Primera Air, who have been trying to refinance their business for some time, operating out of Stansted, have filed for bankruptcy, leaving travellers stranded in Europe, Canada and the US. Late delivery of a new plane and the loss of an existing one that failed its air MOT, was given as part of the reason, though analysts think an overly aggressive expansion strategy could be the main reason the  company was grounded..

These passengers will now have to make their own way back home as best as possible.The airline is not part of the ATOL scheme that can provide a safety net for the demise of a travel company retailing a complete holiday, and they may find that the standard travel Insurance policy will not cover their return fare.

Having been in this position on one occasion a couple of years ago with friends, having a total of three separate travel Insurance policies between us, taken out specifically for the two weeks we were away, none of them covered the tickets we were forced to buy to return to the UK. Fortunately though, we had bought the tickets by credit card and the credit card company did make a full refund under their terms and conditions.