Thomas Cook compensation website crashes after launch due to 'unprecedented demand'

The refund process has begun for Thomas Cook customers left out of pocket following the firm's collapse last month.

But just hours after the launch of the online refund process, frustrated claimants say the the website is failing to work properly.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched the online form on Monday, October 7, just one day after the completion of the UK's largest peacetime repatriation.

Around 150,000 holidaymakers were returned to the UK during the two-week undertaking named "Operation Matterhorn".

On Monday, the CAA said a "new, simplified online process" will now allow them to begin dealing "with the high number of Thomas Cook refunds in a timely and efficient manner".

The refunds process has been launched for those affected by the Thomas Cook collapse. (Cardiff Airport)

But many customers are furious, as the website continues to crash under the demand.

Customers have tweeted the CAA with screenshots of error messages following the submission of their claims.

One customer claimed they have attempted the refund process more than 10 times with no success.

They tweeted: "You would think that it would have been taken into account how many people will be trying the site and have been built robust enough to cope.

"Tried ten times now and same error message."

Another said: "Received this error 5 times now, how do we get around this? We were due to fly this week and need to get this nightmare sorted."

Others said they were frustrated at the lack of customer service as staff were not answering phone lines to deal with the issues.

One woman wrote: "Getting an error message that says: 'An unhandled fault has occurred in your flow' is this your system error?? Tried the 0300 303 2800 number and it's just recordings so cannot speak to someone either!"

The CAA has since responded to the complaints on Twitter.

A spokesperson for the authority tweeted: "Due to the unprecedented demand to our website, some users are having difficulty submitting their claims.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience. If you have received an error message, your claim has not been successfully submitted. Please try back again later today."

The aviation regulator previously said it could take up to 60 days for customers to receive their refunds.

However, those who have paid for their holidays by direct debit will be refunded by Monday, October 14.

In total, the CAA will process around 360,000 refunds, around three times more than any previous refund programme has warranted.