Why XL Went Bust...

THOUSANDS OF holiday makers were stranded this weekend after the UK's third largest package holiday group went bust. With another 200,000 advance bookings grounded, Planet Numbers ran an investigation asking why all these holiday makers' breaks were ruined.

The sun is shining, you've reserved your sunbed by the pool and you've got your drink from the poolside bar as you rub a little bit more sun tan lotion on your already sun kissed back. For many, this sounds like bliss but one family we spoke to just couldn't wait to get home.

The Henderson family from Brighton booked their holiday to Majorca in February 2007 using XL's package deal. 'We had been saving up for around a year.' said Keith Henderson, a newspaper distributor from Kent. 'The kids were so excited and the journey to Majorca went without a hitch. The hotel was clean and very reasonable and the food was fantastic. However, after we had packed our bags ready to come home we discovered that XL had gone out of business which meant we were stranded.' At this point Keith Henderson had to leave the room as he struggled to keep back the tears. When he returned several minutes later he said. 'We had to stay in sunny Majorca for, we were told, at least another 3 days. There's only so much amazing food, beautiful weather and pure bliss and relaxation one can take. We just couldn't wait to get back to cloudy, dull England.'
Planet Numbers understands that one of the Henderson children has consequently put on half a pound of weight due to the delicious food and the mother is slightly sunburnt.

Could this have been avoided? Could XL have been saved from administration? Could poor little Billy Henderson be that half a pound lighter and avoided the inevitable bullying? Planet Numbers says yes.

A recent article, written by the talented Alex Deutsch, noted how Planet Numbers were saving businesses by offering them memorable and unique non geographical telephone numbers. '0845 Numbers, 0844 numbers, 0800 numbers and 03 numbers are the most profitable thing you could possibly buy for your business. Unless you own an airline, in which case it's probably aeroplanes. Although we do suggest putting your memorable and unique telephone number on the side of the aircraft to generate extra interest.' said the office administrator for Planet Numbers 'By buying a memorable and unique 0845 Numbers, 0844, 0800 and 03 number your customers will be able to call your company easily meaning extra income for you!'
Planet Numbers has very kindly offered to lend CAA their rocket, seen in the the Planet Numbers logo, to go return all the stranded holiday makers to their homes. The rocket, which holds 3 people at a time and can only fly upwards, is thought to take around 36 light years to get to the desired location and back. The CAA suggest you walk.