Unexpected bankruptcy leaves travellers scrambling for other options

Thousands of holidays affected by shutdown of popular travel agency

Some 10,000 Danish travellers are expected to be affected by the bankruptcy of travel agency Scanway/Tyrkiet Eksperten, which announced on Saturday that it was going under. 

Ole Borch from Rejsegarantifonden, the traveller’s guarantee fund, said that different customers face different outcomes from the bankruptcy.

"About 400 customers had to return home somewhat abruptly on Saturday,” Borch told Ritzau. “The other 9,500 include customers who will be forced to come home in the near future and those who have paid for upcoming trips.”

One of the largest bankruptcies in the travel industry
Customers who have purchased a trip they have yet to take will receive a letter within the next few days explaining the situation.

Lars Thykier, the head of travel agency association Danmarks Rejsebureau Forening, said that the bankruptcy was one of the largest in the Danish travel industry in the past decade. Thykier also sits on the board of Rejsegarantifonden and said that the fund would wind up paying out tens of millions of kroner to travellers who have been left stranded or will be forced to cancel their plans.

Borch said that some travellers who purchased packages would be reimbursed in full, while others would be offered similar trips through another agency.

Not every traveller will come out in good shape, however.

“Those who only purchased tickets and did not pay for bankruptcy insurance will lose their money,” said Borch.

Borch declined to speculate on how much money was involved, but Thykier said that Rejsegarantifonden has about 80 million kroner in its coffers and will have no trouble compensating eligible Scanway/Tyrkiet Eksperten customers.

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