p6 sep26 24/9/08 22:25 Page 6
news xl collapse
ttglive.com
New Kiss boss rebuts Wyatt rumours
Lucy Huxley.
market with links to XL after all the negative
THE NEW director of start-up seat-only operator publicity is not ideal, but having XL management
Kiss Flights and XL/Freedom Flights
Kiss Flights has denied there is any connection is actually fantastic.”
between it and former XL Leisure Group boss Asked if Wyatt was behind Kiss, Moss said: The connections:
Phil Wyatt. “People are bound to say that, because Phil and ■ Kiss Flights’ only director is Malcolm
Close links between the failed company and I are good friends and Phil is also close to Andre Gumbridge, solicitor and close associate
Kiss have prompted speculation that the new (Cachia) who runs Meridian, but it’s not true.” of former XL boss Phil Wyatt
company was set up as a “parachute” operation But the close links between Kiss and XL ■ Kiss Flights is the trading name of Meridian
for the XL chief. have drawn suspicion from
ttglive.com readers, Airways whose ex-director Graham Rolph
But former Freedom Flights director Paul although some were supportive of the new worked with Wyatt at Goldcrest Aviation
Moss, who joined Kiss last Monday just three venture. ■ Kiss Flights will operate Boeing 737-800s,
days after XL went bust, said there was no truth Murray Harrold, of Advantage member the core fleet of XL Airways
in this. Despite close links to Wyatt associates Sam Smith Travel, said: “I have always been ■ Meridian Airways
(see box), Kiss had nothing to do with Wyatt, uncomfortable with the ‘same old, same old’ is UK general sales
Moss insisted. faces popping up after a collapse.” agent for Viking
Moss said his former “right hand man”, Mike Greenacre, managing director of The Airways which was
Michael Smith, left XL two months ago to set up Co-operative Travel, said sarcastically: “While “damp leased” to
Kiss Flights at the invitation of aviation broker my staff have been hard at work recovering from operate out of East
Meridian Aviation. this situation, it is heart-warming to learn that Midlands airport
Moss, who is now a Kiss director, admitted he those responsible have moved to pastures new.” in 2006 for XL
had not planned to join so soon. A former employee of XL Airways contacted ■ Wording, format
But he added: “I would be a liar if I said I TTG to point out the similarities of XL and Kiss. and design of kiss-
thought I would never be involved in Kiss Flights. “Perhaps I am being paranoid but to me, there
flights.com and
“I would have adored it if XL had refinanced are too many coincidences,” he said.
xl.com are almost
and I could have left on a high. Attempts to contact Wyatt and Moss on identical (right)
“As it is, launching a new brand into the Wednesday were unsuccessful.
SUPPLIER.COVER. CRUISE IMPACT.
Freedom Direct
Lines predict longer-duration cruises
offers free cover
CRUISE experts are predicting an increase in “You may also see an increase in dynamically
cruise durations and in dynamic packaging of packaged cruises as agents combine low-cost
cruises in the wake of the XL collapse. and scheduled flights with cruise-only product.”
NEWCASTLE-BASED call centre Freedom Direct Speaking at the Antor/TTG cruise seminar this Asked if the price of oil might force lines to
began offering free Supplier Failure Cover on all week, Fred Olsen Cruise Line marketing director reduce ports of call, Royal Caribbean Interna-
bookings last week following the collapse of XL Nigel Lingard said: “Since XL went down, flight tional UK general manager, Jo Rzymowska, said:
Leisure Group. prices have gone up and airlines are reluctant to “It’s about working out how to make sure the
The agent, which made significant numbers of quote fixed price contracts. costs don’t increase so much that the price of the
seat-only bookings through XL’s Freedom Flights, “If we can’t reach longer-term advance agree- cruise is no longer attractive, but at the same
is also offering the cover on retrospective ments with the charter carriers, then we may time not affecting the itineraries.”
bookings at £2 a time. see a growth in longer-duration cruises to get to
Managing director Martin Jones said: destinations rather than so many fly-cruises. ■ TTG/Antor cruise survey results, page 10
“Customers now realise that if they book with a
debit card they won’t even get their money back,
let alone be flown home if the company collapses
Dollar Thrifty axes fees to XL clients
when they are abroad. This is really going to
wake people up.” DOLLAR Thrifty has revealed it decided not to good to us and we wanted to be good to them.
He revealed every customer had been sent a charge customers who had booked their cars “Our theory is that it will also be good public
text by 9.30am on the Friday XL collapsed, when through XL Leisure Group. relations and those affected will seek to use us
its failure dominated all the headlines, to say Managing director Tom Knopek and his team again in the future.”
their booking with Freedom Direct was safe. decided that customers had suffered enough. Knopek was also keen to praise the efforts of
It also ensured that claim forms were with He said: “We have taken a huge hit but over resort staff who had worked tirelessly to help the
every customer by 7pm that night. the last 25 years our customers have been repatriation effort.
06 26.09.2008
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