Thomas Cook

[lbaspotter]

DSA now removed from Thomas Cook booking engine for S13 holidays.. Certainly something is going on, perhaps they are going to make a move to DSA now that Monarch and TUI appear to be making a move back into LBA? That would mean they no longer need to operate from HUY either.

No offensive pug, But I think you jumped the gun on this.

As I just checked and at the moment i think you will find that Doncaster is still in the the Thomas Cook, website booking system for next summer 2013. They have once weekly flights to Dalaman and twice weekly to Palma available. As I have said many a time now. The Leeds and Humberside programmes have not been finalised yet along with other UK airports.

As I Understand they are plenty of other routes still to be loaded into the Thomas Cook website. The full Summer 2013 programme is not on sale yet but is been updated again as i type this.

 

[pug]

Just checked, I only get DLM (Monday) available from DSA. Previously PMI (Friday and with new flight on Tuesday) were also bookable. Still, something is going on between the three airports, I dont think that can be denied. No matter whether holidays from other airports are on sale yet or not.

 

[lbaspotter]

Looking back to last year. This summer 2012 Thomas Cook programme from Leeds/Bradford was not finalised until late June early July 2011 which was very late compared to this years release of Summer 2013 holidays.

They still have plenty of time to release a programme at a delayed date for them all important forward bookings. They maybe waiting to see what Monarch, Jet2 and Ryanair are up at LBA next summer before deciding on what routes they are going to do themselves.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Like LBAspotter has already said, they are probably waiting to see what Jet2/Monarch Scheduled are going to do next year if anything. As for shutting the door on LBA, i very much doubt it for TCX. They are too stuck in at MAN/LGW, and this hasn't done them anygood, they realise this and thus i think quite the opposite may happen and we could (hopefully) see growth.

Who knows, they maybe in that room in LBIA where routes/contracts are being signed left/right & centre HEHEHE!

 

[lbaspotter]

Further update regarding Thomas Cook @ both LBA & HUY. I just sent somebody who works for Thomas Cook a message and got a quick reply from them.

Quote Me: So I see more of your summer 2013 routes have been released for sale today. But yet still nothing available from Leeds/Bradford or Humberside Airports as yet. What's going on, Are Thomas Cook pulling out or something?

Thomas Cook UK: Hi Ross, routes are still being worked out and should be on soon. -Chris-

So it still looks like as I said before that both the LBA and HUY programmes are still not finalised but will be out shortly. I can't do much more than that.

 

[752]

if routes are still being worked out, then that is what will be happening, if they was pulling out, they would of said that but their not so hopefully expansion from TCX! we just need to be patient

 

[pug]

Poster on fruit, who it seems works for Thomas Cook, says that the LBA program for S13 has been withdrwan, and though it may go back on sale, this is unlikely. :dunno:

 

[lbaspotter]

Poster on fruit, who it seems works for Thomas Cook, says that the LBA program for S13 has been withdrwan, and though it may go back on sale, this is unlikely. :dunno:

Well pug I would also just like to add that the Thomas Cook summer 2013 programme from LBA has never been on sale yet. So how has it been withdrawn from sale?

Could it be they are getting rid of the based A320 aircraft and are going to us more of Jet2's and maybe some Monarch's new scheduled flights instead next summer 2013 along with few of there own TCX aircraft doing a W-legs as well?

 

[eastcoaster]

The Airtours preliminary 2013 summer brochure is out showing 15 tcx flights a week.

[ Post made via Android ]

 

[pug]

Well lets hope that person is talking rubbish then. Having had fleetimg experience with Thomas Cook I have no reason to doubt him, knowing how they plan way in advance (more so now)..

[ Post made via Android ]

 

[White Heather]

I just wish they would sort this out. I have to say it seems odd, and it is worrying, especially when airports such as DSA do still appear. Delaying LBA in this way at the very least means that our bookings are lagging behind those at other airports, which is not a good thing. I have seen something on google stating that contractual talks were holding things up - presumably with LBA. That could mean any number of things - perhaps TCX are wanting to cut their costs at LBA and LBA are not having it - or perhaps LBA are wanting to charge more in view of the terminal improvements. Perhaps TCX are reviewing the programme from LBA to improve it - no doubt Tony Hallwood would have been trying to get them to do just that. Or, as has just been said, they could be pulling out. The worst scenario (for me) is that they pull out of LBA and transfer to DSA, although its hard to imagine that they would do that given DSA's record. They are so well established at LBA, it would amaze me if they did that.

I have to say it is becoming a concern. I must admit I expected expansion this year and never imagined that we might end up gaining a few extra TOM flights and some from MON, but lose our major tour operator after so many years. At a time of good news at LBA, it would be a major blow to the airport if, out of all the airports they operate from, Thomas Cook picked LBA to walk out on.

 

[Aviador]

I hope I don't end up eating my words but aren't we jumping the gun on this? It's a whole year before the Summer Sun 2013 is scheduled. Forward bookings will be very slow at the moment anyway so I do think there's any reason to worry just yet. The critical period is around Christmas as people tend to book summer holidays just after Christmas.

I really don't think Thomas Cook would pull the plug on their whole programme on the basis of new competition. If anything it should stimulate more interest in flights from LBA instead of flying from alternative airports such as Manchester and East Midlands. We know that a substantial amount of passengers travel to other airports outside the Yorkshire region to fly who would probably prefer to fly from Leeds Bradford given the chance. The arrival of Monarch and the return of Thomson's might mean some passengers choose to fly with them but it is more likely the new flights will be filled by passengers who would otherwise have flown from other airports outside the region.

It isn't uncommon for flights to be jiggled around and it isn't until the second or even third edition of the brochures before all the majority of the flights are released. It seems like LBA is driving a bargain at the moment with airlines seemingly queuing up to fly from Leeds Bradford, so I don't see TCX leaving us just yet unless their previous financial woes get the better of them.

 

[White Heather]

I hope you are right Aviador. What has worried me is (apart from some of the things I have read on here only tonight) that in the past they have tended to launch with a programme of flights, then play around with them until they are finalised. This is the first time I can recall that they have put all the other airports on sale and nothing at all from LBA. As I posted earlier,my first thought was that the entire programme could be up for review due to the terminal - possibly a sign of expansion. Another possibility that crossed my mind this evening is that they are switching from using a TCX aircraft and will be joining up with Monarch too, so MON doing a really serious programme from LBA, operating for Thomson, Thomas Cook, Cosmos, and their own scheduled passengers. The 'contractual talks' I read about on a google post, might therefore be with the airline, rather than with LBA. Some of the queries about where the LBA flights are have come from Thomas Cook's own agents, so it seems that even they don't know what is going on. Confusion reigns.

You know me - I am always looking on the positive side of things, but I have been around long enough to know that where LBA is concerned, there have often been blows in the past just as good things were happening. I just hope that this is not another one. I have found myself visiting the Thomas Cook website every day now just to check, so I hope someone puts all of us out of our misery soon!!

 

[pug]

I hope you're right too Aviador.. However I have a bad feeling about the LBA and HUY routes. Things can change, but if they are telling staff they are pulling out (and people have no reason to lie) then I think there is nothing else to do but believe them until such time that they put holidays one sale etc..

 

[Aviador]

If you look back through the thead we had similar confusion last year.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Right it was on the booking system cause i preceeded to have a look at departures for LBA on a Monday to get the week's rotations and programme. Only my sodding laptop froze and when i went back it had gone. So

a) the gran caneria single rotation that day, was a mistake and they are loading more flights onto the system and there is some expansion planned.
b) the sole gran caneria rotation is all we'll have on a monday, and probably daytime "jet2 flight time hours" and nothing in the evening.
c) the gran caneria rotation will take seats of good old Jet2 with crappier flighttime hours then now, making it more attractive to book with it's airline at manchester (should people want similar flight times from this year). And other routes will be used using TCX own a/c (part based), Jet2 & Mon.
d) It's over.

Either way there is some good news with TCX & LBIA, and hopefully not Jet2, and Mon. I am personally going with Aand i'm not phoning a friend or taking 50/50.

 

[752]

I doubt TCX will move to LBA as they annouced RHO & ACE from there for summer 2012 and withdrew these flights.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

I doubt TCX will move to LBA as they annouced RHO & ACE from there for summer 2012 and withdrew these flights.

They never announced RHO & ACE on there own metal from LBIA. The traditional day of Wenesday for Rhodes was kept as LCA followed by AYT. Saturday is busy too with PMI & W leg to Humberside. And to me a 21/2200 departure for rhodes won't perform as good as a afternoon/morning departure would. As for ACE, the only day that would fit would be thursday and the aircraft comes from Zante that morning then sit's on the deck all afternoon, and into the early hours before performing a long weekend (IBZ, MAH, DLM, PMI-HUY-PMI, PMI & TFS). Now Thomas Cook Holidays could of taken allocation aboard LS services and they probably have, but thats being the agreement for the past few years. They take some seats off LS and sell them with their own holidays. If your on about DSA, well it would be nice to see some expansion at other airports rather then just our own, however they'd need space & time to find the aircraft to either a)operate in and partial base it there for a day or two, or b) W leg it off another base. DSA's best plan for that would be a EMA a/c which is just down the road.

 

[752]

sorry i meant TCX announced RHO, ACE and Tunisia (maybe on TOM seats) from DSA for 2012 but withdrew them so it is unlikely they will move to DSA

 

[White Heather]

I had a look at the Thomas Cook website yesterday and found that every single airport in the UK, except LBA and HUY are on sale for 2013, even those that you would expect to be axed if finances were tight - airports such as Norwich. It makes no sense really that out of all the airports that TCX serve, LBA and HUY should be the only ones to be axed. If they were intending to substantially reduce their costs and consolidate to the bigger airports, LBA would not have been the first, and certainly not the only airport to be given the boot.

The only circumstances that I could see that happening is that DSA had done a deal with TCX to steal the entire operation and that TCX had see the opportunity to fly from there and withdraw from the other two airports in the region. However, as Thomson have found, it doesn't work, and given the way DSA has struggled to make things work with any airlines other than Wizz and Thomson (although drastically reduced now from what they were), it would be a hell of a gamble by them to put all their eggs in the DSA basket and withdraw from LBA/HUY - airports where they are totally dominant in the IT market.

Pug has stated that he has heard from sources that they are pulling out of LBA. I have tried to find out information myself from LBA without success - the response was non committal really, as I would expect. LBAspotter has posted comments saying that flights would be uploaded soon, and I have read on google answers to queries to TCX themselves that Mahon is not being offered from LBA next May on the one hand, and then, when this was queried, a further comment that the 'Aviation Departent' had said that flights would be available soon!

Its all a bit of a mystery, but I simply cannot believe that they would axe LBA and HUY and no other airports in the UK. Its not as though LBA has been a disaster for them. Personally I think that the reason that HUY is not on sale is that their flights are often operated on a W leg by the LBA aircraft, so they need to sort out LBA first.

Putting my optimistic hat on then, I think the delay is due to one of the following:

Re-working the entire programme to provide an enhanced service for 2013 -possibly using a based TCX aircraft as now, but also with capacity on a newly based MON aircraft which is also carrying TOM and Cosmos passengers, plus Monarch scheduled. Since Monarch have only just made their plans known, it may be that this late change has resulted in some quick re-planning. Such an arrangement would give TCX the chance to expand without having to base another aircraft, and it would help guarantee full aircraft for Monarch too. There has been talk of contract talks delaying things - maybe those contract talks are with Monarch and they are working to agree the routes. Just a thought. No doubt I will get shot down for suggesting it though.

Re-working the programme to increase the programme using a 2nd TCX aircraft

Re-working the programme to reduce it due to the influence of Jet2 Holidays and the forthcoming arrival of Monarch, and possibly Cosmos, not forgetting an enhanced programme from TOM.

I don't really want to think about the other options involving no TCX at LBA. The very idea seems barmy, particularly at a time when LBA is undoubtedly about to move up the airport league table a little.