Priority Escapes, a tour operator dealing mostly direct with the public, specialising in “direct” flights to Maldives, has abruptly closed down, leaving passengers who have already paid tens, or even hundreds of thousands of rands, stranded.
On this past Saturday, August 12, clients with existing bookings received an email with the signature of Francois Swart, MD of Priority Escapes, informing them of the sudden closure. This was after some of them had been asked to pay in full the day before.
“…we find ourselves in a position whereby we are unable to meet our financial obligations in respect of Priority Escapes clients and service providers….We have had no option other than to cease trading with immediate effect,” said Swart’s email.
Despite Swart giving the assurance on this email: “We are doing everything possible for the clients affected by this and will communicate with you in due course,” the company’s website has been taken down and calls to the numbers supplied in the advertising and supplied as contact details for consumers, go unanswered.
Priority Escapes recently advertised packages to the Maldives with flights costing R1.
Joanne Adolphe, CEO of Thompsons Holidays, which has been in business for 43 years, said: “People must look at what they are buying. One-rand flights to the Maldives? The normal fares to Maldives are R12 000-R14 000. So one-rand flights to Maldives are impossible.”
Adolphe said when clients turned to agents for their opinions on this sort of deal, much cheaper than all the rest, with a R1 flight, it was important that agents pointed out the flaws, and the danger of being taken for a ride.
“Agents must get the right messaging out there. This sort of collapse reflects on the entire travel industry and does big damage to the industry’s name.”
To contain the reputational damage to the whole industry, Thompsons is now offering consumers who have paid for Maldives holidays with Priority Escapes nett rates. Adolphe said Thompsons would not make a cent.
What’s clear is that consumers allege they have been ripped off.
Consumer watchdog site, Hello Peter has many comments dated August 12 and 13, and these tell a story. Consumers’ allegations are about the following points.
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The company advertised “direct flights” (a big drawcard), and very competitive package prices, but there is some doubt that these direct charter flights even existed. Some industry insiders say Air Seychelles stopped chartering out its aircraft before 2023. There are no scheduled services flying directly from South Africa to Maldives. Some consumers have called this a bait-and-switch manouevre.
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Many reported receiving advice from Priority Escapes as late as Friday, August 11, urging them to pay in full on that day to secure the holiday. The very next day, the company issued the email from Swart, advising of the closure of the company.
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On Hello Peter, consumers say they were contacted after the initial booking and asked to pay in additional funds “because the charter had been cancelled”. Consumers allege that the advice they got to put in extra funds to pay for a scheduled flight was just a way of getting them to pay up more money.
Consumers on the Hello Peter website said:
“My family (a group of 10) booked a trip in February 2023 for a two-week holiday with Priority Escapes for August this year. We were informed last minute about the non-existent direct flight and had to pay in to fly on Qatar to continue with our holiday plans. Communication from Priority Escapes was non-existent around the flight change and we found out via friends of ours that this flight no longer existed. This was just the starting point; we arrived in Malé on Monday, August 4 to be told that our accommodation was never paid for and therefore the hotel couldn’t transfer us.”
* “In addition, (name of Priority Escapes’ consultant) made us pay an additional amount a few weeks ago because the direct flight was cancelled. We paid this too.”
* “R106k gone for a holiday that we won't get. The hotel was never paid for and flights cancelled.”
* “Booked a family holiday in April this year, paid in full to secure prices. R110 000. Direct flights were cancelled and I was not informed.”
* “They took money from me yesterday knowing the company was going down.”
