Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox airline

Thomas Cook Airlines Limited was a British charter and scheduled airline headquartered in Manchester, England. It was founded in 2007 from the merger of Thomas Cook Group and MyTravel Group, and was part of the Thomas Cook Group Airlines. It served leisure destinations worldwide from its main bases at Manchester Airport and Gatwick Airport on a scheduled and charter basis. It also operated services from eight other bases around the United Kingdom. Thomas Cook Group and all UK entities including Thomas Cook Airlines entered compulsory liquidation on 23 September 2019.

HistoryEdit

The airline was created on 1 September 1999 as JMC Air Limited through the merger of Flying Colours Airlines and Caledonian Airways.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> following the purchase of Thomas Cook & Son by the Carlson Leisure Group. It started operations on 27 March 2000, operating flights from 6 bases in the UK, offering seat-only bookings and bookings via Thomas Cook Tour Operations. In 2001, the airline became the first UK operator of the stretched Boeing 757-300. In April 2003, Thomas Cook AG rebranded its airlines under the Thomas Cook name brand.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>JMC Fades Away</ref>

In June 2007, following the merger between Thomas Cook AG and MyTravel Group to form Thomas Cook Group, on 30 March 2008, MyTravel Airways was merged with Thomas Cook Airlines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2013, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium, Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia and Condor merged into a single operating segment of a group named the Thomas Cook Group Airlines.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Thomas Cook Airlines carried around 6.4 million passengers during 2015, a six per cent increase compared with 2014.<ref name="caa"/>

CollapseEdit

Template:Further The airline fell into liquidation on 23 September 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Airlines around the world took part in ferrying stranded passengers back to the UK, using their aircraft. The repatriation effort covered 165,000 passengers, the largest in UK history, and 65,000 more passengers than the collapse of Monarch Airlines in 2017.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The last flight to depart was MT2643, Registration G-MLJL (Airbus A330-243) from Orlando to Manchester.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The airline's AOC was revoked on 7 November 2019.

Corporate affairsEdit

OverviewEdit

Thomas Cook Airlines was part of the airline division of the Thomas Cook Group, which consisted of three more sister airlines, all of which had a joint fleet management: Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia, German-based Condor and Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics. The airline held 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

ProfitsEdit

Thomas Cook Airlines Limited Corporate Affairs<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Year Net Income CEO
2010 £21.418 million Manny Fontenla-Novoa
2011 £32.03 million Manny Fontenla-Novoa
Harriet Green
2012 £54.61 million Harriet Green
2013 £77.218 million
2014 £24.878 million Harriet Green
Peter Fankhauser
2015 £85.347 million Peter Fankhauser
2016 £171.952 million
2017 -(£31.109) million
2018 £103.061 million

Business figuresEdit

Year Total passengers Total flights Load factor Passenger change YoY
2005* 9,320,817 47,287 89.9%
2006* 8,441,276 42,182 89.0% Template:DecreaseTemplate:0Template:09.4%
2007* 8,528,655 43,013 87.9% Template:IncreaseTemplate:0Template:01.0%
2008 8,315,327 42,410 90.0% Template:DecreaseTemplate:0Template:02.5%
2009 8,202,534 38,849 92.0% Template:DecreaseTemplate:0Template:01.4%
2010 8,120,815 37,571 93.1% Template:DecreaseTemplate:0Template:01.0%
2011 7,969,693 36,103 93.3% Template:DecreaseTemplate:0Template:01.9%
2012 6,783,661 32,109 94.1% Template:DecreaseTemplate:014.9%
2013 6,084,315 28,438 93.1% Template:DecreaseTemplate:010.3%
2014 6,043,480 28,858 91.4% Template:DecreaseTemplate:0Template:00.7%
2015 6,395,623 30,601 91.8% Template:IncreaseTemplate:0Template:05.8%
2016 6,623,564 32,208 89.8% Template:IncreaseTemplate:0Template:03.6%
2017 7,319,546 35,553 90.2% Template:Increase 10.5%
2018 8,092,208 39,512 90.5% Template:Increase 10.6%
* Data for 2005 to 2007 includes MyTravel Airways
Source: United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority <ref name="caa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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FleetEdit

Final active fleetEdit

At the time of closure, the Thomas Cook Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Thomas Cook Airlines fleet
Aircraft In
service
Orders Passengers Notes
P Y Total
Airbus A321-200 27 220 220 One in Cook's Club livery.
Airbus A330-200 4 49 273 322
3 49 265 314
1 52 261 313
Total 35

Historical fleetEdit

As JMC Air, the airline has previously operated the following aircraft:Template:Cn

Thomas Cook Airlines historical fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Airbus A320-200 27 2000 2011
12 2012 2019 Leased from SmartLynx Airlines and Avion Express
1 2017 2018 Transferred to Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics
Boeing 757-200 21 2000 2016 citation CitationClass=web

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Boeing 757-300 5 2001 2019 Transferred to Condor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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Boeing 767-300ER 3 2010 2017 Withdrawn from use and converted to freighters for Atlas Air.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 2 2000 2001

CallsignsEdit

The airline has used a number of callsigns:

Thomas Cook Airlines callsigns
Callsign Dates Airline
KESTRAL 1990-2002 Airtours International Limited
KESTREL 2002-2007 MyTravel Airways Limited
GLOBE 2003-2005 Thomas Cook Airlines UK Limited
TOPJET 2005-2007 Thomas Cook Airlines UK Limited
KESTREL 2007-2018 Thomas Cook Airlines Limited
THOMAS COOK 2018-2019 Thomas Cook Airlines Limited (before insolvency)

CabinEdit

Long haulEdit

Premium economy

Thomas Cook offered 'Premium Class' on most long-haul flights on board their Airbus A330 aircraft.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The cabin offered extra legroom, wider seats with more recline, personal entertainment, complimentary hot meal and drinks.<ref name=":1" />

Economy Thomas Cook's long-haul 'Economy Class' was offered on all Airbus A330 aircraft. It offered a standard 31-inch of seat-pitch, seat-back entertainment, and complimentary hot meal.<ref name=":1" /> Drinks and additional snacks were available to purchase.<ref name=":1" />

Short and medium haulEdit

Economy Thomas Cook's short and medium-haul economy cabin on their fleet of A321 aircraft offered a standard seat-pitch of between 28-30-inch at 6-abreast. Drinks and snacks were available to purchase on board or to pre-order and inflight entertainment was available.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2017, the company introduced Economy PLUS, an upgraded economy class package on short and medium-haul flights.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This package included a priority security lane and check-in, an additional 4 kg of hand luggage, inflight drinks and food, access to in-flight entertainment and an option to reserve their seat.<ref name=":2" />

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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Template:Portalbar Template:Navbox Airlines of the United Kingdom Template:Thomas Cook Group