TRAVELLERS have praised Thomas Cook staff for ‘working on through their tears’ as they try to get thousands of UK holiday makers home

The travel agents has gone bust after crunch-talks to save the 178-year-old holiday firm failed.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the tour operator had “ceased trading with immediate effect” – leaving more than 150,000 British people abroad with no flights home.

North Ayrshire holiday makers have been left stranded in airports and hotels around the globe as they wait for a place on a flight home.

Chris Atkins was on holiday in Menorca with six pals for their annual jaunt abroad when they found out about the travel giant’s collapse.

The group headed to Mahon Airport at 4am on Monday morning to try and get a flight home after their original flight was scrapped.

Chris, who lives on Arran, said the group were trying to remain in high spirits and praised Thomas Cook staff for their professionalism.

He said: “We have been well looked after in what is a terrible situation. Thomas Cook staff have went all out to make sure we all get home. Some of them are working on with tears in their eyes but they are soldiering on. They have said they are working on even though they don’t know whether they will get paid or not. It’s been very humbling to see.”

The travel agent has stores in Irvine, Saltcoats, Ayr, Troon and Cumnock, which are all closed with immediate effect.

More than 9,000 UK staff are facing losing their jobs – with the figure at 22,000 worldwide – as the firm scrabbles to limit the damage from the shock collapse.

It has also triggered the biggest ever peacetime repatriation, aimed at bringing more than 150,000 British holidaymakers home.

Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook’s chief executive, said the firm’s collapse was a “matter of profound regret.”

Commenting as the company entered compulsory liquidation, Mr Fankhauser also apologised to the firm’s “millions of customers, and thousands of employees”.

The UK Government has chartered 45 jets to bring customers home and they will fly 64 routes on Monday, in an undertaking dubbed Operation Matterhorn. The size of the fleet will make it temporarily the UK’s fifth-largest airline.

Operators including easyJet and Virgin have supplied some aircraft, with jets coming from as far afield as Malaysia.