Sheffield wedding party stranded at airport as Thomas Cook collapses

Lindsay Coupe and Lee Bramhall, from Beighton, are due to tie the knot on the Caribbean island on Saturday but just hours before they were due to fly tour operator Thomas Cook collapsed.

CRIME: ‘Do not approach’ warning issued for Sheffield man wanted over serious Barnsley assault

All planes have been grounded and holidays booked through the firm have been cancelled.

LATEST: Man still wanted by South Yorkshire Police over 'romance frauds'

There are more than 150,000 UK Thomas Cook customers currently stranded abroad, with a repatriation operation now under way to bring them home.

Lindsey and Lee, who have two children, were due to fly to Jamaica as a party of 43 but although they have found some alternative flights they cost around £1,000 each and need to be paid for today – before any refunds are made.

The flights are also via Canada, taking the journey from 10 hours to 28.

Lindsay aged 37, said she is ‘absolutely gutted’.

“I will get to Jamaica by hook or by crook but not everybody can. The new flights need to be paid for and some people were only going for a week so the extra travelling time means they would hardly have had any time at the resort, so it just isn’t worth it,” she said.

“I am absolutely gutted. You spend all that time planning and looking forward to your wedding day. I just can’t believe this has happened.”

The party booked their trip through an independent travel firm, with Thomas Cook chosen for the flights.

Their hotel in Montego Bay is believed to have been paid for by the travel firm direct, but Lindsay said friends and family are concerned.

“Everything is up in the air. We believe the hotel was paid for direct but it is a long way to go for us to get there to be told that it hasn’t, so we are trying to confirm all that as well as sort flights. It is a nightmare,” she said.