p5 dec12 10/12/08 21:15 Page 5
ttglive.com
news
In brief
Cosmos tipped as Co-op
■ Ace to hold 2009 cruise convention in Dover
The Ace Cruise Convention will return to Dover next
year and TTG will again be trade media partner.
Next year’s event, from June 17-19, will give the
tour operation partner
450 agents expected to attend the chance to visit
four ships never previously featured at a UK
cruise convention: Fred Olsen’s Braemar, Holland
Lucy Huxley.
Cosmos, one of the leading independent tour
America’s Prinsendam, Crystal Cruises’ Crystal THE CO-OPERATIVE Travel’s new “full-blown” operators, has access to seats through sister
Symphony and Princess Cruises’ Tahitian Princess. tour operation, due to be unveiled in January, is company Monarch, but has long been looking to
There will also be a Discovery Zone that will focus understood to be a joint venture with Cosmos. secure distribution.
on cruise destinations, and delegates will be able Last week, The Co-operative Travel managing Details are expected to be unveiled in January,
to book appointments to see lines and exhibitors. director Mike Greenacre revealed he was prepar- but the programme is not expected to go on sale
ing to launch a programme for 2010, claiming the until the spring.
■ Tui pleased by Hoon’s ‘open-mindedness’ company had the potential to become the UK’s Neither Greenacre nor Stuart Jackson, Cosmos
Tui Travel has said it was encouraged by the third-largest tour operator (TTG December 5). managing director, would comment about a deal.
government’s intention to act to sort out consumer The plan is designed to guarantee The However, Jackson confirmed marketing for
financial protection in the travel industry, after it Co-operative Travel brands access to product Monarch Airways and Monarch Holidays may be
met transport secretary Geoff Hoon. The meeting and immunity from commission cuts in light of merged in the new year.
last week was prompted by a letter sent jointly concerns about the dominance of the big two. Monarch Airways’ marketing is based in Luton
with Thomas Cook after the collapse of XL Leisure The Co-operative Travel sells nearly three and consumer brand Monarch Holidays, created
Group again highlighted unfairness in the Atol million holidays a year and Greenacre is keen to in June when Cosmos was made trade-only, in
protection system. Tui said Hoon accepted a capitalise on its “captive audience”. Bromley. Jackson believes merging the market-
need for better information for consumers in the Sources claimed The Co-operative Travel was ing teams will help build the Monarch brand.
short term and that he was “open-minded” to in talks with Cosmos about drawing up a formal “It takes time to build brand awareness but I am
more fundamental change in the long term. agreement to create a joint venture to share pleased with Monarch’s performance and Cosmos
XL’s Phil Wyatt on the collapse: Interview, p10 revenue and risk. is doing well as a trade-only brand,” he said.
■ Virgin adds flights to Florida and Caribbean
Virgin Atlantic is expanding its services from
Manchester to Barbados and Orlando, and from
Cook/Medhotels deal ‘imminent’
Gatwick to Montego Bay, Jamaica. It will add
additional Saturday flights from Manchester to
Barbados between May 2 and November 7, and THOMAS COOK’s much-anticipated deal to
an extra Sunday departure between Manchester buy Medhotels from
lastminute.com could be
and Orlando from April 26 to November 8. The completed as early as today, with an announce-
airline will also add a third weekly Gatwick flight ment widely tipped for next week.
to Montego Bay from November 13 next year. As TTG went to press, sources confirmed the
acquisition was at “final contracts” stage.
■ Cruise lines axe fuel surcharge for 2009 The sale price is not known, but the deal is
NCL, Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas Cruises expected to involve an agreement that would
and Oceania Cruises are suspending fuel levies on give lastminute access to all of Thomas Cook’s
their 2009 cruises. All customers who have paid stock for the first time.
in full will be refunded with onboard credit; those The big four, now the big two, have previously
who have not fully paid will have the surcharges never allowed the online retailer to sell their
deducted from their balance. product, fearing it would fuel lastminute’s
growth and threaten their own businesses.
■ CAA sets service standards for Stansted But sources suggest that Cook may be about
Stansted is to be fined if it fails to reach minimum to break rank with that strategy.
standards on service. The CAA said the airport One said: “Be it Cook, or airlines, or whoever
would have to hand back up to 7% of its revenue – suppliers’ own websites are always going to
if it fails to meet standards for queues, baggage be the best and cheapest way to distribute their
reclaim and information. The CAA has proposed a products.
price cap of £6.34 per passenger, rising to £6.65 “But maybe now they are seeing the value in
by 2014, for what Stansted can charge airlines. Commuters at Liverpool Street station in London supplementing that distribution in order to meet
encountered a giant Christmas cracker as
lastminute.com their load factors.”
ttglive.com
For the latest news, reviews and comment
launched its festive breaks promotion offering discounts on Lastminute declined to comment on the
from the travel industry, visit
ttglive.com weekday bookings between 12pm and 3pm in December rumours, while Cook was unavailable.
12.12.2008 05
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