Thousands of Travelers Left Stranded Afterbr Collapse of Thomas Cook Travel Agency The United Kingdom’s most famous travel agency,br Thomas Cook, recently collapsed after 178 years of service. More than 150,000 U.K. customers havebr been left stranded abroad as a result, withbr all future flights and bookings cancelled. The agency’s failure is reportedly due to thebr government’s refusal to bail-out the business,br which had more than £1.7 billion in debt. According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson,br intervening to save Thomas Cook wouldbr have created a “moral hazard.” Boris Johnson, via Business Insider. A repatriation effort, codenamed Operationbr Matterhorn, is currently in effect and will bringbr an estimated 16,000 people home to the U.K. daily.