 for a sandwich.
"It's not organised at all, there's absolutely nothing for us. It's definitely spoilt the end of the holiday."
