An army of British holidaymakers were stranded abroad today after the collapse of the UK's third largest tour operator.
About 65,000 were thought to have been affected immediately, with up to another 200,000 back at home reportedly left holding worthless holiday tickets.
Thousands of people arrived at UK airports today to find their flights had been cancelled after XL Leisure Group went into administration overnight.
Many more travellers already part-way through foreign breaks were left wondering how they would get home.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is trying to arrange special flights back to Britain - but some people will have to pay again to get a seat.
Meanwhile, the 1,700 staff employed worldwide by XL Leisure Group, based in Crawley, West Sussex, were facing an uncertain future.
And British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh predicted that another 30 airlines would go out of business within the next four months.
