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Thomas Cook bankruptcy: How the iconic travel brand went from transporting anti-liquor protesters in the 1800s to collapsing and stranding 600,000 passengers in 2019

Sep 24, 2019, 19:43 IST

Thomas Cook was a Baptist missionary and cabinet-maker in Leicester, England in the 19th century. He was a part of the temperance movement and organized anti-liquor meetings in 1841.

The first Thomas Cook holiday was a 15-mile railway ride for temperance movement supporters from Leicester to Loughborough.

The excursions to temperance meetings expanded to other nearby temperance societies and Sunday schools. Cook recognized the commercial appeal by 1845, and organized a leisurely tour to Liverpool. It was booked by 1,200 people.

The excursions to temperance meetings expanded to other nearby temperance societies and Sunday schools. Cook recognized the commercial appeal by 1845, and organized a leisurely tour to Liverpool. It was booked by 1,200 people.

The possibility of air travel changed the company's scope and approach.

Thomas Cook was known for its low-cost, total-package vacation planning.

The company mainly operated in 16 countries across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

The company almost went under in 2011 when its debt reached $1.24 billion.

However, in September 2019, attempts to secure $249 million failed, and Thomas Cook declared bankruptcy Monday, September 23, 2019.

The brand was revered by Brits as iconic. Even Richard Branson, the founder of competing Virgin airlines, took to Twitter to acknowledge its demise.

Thomas Cook's bankruptcy has left 600,000 people stranded at airports and hotels around the world, sparking what Reuters called the greatest peacetime repatriation effort in the UK. It has also left over 21,000 people jobless.

Thomas Cook's bankruptcy has left 600,000 people stranded at airports and hotels around the world, sparking what Reuters called the greatest peacetime repatriation effort in the UK. It has also left over 21,000 people jobless.

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