Helpers Left Distraught As HK Travel Agency Folds

Angry and heartbroken foreign domestic helpers gathered outside a travel agency in Causeway Bay on Thursday to try to get flight tickets they had booked or refunds, after the firm suddenly announced its closure leaving hundreds of customers out of pocket.

A sign posted outside the office of Free Spirit Travel said the company had ceased operating on Wednesday.

The Travel Industry Council (TIC) said it had been informed of the closure.

The TIC said around 460 customers had been affected by the collapse, having bought flights from the firm costing some HK$1.2 million between them but without receiving their tickets.

Fenty Yuanita, a domestic helper, told RTHK she had ordered a HK$3,600 round-trip flight to Indonesia from Free Spirit in February. She said the outbound flight is scheduled for this Sunday, but she has still not received her tickets.

She said she tried to call the agency on Wednesday night, after friends told her it had closed, but her call went unanswered. The helper said she had since reported the matter to the police.

Another helper broke down in tears, saying she had not returned home for three years and now feared she had lost HK$5,000 after booking flights through the agency on the recommendation of a friend.