The collapse of the UK’s third largest package holiday company has left around 70,000 Britons stranded abroad and thousands more stuck at airports in this country facing the prospect of no annual holiday and no refund.

David Douse, 61, a retired police officer was at Gatwick today expecting to fly to Greece for a 40th wedding anniversary celebration with his wife.

“This morning we were getting excited then I put on the radio and I heard the news about XL,” he said.

“We’re very disappointed but after 40 years of marriage we’ve experienced a fair bit of disappointment so we can cope.”

Mr Douse remained stoic but hundreds of other passengers were increasingly frustrated as news filtered through that they may not be able to take their holidays.

Tens of thousands of holidaymakers who booked trips on the company’s website using debit cards are unlikely to even get a refund and many families were forced to pay thousands of pounds more for new flights.

Natalie Hombrado, 28, had booked to fly to Florida today with eight other members of her family. Four generations of the family from Stroud in Gloucester received the news of XL’s demise as they approached the airport in a minibus.

“I just feel like it isn’t happening. We booked through Travel City so I think we’ve lost everything,” she said clutching her 8-month-old baby.

All nine of them rushed to catch a taxi to Heathrow where they had just booked another flight that will add £4,000 to the cost of their trip.

At Manchester airport the Penman family were also due to fly to Florida. Tom Penman, 42, a youth education manager from Lanarkshire, Scotland, said: “It’s shocking. We’ve saved up for two years and now the children are in tears.”

The Penmans’ dream holiday, which they spent two years saving for, included a trip to Disney World.

The family now hope to take a train from Manchester to Glasgow and then fly to Orlando via Philadelphia in the US.

He said: “It’s absolutely shocking but at least we’re only losing one day’s holiday.”

“We bought all the theme park tickets already and it was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime.

“I’m annoyed that some people knew about this yesterday and lots of passengers were re-booked before this morning. I couldn’t believe it when I found out.”

As angry passengers gathered at information desks at Gatwick Airport, some had lost their temper and shouted expletives at overwhelmed staff. Others seemed resigned to their fate. One woman marched out of the terminal saying: “Right, that’s it. I’m going straight back to the hotel and I’m hitting the bar.”

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