Steph McGovern, 37, kept last night’s Watchdog viewers up to date on the latest developments following the collapse of travel group Thomas Cook earlier this week. The main focus of the segment was multiple flight companies hiking their prices in the wake of Thomas Cook going bust, with Steph urging viewers who had been affected to share their thoughts and experiences by using the hashtag #planegreedy. Midway through the show, she shared a shocking story from one couple who may have had one of the most special days of their lives ruined by the collapse. “Due to the flight cancellations, they might not be able to attend their own wedding,” she read out.
“That’s rubbish, isn’t it?” she blasted, clearly sympathetic to the couple’s plight.
Having highlighted several examples of companies upping their prices for identical trips within hours of Thomas Cook ceasing trading, Steph told viewers: “Lots of you getting it touch using the hashtag #planegreedy.
“Shelly said the same holiday she was due to go on has gone up nay £1,000 with Jet2. Same flight, same day.
“Jet2, interestingly, are busily tweeting customers at the minute insisting its pricing is common within the industry,” she continued. “It comes back to their argument about it being supply and demand.
“But I think for lots of people, it’s this issue of they’ve taken their annual leave, they’ve saved up the money, they’ve got the hotel package but they need the flights and so they can’t change what’s happening with that,” she sympathised.
Sharing responses from the travel companies whose price increases they revealed on the programme, Steph said: “All the companies whose fares we quoted tonight reject any criticisms, saying their prices are based purely on supply and demand and there are lots of factors that determine whether they go up or down.
“Most of them made a point of denying they’ve increased prices as a result of Thomas Cook’s collapse.”
Steph’s Watchdog co-host Matt Allwright, 49, chimed in: “Jet2 says it’s inevitable that when supply reduces with fewer flights and seats, prices will increase.
“It pointed out it’s helping repatriate Thomas Cook passengers, but it didn’t explain that whopping 300 per cent price hike that we found.”
Criticising the development falling the collapse of Thomas Cook, Steph added: “They’re all saying that this is normal and it is normal for prices to go up when demand goes up or supply goes down.
“But what isn’t normal here is a huge company collapsing and that being the reason why lots of people suddenly need flights.”
Elsewhere, Steph and her partner are currently expecting their first child.
The identity of the presenter’s girlfriend is not known as she prefers to keep her private life out of the spotlight, but she is thought to be a TV executive.
Steph confirmed her pregnancy in July, joking in view of her 376,000 Twitter followers: “I am no longer with pot belly… I am now with child.”
Earlier this month, she departed BBC Breakfast for her maternity leave.
Watchdog airs Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC One. BBC Breakfast airs daily at 6am on BBC One.
