Oasis crash strands travellers

Airline bankrupcy leaves travellers in Hong Kong

Travel Insurance News - 14/04/2008

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Tough economic conditions have hit everyone hard in recent months, including a number of airlines. Oasis, a budget carrier operating out of Hong Kong, has been the most recent to fold, leaving travellers without any insurance out in the cold.

According to a spokesperson from Hong-Kong based Cathay Pacific, thousands were affected by the collapse of Oasis.

The budget airline operated flights from Hong Kong to London Gatwick and to Canada’s Vancouver airport using five Boeing 747-400 aircrafts. The airline stopped all flights last week and has started a process of liquidation. Thousands of passengers, many of whom were in the midst of enjoying Easter vacation, have been stranded.

A spokesperson from Cathay Pacific said: “We have been overwhelmed with stranded people trying to get flights in and out of Hong Kong. It’s getting to a point where we can’t help all of them. We’re trying to wade through these people [but] we’re not linked to Oasis, so don’t have access to their bookings. There is an [Oasis] flight each way [from Gatwick] so that’s around 500 passengers per day – we’re talking about thousands of people.”

Cathay was able to assist some stranded passengers return to Heathrow from Hong Kong by offering special £160 prices on one-way tickets and adding flights to their schedule over the weekend. British Airways and Air New Zealand also did their best to assist passengers.

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