Air steward 'can't afford food' after XL goes bust

5:02pm Friday 10th October 2008

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A 22-year-old air steward says she “can’t afford to buy food” after travel firm XL collapsed without paying her.

When XL went into administration on September 12 more than 1,500 of its employees were made redundant.

Cabin-crew member Holly Thompson, of Humber Road in Dartford, only found out she had lost her job when she turned up for work at Gatwick airport.

She was due to fly to Orlando, Florida, but she says that when she arrived at XL’s offices at the airport she was handed redundancy papers.

Miss Thompson said: “There were no explanations, apologies or advice, only goodbyes and good lucks.

“Fellow crew started to turn up group by group and they were all crying.”

Miss Thompson says XL owes her more than £1,500 in wages and as a result she is struggling to pay her rent and buy food.

She said: “XL last paid me on August 28, but nothing since. I should have been paid £1,500 after tax on September 28 for the flying I did in August.

“I am also owed the pay for the first 12 days of September, which I would have been paid for in October.”

Miss Thompson, who shares a two-bedroom flat with her boyfriend, added: “I had just enough money to pay my £600 rent last month (SEPTEMBER), but this month I won’t have anywhere near enough.”

“I could face being homeless and can’t afford to buy food.”

Kroll’s Corporate Advisory & Restructuring Group was appointed administrator of XL.

It released a statement saying it had “contacted and wrote to those affected by the redundancies to explain the implications, providing them with a form to make a claim from the Redundancy Payments Service (RPS).”

“That form enables employees to claim up to eight weeks arrears of pay, up to 6 weeks accrued holiday pay and redundancy pay.”

The RPS was unavailable to comment on how long it will take for the claims of XL employees to be dealt with.

Miss Thompson says she has applied for job seekers allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit while she searches for a new job, and is waiting for a reply.