The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) is advising travel agents to file a claim for reimbursement from Crystal Cruises, which announced its closure on 11FEB.
On that date, Crystal commenced an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (the "ABC Case"), an alternative to formal bankruptcy proceedings, in Circuit Court in Florida. All future cruises were cancelled and no cruises will be rescheduled in the future, says TICO.
All cruises departing from a U.S. port with accommodations for more than 50 passengers are required, by U.S. law, to have secured financial coverage to reimburse passengers in the event of a failure. Travel agents may also be eligible to recover commission payments through the ABC Case claims process, according to TICO.
For those that were owed commissions as per Crystal's suspended sailings policies, TICO directs agents to the cruise line's Claims web site. The claim would be under the General/Vendor Claim Form option. If necessary, TICO advises agents to download the claim form and submit the supporting documentation to the address listed on the form by no later than 11JUN 2022.
Registrants with any further questions are directed to contact TICO, who can review circumstances and offer guidance on whether registrants may have an eligible claim against the Compensation Fund.
Advice for Consumers
Crystal has assigned Mark C. Healy of Michael Moecker & Associates, Inc. to carry out the ABC Case consumer claims process, according to TICO. The deadline to apply for a claim through the ABC Case is 11JUN 2022, and the consumer claim form can be found here.
As it is not known how long the ABC Case consumer claims process will take or what the level of reimbursement may be, TICO advises consumers to file a claim with the Ontario Travel Compensation Fund at the same time to avoid missing the claim filing date (12AUG 2022).
For more information, visit TICO's Closure Advisory for Crystal Cruises on its web site.
