TUI Airways

[Seasider]

When I tried to do a dummy booking on the Thomson website, earlier today, it said all holidays had been sold for the dates I selected (various dates in Ag & Sep).
I can't see any Thomson flights from LBA for the foreseeable future. If they stick to 3/5 bases then Jet2 will mop up the pax and they won't go back to TUI after Jet2.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

When I tried to do a dummy booking on the Thomson website, earlier today, it said all holidays had been sold for the dates I selected (various dates in Ag & Sep).
I can't see any Thomson flights from LBA for the foreseeable future. If they stick to 3/5 bases then Jet2 will mop up the pax and they won't go back to TUI after Jet2.

This is my thoughts - below:

It seems a bit daft. They are caving to Jet2. If customers want to go; haven't booked but don't mind a last minute booking and they are wanting TUI from EMA, DSA, NCL, EDI, STN but will not want to travel to MAN or BHX or LGW. This feeds into Jet2 (LBA/EMA for DSA, NCL, EDI & STN) and their strength. Whilst i understand the cautious approach; and we've yet to see Jet2's programme post Covid lockdown (it's still around it's not like its disappeared) and if they are operating from all 9 bases to most destinations as i've said it feels like they are caving to Jet2 and giving them customers that would otherwise gone with TUI.

Seem's a bit daft tbh. I am all for making our own based (Leeds/Yorkshire) airline stronger but i want some competition. As you become too much of a monopoly complacency sets it and well then that's when errors begin to occur. Not that i am saying Jet2 will make error's or slip up but i would prefer them to have some competition to make them better then they already are ha. Seem's a bit daft to give up on DSA - with LBA up the road, EMA down the road you'd think TUI wouldn't want to hand over pax to Jet2 at both these bases.

 

[Aviador]

Jet2 will have to start making decisions soon. What happens next will not only depend on them. It will also depend on the amount of passengers permitted through the terminal at each airport and the rules imposed by government.

 

[Len Fish]

They already have, see my post on the LBA Jet2 thread.

 

[airforced]

TUI sound as though they are doing what TUI do! The left hand never knows what the right hand is doing so don't expect anything from LBA or any other airport that they haven't already identified as a base.

 

[Jerry]

TUI sound as though they are doing what TUI do! The left hand never knows what the right hand is doing so don't expect anything from LBA or any other airport that they haven't already identified as a base.

How do you figure that out? They are doing a slow return to business over the next few months. Sounds like they know what they are doing to me!

 

[Severn]

TUI sound as though they are doing what TUI do! The left hand never knows what the right hand is doing so don't expect anything from LBA or any other airport that they haven't already identified as a base.

It's actually quite clear and simple. TUI will be operating to a limited number of short-haul destinations from their major bases. The airports coloured red in the list and map below are where TUI will not be operating from this summer due to COVID-19.

TUI bases in the UK and Ireland (in size order).
LGW
MAN
BHX
BRS
NCL
DSA
GLA
EMA
CWL
STN
DUB
EXT
BOH
BFS
EDI
LTN
NWI
ABZ

Non-TUI bases in the UK and Ireland (in order of number of weekly flights):
ORK
LBA
SNN
HUY
SOU

You can see that TUI have cut flights to their smallest bases and other airports without bases (LBA included).

Although no flights from LBA, there will be flights from DSA, MAN and NCL which although not perfect gives customers who still wish to go on holiday other alternatives in departure airports. Another example is LTN and NWI passengers who although won't be able to fly from their local airports will have the choice of flying from STN or LGW. Given there is no Jet2 presence in the South West, it's therefore not surprising that TUI will keep all South-West bases (BRS, CWL, EXT, BOH) open and operating flights.

All in all, still quite an impressive selection of departures points for UK holidaymakers to travel from - and more importantly still serving all regions of the UK.

 

[airforced]

I have experienced TUI in recent times and believe me or believe me not their right hand doesn't know what their left is doing. If you, or anyone else for that matter, takes what they say as gospel then good luck to you. If they fly to and from LBA as is being suggested it will be a miracle.

 

[Jerry]

I have experienced TUI in recent times and believe me or believe me not their right hand doesn't know what their left is doing. If you, or anyone else for that matter, takes what they say as gospel then good luck to you. If they fly to and from LBA as is being suggested it will be a miracle.

Where has it been suggested that they'll fly from LBA?

 

[Severn]

I have experienced TUI in recent times and believe me or believe me not their right hand doesn't know what their left is doing. If you, or anyone else for that matter, takes what they say as gospel then good luck to you. If they fly to and from LBA as is being suggested it will be a miracle.

Working as flight-deck crew in the aviation industry, I don't take anything as gospel from any airline until there is an aircraft physically on the ground ready to depart. My information has come from the schedules that have now been updated and not from a fluffy press-release that all airlines come up with.

However, if you re-read my post, I clearly have said that TUI will not be operating from LBA this summer, which is to be expected given the current climate.

 

[White Heather]

Where has it been suggested that they'll fly from LBA?

What has been suggested is that a Monday flight is still operational from LBA using Air Europa and the Friday Corfu flight also , which is normally TUi. Knowing the situation I will be surprised to see either. I don't expect to see TUi at LBA at all until next summer, possibly later. In normal circumstances they waste little time axing LBA flights and these are far from normal times.
.

 

[Jerry]

In normal circumstances they waste little time axing LBA flights and these are far from normal times.

If they do axe the flights then they must not sell well or to their satisfaction yet every year they keep returning.

 

[LBA4EVER]

If they do axe the flights then they must not sell well or to their satisfaction yet every year they keep returning.

I think one of the main issues with TUI at LBA is that they only have one aircraft based here which has been the sunwing, if that aircraft goes tech another aircraft has to be flown in with a knock on effect plus costs too. At most the other bases esp LGW,MAN,BHX,BRS if an aircraft goes tech they may have a spare aircraft available or can jig the schedule around abit, kind of like what jet2 do. How TUI cannot make a success of Leeds/bradford is beyond me!

 

[LBA4EVER]

I think the main aim of TUI at LBA is simply to piss off the passengers! You book LBA but actually your going MAN! Thats the reason they keep showing up at LBA

 

[stars&sids]

I prefer Ryanair and Jet2 at LBA, TUI are a waste of bloody time....let DSA have them with pleasure.

Like them or not Offint, and much as I’m an LBA fan, we desperately need TUI down the road at DSA, otherwise it won’t be looking too good for us.

 

[Rob c DSA]

The issue TUI have at LBA is Jet 2 have done such a good job they can't compete, with the likes of Monarch gone bust the airport is such a stronghold for Jet 2 and Ryanair seem happy with what they have it isn't surprising TUI have little interest in LBA they may ditch LBA and even EMA and concentrate on BHX, DSA and MAN to cover Lancashire the Midlands and Yorkshire.

 

[stars&sids]

You can have them.....we want WIZZ here.

Well you know you can’t have them !

 

[ROC10]

I think one of the main issues with TUI at LBA is that they only have one aircraft based here which has been the sunwing, if that aircraft goes tech another aircraft has to be flown in with a knock on effect plus costs too. At most the other bases esp LGW,MAN,BHX,BRS if an aircraft goes tech they may have a spare aircraft available or can jig the schedule around abit, kind of like what jet2 do. How TUI cannot make a success of Leeds/bradford is beyond me!

They don’t even base any aircraft at LBA anymore. There are a handful of flights a week (mainly for cruises which must do well enough from LBA, makes sense as it’s the one thing Jet2 don’t do) operated either by TUI w-patterns or other airlines. The issue is not that it was a single-aircraft base (they have successfully operated EDI/BOH/EXT year-round and ABZ/BFS/NWI in summer as single-aircraft bases) but rather, as others have said, it is undoubtedly the sheer presence of Jet2 at LBA (and MAN). TUI therefore serve MAN (of course) and DSA to cover the more easterly areas, allowing them to cut out the “middle man” (LBA) if you like. They also probably can’t get enough of a stronghold at LBA (due to Jet2) to make it worthwhile bothering with a based operation. Unlike Jet2, TUI tend to thrive at small, otherwise poorly-served airports with little/no competition (DSA/CWL/BOH/EXT), excepting the larger airports of course.

 

[White Heather]

The issue TUI have at LBA is Jet 2 have done such a good job they can't compete, with the likes of Monarch gone bust the airport is such a stronghold for Jet 2 and Ryanair seem happy with what they have it isn't surprising TUI have little interest in LBA they may ditch LBA and even EMA and concentrate on BHX, DSA and MAN to cover Lancashire the Midlands and Yorkshire.

Well they sort of brought that on themselves. For years Thomson & Britannia were the main charter operator at LBA and had grand plans.

Then it's bought by TUi and they immediately dump the LBA base and go down the road to DSA. Their faithful customers were less willing to do so and first Airtours, then Thomas Cook and finally Jet2 took what TUi could have had at LBA. They had their chance here and gave it up.

Since they came back to LBA they have not helped their cause with frequent chopping and changing of flights and a reliance on using Sunwing, snd finally by quitting with Sunwing mid contract. Few trust them in these parts and you are correct - Jet2 do customer service well. TUi don't if you want to fly from LBA. The result of all this was that they closed their Sunwing base because it had the lowest level of seat occupancy of any base.

 

[Rob c DSA]

Well they sort of brought that on themselves. For years Thomson & Britannia were the main charter operator at LBA and had grand plans.

Then it's bought by TUi and they immediately dump the LBA base and go down the road to DSA. Their faithful customers were less willing to do so and first Airtours, then Thomas Cook and finally Jet2 took what TUi could have had at LBA. They had their chance here and gave it up.

Since they came back to LBA they have not helped their cause with frequent chopping and changing of flights and a reliance on using Sunwing, snd finally by quitting with Sunwing mid contract. Few trust them in these parts and you are correct - Jet2 do customer service well. TUi don't if you want to fly from LBA. The result of all this was that they closed their Sunwing base because it had the lowest level of seat occupancy of any base.

Surely in the long run LBA has come out in a far better place for not really having much of a TUI presence if TUI were based with the four aircraft they were supposed to this year in South Yorkshire would Jet2 be based in quite such a way they are today at LBA?. I get the argumentre DSA but it seems the whole argument for some LBA followers (not yourself) boils down to it being little old DSA having TUI being the problem more than TUI having a bigger presence at LBA.

LBA is on a winner with Jet2. TUI aren't interested. LBA isn't the only airport TUI seem less bothered about they don't have so much love for EMA as a couple of years back.