Thomas Cook Airlines
Encyclopedia
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England. It serves main holiday resorts worldwide, from its main bases at Manchester and Gatwick.
The airline also operates services from nine other bases in the United Kingdom.
The airline carried 8,120,815 passengers during 2010, and operates a fleet of over 40 Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
and Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
aircraft during the peak summer holiday season, making it the fourth largest UK airline by passengers carried. The airline will standardise its narrow body fleet, replacing Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
s with Airbus A320 family
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft over five years beginning in 2012.
Thomas Cook Airlines Limited holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.
History
Following the merger between Thomas Cook AG & MyTravel Group PLC to form Thomas Cook Group PLCThomas Cook Group
Thomas Cook Group plc is a travel company created on 19 June, 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG and MyTravel Group plc. At flotation on the London Stock Exchange 52% of the shares in the new company were held by the German mail order and department store corporation Arcandor and 48% owned by...
in June 2007, Thomas Cook Airlines was formed on 30 March 2008 by the merger of Thomas Cook Airlines UK Ltd and MyTravel Airways
MyTravel Airways
MyTravel Airways was a United Kingdom scheduled and charter airline with headquarters in Manchester, England. It operated worldwide holiday charter services mainly for its parent company, the MyTravel Group....
. The airline commenced operations in time for the summer 2008 season, with a fleet of Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
A320, A321 and A330 aircraft along with Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
757 and 767 aircraft.
Thomas Cook Airlines UK Ltd
The original Thomas Cook Airlines was established on 1 September 1999 and started operations on 27 March 2000. It was created as JMC Airlines through the merger of Flying Colours AirlinesFlying Colours (airline)
-History:The airline began operations in the summer of 1996 with a fleet of Boeing 757-200 & Airbus A320 aircraft.Flying Colours had several operational bases outside of its Manchester Airport headquarters, including London Gatwick Airport and Glasgow International Airport...
and Caledonian Airways
Caledonian Airways (1988)
Caledonian Airways was a United Kingdom charter airline that operated for twelve years between 1988 and 2000.-History:Caledonian Airways was formed in 1988 when British Airways acquired British Caledonian...
, following the integration of the Carlson Leisure group with Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook of Melbourne, Derbyshire, England founded the travel agency that is now Thomas Cook Group.- Early days :...
, which brought both airlines under common ownership in October 1999. Previously, in 1998, Flying Colours had also integrated Airworld Aviation Ltd
Airworld
Airworld Aviation Ltd began operations in 1994. It was the in-house charter airline for the travel agent Thomas Cook Group. The airline was the first British operator of the Airbus A321...
into the airline. JMC Airlines was renamed as Thomas Cook Airlines UK on 31 March 2003.
MyTravel Airways
MyTravel Airways was founded in 1990 as Airtours International AirwaysAirtours International Airways
Airtours International Airways was a charter airline based in the United Kingdom with its head office in Parkway Three in the Parkway Business Centre in Manchester.-History:...
, which also acquired Inter European Airways
Inter European Airways
-History:Inter European Airways commenced operation in May 1987.Initial plans had indicated the use of two Boeing 737-300 aircraft, but in place of these a single 737-200 leased from GPA was used....
in 1993 and Danish charter airline Premiair in 1996 prior to re-branding as MyTravel in 2002.
Operations
The airline operates worldwide charter flights to and from the United Kingdom for a number of tour operators; however, Thomas Cook Tour Operations is the main user of the airline.Thomas Cook Airlines, with tour operator Canadian Affair
Canadian Affair
Canadian Affair is the UK’s largest Tour Operator to Canada. Since it was founded in 1995, Canadian Affair has flown over one million passengers to Canada....
, also offers scheduled flights to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Halifax and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
from Glasgow International, Gatwick and Manchester airports in the United Kingdom. All flights are operated by Airbus A330 aircraft.
Fleet
The Thomas Cook Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (at August 2011):| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E* | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
8 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 180 | |
| Airbus A321-200 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
4 | 6 | 0 | 220 | 220 | 2 Due 2013 4 Due 2014; Ordered as part of Thomas Cook Group fleet renewal |
| Airbus A330-200 | 7 | 0 | 45 0 |
309 323 |
354 323 |
3 to leave fleet and join Air Transat Air Transat Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the... winter 2011/12 season. |
| Airbus A330-300 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 407 | 407 | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 235 | 235 | To be replaced with A320 family |
| Boeing 757-300 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 280 | 280 | To be replaced with A320 family. Fitted with winglets |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 326 | 326 | Fitted with winglets. 1 to transfer to Condor winter 2011/12 season. |
| Total | 42 | 6 | ||||
Some aircraft are normally leased out to other operators during the winter season, including Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia, and from the winter 2010/11 season to Canadian operator Jazz Aviation
Air Canada Jazz
Jazz Aviation LP is a Canadian regional airline based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Enfield and Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation....
(doing business as Thomas Cook Canada).
Fleet replacement
In December 2010 the Thomas Cook Group announced that they had chosen the Airbus A320 family to replace its 71-strong narrow body fleet of aircraft across the four group airlines, including Thomas Cook Airlines. The five year fleet renewal will commence in 2012, with a review of the wide body fleet replacement taking place during 2011.An initial order by the Group for 12 Airbus A321 aircraft was confirmed in January 2011, with first deliveries expected to commence in 2014.
Livery
All Thomas Cook aircraft are painted in white, with the blue and yellow Thomas Cook logo on the tail of each aircraft. A light blue covers the underbody of the aircraft. The aircraft cabins feature blue fabric or leather seats and carpets. and on the Airbus A320/321 and Boeing 757 there is 28" seat pitch. Entertainment has been removed from the Boeing 757 and Airbus A321/320, and replaced with the opportunity for passengers to hire a Playstation PortablePlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
handheld entertainment console for the duration of the flight.
The Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
operates in an all economy configuration (29" pitch).
The fleet of Airbus A330-200 aircraft feature an all-leather seat configuration with 323 economy seats, or 45 premium and 309 economy seats on aircraft used for Canadian Affair flights.
Cabin Interior
On short and medium-haul flights the Airbus A320, A321 and Boeing 757 aircraft are used featuring 28/29" seat pitch. Entertainment has been removed from the these narrow-body aircraft, and replaced with the opportunity for passengers to hire a Playstation PortablePlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
handheld entertainment console for the duration of the flight. A copy of Thomas Cook Airlines magazine Travel can be found in all seat pockets.
The Boeing 767 is also used on some short and medium-haul routes, and operates in an all economy configuration with 29/30" seat pitch.
The Airbus A330 aircraft is used primarily on long-haul routes and features seat-back entertainment in both Premium Economy and Economy class cabins (with an AVOD
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
system fitted to one aircraft). Economy offers 33" seat pitch (29" on selected aircraft) and Premium 35" pitch with wider seats. Since 1 May 2011 the Premium cabin is only available on flights to and from Canada due to a significant rise in Air Passenger Duty
Air Passenger Duty
Air Passenger Duty is an excise duty which is charged on the carriage of passengers flying from a United Kingdom airport on an aircraft that has an authorised take off weight of more than ten tonnes or more than twenty seats for passengers...
in the UK for passengers travelling in premium classes.
Statistics
Thomas Cook Airlines carried over 8.1 million passengers during 2010, a 1.0% reduction compared with 2009.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards
- Silver Award - Most Environmentally Responsible Airline 2008
- Runner-Up UK Charter Airline for Punctuality - Summer 2006
- FlightOnTime.info Most Punctual UK Charter Airline - Summer 2002 & Summer 2003
- FlightOnTime.info Most Punctual UK Charter Airline - Winter 2002/03, Winter 2003/04, Winter 2008/09 & Winter 2009/10