Kiss Flights travel company ceases trading

The budget firm sold flights to Greece, Egypt, Turkey and the Canary Islands.

The Civil Aviation Authority said travellers abroad who had flown with Kiss would get home as normal.

And anyone due to travel from the UK before 1800 BST on Wednesday is guaranteed their flight out and return after their holiday, the CAA added.
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Kiss currently has about 13,000 customers overseas and 60,000 people have forward bookings with the company.

The "vast majority" of people who had booked future trips with the firm would receive refunds, the CAA said.


nd last week Birmingham-based travel firm Sun4U folded, leaving about 1,500 people stuck abroad, mostly in Spain.

In all, 13 travel firms have gone bust in the UK this year as a result of the recession, belt-tightening by travellers and the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud that threw European travel into turmoil. That compares with 33 last year.

Flight Options has bought a string of travel firms since it was launched in 1995 as a small tour operator offering seats only on various routes across the Mediterranean.

A statement on its website read: "As of 1700hrs on 17 August the Flight Options group of companies have ceased trading.

"The Civil Aviation Authority have been informed and we are awaiting further advice on the situation."

Full refunds

A spokesman for the CAA said: "We are picking up the pieces. People abroad will be fine.

"We will make sure everyone will be able to come back from their holidays. We will also make arrangements so that all of the people who were Atol [Air Travel Organisers' Licensing] protected will received full refunds. That will be the vast majority."

Clive Rees, from Llandrindod Wells, Powys, was due to fly to Turkey on Monday with Kiss, and had previously booked with Goldtrail when it collapsed.