New management of bankrupt Vantage Travel to reimburse customers who had trips canceled 100% in travel credits
Jilted customers will receive full credit on future trips
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Jilted customers of Vantage Travel, the luxury cruise line that went bankrupt in June and canceled trips worth thousands of dollars, will receive 100% reimbursement to put toward future travel thanks to new buyer Pacific Travel.
According to details of an agreement outlined in federal bankruptcy court Wednesday, customers will have until Nov. 30, 2028, to book travel with the new company, and caps will be imposed for how much value can be applied to individual services.
A cruise ship is seen off Port Douglas in Cairns, Australia, in 2012. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images, File / Getty Images)
Oceangoing travel credits will be capped at 50% of the trip's cost, while credits toward river cruises and land travel, like safaris, will be capped at 20%. Credits can be applied toward either a deposit or later payment but cannot be used toward airfare, according to the agreement.
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Credits are also transferrable to friends or family and be spread across multiple trips.
The embattled Boston-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June. (Vantage Cruise Lines / Fox News)
The news comes after Boston, Massachusetts-based Vantage Travel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy June 29, had agreed to be acquired by United Travel Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of Nordic Hamburg and Heritage Expeditions. Last week, however, Pacific Travel of Aurora Expeditions in Australia, placed a $2 million bid to assume Vantage's assets, WFXT Boston 25 reported.
In the bankruptcy filing, Vantage admitted that customers lost $108 million for trips they had paid for, but never got to take.
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"Vantage has sought customary relief from the court to preserve the status quo pending completion of the sale," the company wrote in a statement. "Vantage has sought approval to complete the sale promptly, subject to any higher and better offers that may be submitted through the court-supervised sale process."
Vantage Travel has been under fire for months after hundreds of consumers complained about a lack of refunds for canceled or postponed trips. (iStock / iStock)
Boston 25 reported that the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office said it received more than 1,120 consumer complaints against Vantage since Jan. 1, 2020.
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The customers complained that they did not receive any refund after their luxury cruise was unexpectedly canceled.
Vantage Travel did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
A final ruling on the purchase will take place Monday.