p5 news May15 13/5/09 20:02 Page 5
ttglive.com
news
In brief
Swine flu fears hit
■ Thomas Cook axes scores of jobs in Ireland
Thomas Cook is set to make up to 77 redundancies
after Dublin-based staff were placed in consulta-
tion this week. More than 40 of the staff work in
two Thomas Cook shops, 15 at a Direct Holidays
shop and 16 for Sunworld and Panorama. A
spokesman said the priority was to retain as many
bookings to the US
as possible and support those affected.
■ Diane Court joins Freedom Travel Group
Chris Gray.
Waddell said consumers’
Diane Court, former Virgin Holidays key account SUMMER bookings to the US worries were calming as the
manager, has joined The Co-operative Travel’s dropped by nearly a third media coverage decreased.
agency consortium Freedom Travel Group as in the week after the swine The monthly total of UK
sales and recruitment manager for the Midlands flu outbreak in Mexico, new visitors to the US was run-
and the south. Court’s position at Virgin was figures have revealed. ning at about 20% down
made redundant in March when the operator Mexico suffered a collapse year-on-year, which Waddell
shed 7% of its workforce. in UK bookings in the week said was the result of reces-
after the first cases were iStockphoto sion rather than swine flu.
■ Tui’s LateRooms to appear on easyJet site confirmed in late April, but Mexico this week unveiled
EasyJet is set to unveil a deal with Tui that will see figures from research company GfK Ascent MI a £58 million plan to rebuild tourism by starting
the tour operator’s accommodation-only specialist show there was also a big impact on bookings to an international marketing campaign and a pos-
LateRooms.com appear on the homepage of the the US. sible 50% cut in cruise taxes.
airline’s website. Tui already supplies easyJet with Bookings through operators and agents to The campaign will initially focus on the
hotels through its Spanish subsidiary Hotelopia, Mexico were running at about 12% up on last Yucatan, which is most badly hit by the drop in
which appears on the airline’s website as easy- year until April 25, but then plummeted 83% in visitors arriving on direct flights to Cancun.
JetHotels. The airline is now making LateRooms the week ending May 2. Tour operators including Thomson, First
the main supplier and putting the brand on the US bookings were already down on last year at Choice, Thomas Cook and Virgin Holidays have
easyJet website in its own right. the start of April by about 6%, but were 36% suspended flights to Mexico until later this month.
below last year’s total in the week to May 2. Cruise lines also suspended calls to the
■ BMI in £100m row with Lufthansa The US had 3,009 confirmed cases of swine flu country. This week Royal Caribbean Cruise
BMI and Lufthansa are embroiled in a row over on Tuesday this week, more than the 2,282 in Line said the infection was not spreading on
claims the English carrier needs a £100 million Mexico and more than half the worldwide total. Serenade of the Seas after a crew member was
cash injection to stop it breaching regulatory rules. Sarah Smalley, GfK Ascent MI managing direc- diagnosed with it.
Lufthansa, which is in the process of taking over tor, said consumer concern meant the decline in
BMI, has reportedly asked its founder Sir Michael bookings could continue for the next few weeks.
ttglive.com
video
Watch GfK Ascent MI’s Sarah Smalley talk
Bishop to provide the money it was claimed it But Visit USA chief operating office Alan
about booking trends on ttglive.com/gfk
needed so the airline has enough cash reserves to
operate for three months. BMI sources claimed
Lufthansa was trying to talk down its price.
■ Tui recruits Doyle from Royal Caribbean
Tui Travel has recruited Karen Doyle, Royal
Caribbean Cruise Line national account manager,
to head up its cruise division. Doyle, who started
a period of garden leave on Friday, was one of
Royal Caribbean’s longest-serving members of
staff in the UK, having joined in 1998.
■ Clayton-Turner becomes freelance consultant
Former C&M Recruitment marketing manager
Sarah Clayton-Turner has gone freelance after
being been made redundant in April. She is
currently working as a consultant for Affordable
Car Hire and Rock Insurance. MAKING A SPLASH: Seven children from across the UK have joined First Choice’s Cool
Pool board of directors after winning a competition by demonstrating their pool
ttglive.com
For the latest news, reviews and comment
expertise. The lucky seven, pictured here in their first board meeting at head office,
from the travel industry, visit ttglive.com spent the day testing flumes and discussing the perfect pool.
15.05.2009 05
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68