AIRLINE staff have been left “heartbroken” after the company closed down suddenly.
On Monday it was announced that Thomas Cook had “ceased trading with immediate effect” leaving about 21,000 people without jobs.
One of them was Zoe Smith who had worked at the Brighton store for eight years.
The 25-year-old said she was concerned about not being able to support her four young children after losing the job.
She said: “It’s awful, really heartbreaking.
“Between Brighton and Hove we have staff who have more than 100 years of combined service between them, with one of my colleagues recently celebrating her 30th anniversary there. Now none of us have got jobs and we have kids to feed and bills to pay.”
Zoe described how she found out the news of the company’s closure.
She said: “It was sudden. I found out from my manager literally as it went to the media in the early hours of Monday morning.
“It was a great place to work, serving customers each day and seeing their faces light up when they found their dream holiday was amazing.
“It’s devastating that something we love has been taken away from us overnight.
“I have got four kids under the age of five and my five-year-old said, ‘Mummy, I don’t want you to lose your job, how will we pay for the shopping’?”
Several companies have rallied to help staff who have lost their jobs. Rival airline Virgin Atlantic has opened a “specific recruitment path to support any Thomas Cook cabin crew” who have found themselves without roles.
Zoe said: “It’s lovely to see that reaction, I think a lot of people are shocked to see Thomas Cook go and are doing what they can to help.
“But the roles with Virgin aren’t possible for me unfortunately as they are cabin crew positions and the nearest shop is in Crawley, which isn’t achievable with young kids.”
He said: “On Monday Thomas Cook staff woke to the dreadful news that their employer had entered into liquidation.
“This now means some employees are unable to financially support their families and pay bills due at the end of the month.”
The fund currently has a target of £2,000.
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