AIRLINES THAT XL AT RUINING DREAMS

Less than a fortnight after the airline Zoom zoomed into oblivion, XL has now proved it excelled at bugger all. Particularly management and accounts.

Again we have sorry tales and TV pictures of holidaymakers stranded abroad and, even worse, would-be holidaymakers turning up at Gatwick after months of looking forward to their break only to discover they ain’t getting one.

Then we get a host of glib bastards from the holiday industry – the Civil Aviation Authority, other airlines, Richard Branson – telling us not to worry, things will work out, people will get their cash back (if they’re lucky), the industry will pull together, the major airlines are safe …

I was particularly struck by the bloke (whose name/job title I didn’t catch) reassuring viewers they could fly with the greatest confidence with the big two holiday operators, Thomson's and Thomas Cook.

I could just imagine my mate Frank throwing his toast at the telly. He and his lovely missus had their Thomson holiday flight delayed by 33 hours last year. Yes, 33 hours! A day and a half almost out of a seven-day holiday. A special holiday – to celebrate their ruby wedding anniversary.

Were Thomson bovvered? Yes, they were so distressed they sent out letters full of platitudes, they wriggled like snakes on steroids, they did everything in their power to avoid paying decent compensation. That’s how worried they were about fucking up somebody’s dreams.

Frank, a fellow hack, wrote a telling piece about the ordeal. I’ll bring it to you next week. Don’t book your Thomson holiday until you’ve read it …