A tearful Thomas Cook pilot says he 'sobbed like a baby' after flying his last flight for the bust airline.
David Dosoudil, 42, travelled back home from Orlando, Florida, on Sunday night knowing full well it was likely to be his last voyage for the travel giant.
He said he had no idea if they'd even be allowed to take off while the troubled airline teetered on the brink of collapse.
But David, who has flown Thomas Cook jets for nearly 11 years, put his emotions aside and even assured his crew and passengers during the flight.
He said over the radio: "Easy guys, there are still some of us flying around here."
But as they landed in Glasgow in the early hours of Monday morning, he knew the writing was on the wall and engineer then walked in and said ‘It's over mate’.
David, of East Grinstead, West Sussex, said: "It was then, locked in my room, with the responsibility lifted off my shoulders, I started crying like a f***ing baby.
"I'm no captain anymore. The wings and stripes have no meaning. For the first time in my life, 42 years old, I'm officially unemployed."
"The saying goes, that a burden shared is a burden halved.
"I think there's a great truth in that. So here is my story of the last day of Thomas Cook, 23rd of September 2019, in command of one of the last three airborne fights into UK.
"The best company I've ever known and quite possibly ever had a pleasure to be part of."
Recalling his preparations for his last Thomas Cook flight, he said: “It was unusually quiet layover in Orlando, in our beloved Florida hotel. The usual warm cookies on arrival, everything ready for us, warm welcome from the ever so friendly staff.
“Most of us did a bit of shopping and then met for dinner in Cricket's, laughed, moaned and worried together as we always do and then went to bed.”
Proud David said the last flight was made especially hard because he claimed the company had left them in the dark.
“It wasn't the best sleep of my life,” he added. “How will I look after the crew and passengers tomorrow, without zero information and support from the company?
“What would everyone think, how will they sleep, how will they feel tomorrow? Will everything be normal, will we be even allowed to leave?”
As he met with his crew he said they tried to treat it as any other flight.
David added: “We have met downstairs at 14:30 local, five hours behind UK time. The inbound flight is early, they're no planned delays.
“Eight hours flight time disappointing and a little bit of a turbulence around Newfoundland. So I promise we'll deliver 7:59 and it's gonna be mostly smooth flight.
“We're supposed to leave two hours later and that was a strangely reassuring thought.
“It's Sunday, by midnight UK time we should be far away above US eastern seaboard. Nothing ever happens before midnight, surely.”
He added: “When we got through the airport to our airplane, all the cleaning was done and most of the fuel was already on, passengers ready, with still more than an hour to departure. I mean, are we really in Orlando?
“Both Shawn and Dean, our great engineers, were there. Perhaps a bit unusual, but in retrospect, I'm glad they were. We've done everything as usual and been ready well ahead of time.
“Everything was so painfully normal and ordinary. So we shook hands with the handling agents and engineers and parted ways with words of positive encouragement and the usual "see you in few weeks.”
He continued: “But you kind of know and see it at people's faces. The uncertainty and worries, checking their phones and looking for news.
“So many questions and no answers. Captains, they surely have answers for everything. And I thought if there's ever a moment to stand up in front of everybody and reassure in person, this is probably it.”
He then had to make an emotional speech to his passengers and crew.
“So I stood there, in front of 304 people and 10 of my crew, struggling with the intercom headset and trying to put into words what was on my mind,” he added.
“I tried to smile and joke and reassure everyone we're still a company, we love our job and above all we're professionals to a core and for us all, it's just another day in the office and business as usual.
“I knew they're great team, even though I met most of them for the first time in my life.
“They're Thomas Cook crew after all. I don't really remember what I said in my eastern European accent and if it made any sense to mostly Scottish audience.
“All I remember were the people's faces, mixes of smiles and sadness and misty eyes all around, nodding heads and the clapping at the end of it.
“Someone asked on the chitchat frequency if there are any news about Thomas Cook. Nothing came out someone said, but doesn't look good.
“Easy guys, there are still some of us flying around here.”
He continued: “But I told my mind to wander no more and we started concentrating on the arrival planning and briefings.
“ Weather was a bit murky in Glasgow with tailwind on the approach and this is A330 after all. Nighttime just before sunrise.
“We shut down, completed checklists and I've done my last welcome home PA. Steps attached, doors opened and passengers disembarked.
“Only then I stood up, opened flight deck door and saw the crying crew with phones in their hands in the galley.
“Nathan, our engineer, walked in. ‘It's over mate.’
“It's been amazing with all the support from our passengers, airport staff and just about anyone we've met.
“I wore my uniform proud even though everyone felt sorry for us all. It's been heart breaking and f***ing sad walking into the crew room, with our equipment blocked by liquidator's security staff. Seeing our impounded airplanes on the tarmac.
“I felt sick reading emails and news stories. But we supported each other, even laughed, talked and talked, met all others we could and then parted ways."
