A woman whose package holiday was cancelled due to the Thomas Cook collapse said she'd have to pay FOUR TIMES the price to rebook.
Pauline Parkinson, from Withington, received an email on Monday from travel agency On The Beach to say the Spanish getaway she had booked via its website had been cancelled.
The 54-year-old bought the holiday, which included Thomas Cook flights, in January.
She was due to fly out to Spain with husband Stephen on Saturday (September 28).
Pauline says she was told the cancellation was due to the collapse of the tour operator.
Instead, she will get a full refund within 14 days.
The nursery cook had booked the holiday through On The Beach for £630.
It included flights and self-catering accommodation in Salou.
With only a week to go, she looked up the price of the same holiday with another airline and was shocked to find the price had gone up to £2,561.
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Pauline said she is 'cheesed off'.
On The Beach bosses said the price of flights and accommodation is beyond their control.
Pauline said: "I'm furious, why didn't they give me the option to fly with someone else?
"They have completely cancelled the holiday. They've completely wiped it out. Why is the holiday now so expensive?
"We didn't pay it off in one go. We aren't rich by any means."
A spokesman for On The Beach said: "The news that Thomas Cook entered compulsory liquidation on Monday has meant that all Thomas Cook flights have been cancelled.
"As a result, it is likely that flight availability and pricing – which as an intermediary travel agent, are beyond On the Beach’s control - will be irregular and potentially volatile for the coming weeks.
“This means that, unfortunately, where a customer’s flight has been cancelled, alternative travel options may not be available.
"In view of this and in order to support our customers as best as possible, unless a suitable alternative is available, bookings that include a Thomas Cook flight departing within the next 31 days have been cancelled.
"We were in contact with all customers early Monday morning to communicate this news and refunds have been made available quickly, accessible by customers today.
“Whilst the collapse of a major airline is an extraordinary event beyond On the Beach’s control, we understand that this can of course be a stressful time for our customers, and as a gesture of goodwill, those with cancelled package holiday bookings will also receive a discount voucher against a future On the Beach holiday.”
