The CAA, however, might be considered to have more flexibility in its responses: I suspect that it too, is circumscribed by its remit. Perhaps an offer to the Administrators to say pay them £15 million (£20m is being touted as the ultimate cost of repatriations), cash that they might welcome on behalf of the creditors, for the use of the planes and crew for a period to provide the needed capacity might have been worthwhile, but this probably requires government approval: not much chance of a swift response on that from this dithering bunch!

Reply: Not so. The bond was I believe £42 million and had been paid so the Regulator can get people home and sort out the customer problems. Why wasn’t it better used?

Even in this case it is. A customer makes a purchase which is for delivery in the future. He knows that fuel prices are volatile. He sees that many companies are having difficulties. He does not take out appropriate insurance: “surely the government will sort this out for me!”. And now we find that wet Tory MPs (you, Mr Redwood) think this is what should happen, in one guise or another. The key phrase is “caveat emptor”.

Again, the key phrase is: “caveat emptor”. Once Tories start thinking, and stating, that this is not the right approach, we are doomed. Or do Tories think that these peole are too thick to take precautions with their money, so we’d better mollycoddle them with taxpayers money? I appreciate that you think that the industry should insure itself, but why would they: they are profit making firms first, not a social backstop.

Reply: No, you are missing my point. The idnustry already has to take out compulsory insurance through the Bong system. I am talking about how the CAA/Administrator spends the bonded cash to get people home. Of course the creditors need protecting to the extent that they can be.

I admit, in the present instance, this is a matter of locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. Still there will be more horses in future & the cost of this is nothing compared to bailing out banks we “cannot allow” to fail.

Two words, ‘holiday insurance’.

I understand at one airport, cop cars chased the plane down the taxiway. I expect the polot did not have enough room on his credit card to pay the fuel and airport charges. Or the leaser wanted its plane back pronto.

The liquidator incidentally will certainly take its “cut” first before any other bills are paid and way way way before people’s immediate needs are sorted because their needs aren’t even in the reckoning.

It’s a classic example of money and corporative investors and businesses coming before people yet again, even when the most extreme hardship is being faced by tens of thousands.