Ian Taylor


Jetline Travel dissolved owing £4.7m £425k


£523,000 and Bedsonline £285,000. It was Carnival brands Princess


The Jetline Travel administration wound up last month with the company, which ceasing trading in March, dissolved owing £4.7 million. Trade creditors were left owed


£3.4 million, in what was the costliest failure since Luxtripper in October 2023, with no protection of pipeline money after Jetline left Abta in 2020 over its handling of pandemic-era refunds. Cruise lines were among the


hardest hit with Princess Cruises owed £427,000, Carnival £248,000, Holland America Line £236,000, Cunard £132,000 and Royal Caribbean £175,000. Among other suppliers, flight provider Aviate was owed


Cruises, Cunard and Holland America Line which triggered the company’s collapse after cancelling some Jetline bookings “due to breach of contract” in failing to transfer customer payments on time. Joint administrators Alan Clark


of Carter Clark and Neil Bennett of Leonard Curtis reported that Barclays Bank, owed £1.2 million, would be “repaid in full”. The bank’s claim comprised a £182,000 overdraft, £383,000 on an outstanding Covid loan, £313,000 on company credit cards and £344,000 on a mortgage, all secured against Jetline’s two properties in north London. The administrators were also able to settle employee claims for holiday pay


Late lates still drive sales but focus shifts to winter and 2026


Juliet Dennis


Mass-market travel agents say “late lates” sales are continuing to enjoy a sizeable share of post-school holidays business, driven by value offers and discount codes from major operators. Despite most schools restarting


this week, the trade said demand remained strong for September and October breaks but also reported rising enquiry levels for winter and next summer. Value offers such as Jet2holidays’


£125 discount on new bookings departing in the next two months and


4 4 SEPTEMBER 2025


continued free child places with Jet2, easyJet and Tui have kept the focus on lates despite prices holding firm, according to agents. “There are value offers out


there but it’s not cheap because the demand is there,” reported Idle Travel director Tony Mann. “We’re selling lots of lates but we’ve


also seen winter pick up well and lots of enquiries for summer 2026.” Seaside Travel social media


manager Katelyn Cook agreed: “We are definitely still in the late lates market but September is holding a higher price point.” She also pointed to a “big increase”


in last-minute, long-haul bookings, saying: “We’ve booked the likes of Mexico and the Dominican Republic instead of Greece and the Canaries as the price was so strong and customers could really see the value for money.” Advantage Travel Partnership


commercial director John Sullivan cited Spain and its islands as last- minute favourites but added shorter city breaks were proving popular as well as Dubai for its “guaranteed sunshine”. More than 40% of travel booked last week through the consortium was for departures in the next two months, with prices “slightly down” year on year.


Total unpaid to Jetline employees in notice and redundancy claims


and wage arrears totalling £37,000. But an additional £425,550 in employee claims for compensation in lieu of notice and redundancy went unpaid. Almost 400 consumers were left £800,000 out of pocket by the failure, and HM Revenue and Customs was left with two claims, for £128,000 and £81,000, unpaid. The Air Travel Trust refunded


1,589 Atol-protected customers at a cost of £1.44 million, but the draw


on the fund was lower than this at £1.05 million as £388,000 was held in a company escrow account required as a condition of Jetline’s Atol licence. The sale of the company’s assets,


including databases and technology, to Travelodeal in April realised just £60,000. Jetline had traded since 2000,


selling in the UK as Jetline Holidays and Jetline Cruises, and as Jetline Vacations in the US where it launched in 2019. Owner and director Steven


Roberts and co-director Andrew Todd had not met the requirement to file a statement of affairs when the administrators filed their final report. A loan of £137,000 to an unnamed


director also remained outstanding. i ATT reports £278m fund, page 64


Agents say prices are holding firm despite some operator discounts


Barrhead Travel managing


director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell cited a clear appetite for last-minute travel and for summer 2026 as clients locked in next year’s plans, adding: “Last week, September and October bookings were our two highest-volume departure months.” Independent Travel Experts


managing director Gary Gillespie said price-led activity by operators was working. “Booking volumes suggest value-driven approaches are resonating well with customers,” he said. “That said, there’s a noticeable shift. Almost 43% of bookings are now looking ahead to winter and summer 2026.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/New Africa


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