STRANDED Zoom passengers complained last night their planes were allowed to fly across the Atlantic despite executives knowing they were in a financial crisis which could see the company collapse.
The budget airline was still sending flights to Bermuda and Fort Lauderdale in Florida on Thursday morning despite entering into talks with investors on Wednesday. It went into administration by 6pm on Thursday.
Travellers complained they were for
ced to spend hundreds of pounds to get back from the islands on British Airways flights, the only other carrier to go to the destinations, after Zoom closed its operation almost as soon as they landed.
Last night passengers said they would be angry if they discovered Zoom knew they would be stranded and did not inform them beforehand.
One passenger on the last Zoom flight from Gatwick to Florida, who did not want to be named, said: "The plane lined up on the runway, then it went back to the buildings and there was a bit of a delay.
"They must have known the company was going bust and they knew the return flight wouldn't happen, but we weren't told anything. I now have to pay £500 to get home again. I'm annoyed I wasn't told on the plane if they knew at that point."
Lucy Watt, an Edinburgh University student who was unable to return from Bermuda after Zoom folded, said: "I've been ringing Zoom's America office for weeks to change my flights, but there was no answer.
"I eventually rang the company in Britain who charged me to make the changes. That was a complete waste of time and I have to pay again for another flight.
"It was meant to be a bargain and it has ended up costing me almost double the original price. I will be looking into refunds as soon as I get home."
Zoom continued to book tickets for flights until the moment it hit bankruptcy on Thursday night, as company bosses John and Hugh Boyle insisted they were in talks with potential investors until the last minute.
A spokesman for the airline said: "It is categorically untrue that Zoom knew beforehand what was going to happen. The plans on Wednesday and Thursday were to announce a new investment package of some new investors. We were planning the extension of further routes."
The Civil Aviation Authority said there were 4,500 passengers stranded abroad because of Zoom's decline. Zoom has published details of alternative carriers on its website to help people get home.
The full article contains 423 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
