Third ex-Baldwins owner disqualified Ian Taylor


The Insolvency Service has banned a third former owner of Baldwins Travel, Jack Mason, from being a company director. Mason, who became a Baldwins


director and chief executive of its owner following the travel agency’s acquisition for £2.8 million in September 2021, was disqualified for seven-and-a-half years at the end of March. The Insolvency Service found


Mason was a director of eight companies used to move more than £12 million in unauthorised Barclays overdrafts to companies controlled by his associates Scott Dylan and David Antrobus


– part of total unauthorised transactions of £13.9 million. Mason resigned as a Baldwins


director in December 2023 following a transfer of ownership of the company and other assets overseas in breach of a court order. The companies used to transfer the


money were then wound up, leaving debts of more than £52 million – some of them purportedly owed to Dylan – excluding the cost of subsequently liquidating Baldwins Travel. None of the missing money has been recovered. Baldwins was wound up in July


last year by director Nick Marks, a member of the family who owned the business up to 2021 when Mason, Dylan and Antrobus bought it. Mason, Dylan and Antrobus


Atol renewals follow 2025 trend as OTAs increase licences


Travel Weekly reporters


The March Atol renewals held few surprises for industry analysts and followed a similar pattern to those from 12 months ago, with only online agencies We Love Holidays and On the Beach adding substantially to their licences. The top three mainstream operators chose to leave their licences unchanged from the September round of renewals, with Jet2holidays remaining the largest Atol holder at 7,043,718 and Tui remaining in second spot with 5,942,801 in addition to 423,657 under its Marella Cruises arm.


6 9 APRIL 2026


EasyJet holidays remains the fourth largest holder, with 3,455,570, but the distance to third-placed We Love Holidays stretched as the parent of loveholidays chose to increase its licence by almost 509,000 to 5,520,145. On the Beach added more than 172,000 to its licence, which now stands at 2,533,150, and remains fifth in the list. Loveholidays chief executive Donat Retif said the business “continues to go from strength to strength”, adding: “Our latest Atol update clearly reflects this momentum.” Retif said the expanded licence “further strengthens our


position as a leader in package travel”. The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed a total of 1,674 businesses in the travel sector are licensed under the Atol scheme, up on 1,612 in September and bucking a pattern of decline over the past decade. Of the 702 licences that expired


on March 31, 2026, the CAA said 636 have been renewed, with a further 26 still in the application process or yet to meet licence conditions. CAA Atol spokesperson Geoff Wingfield said: “The continued demand for Atol-protected holidays shows that consumers place real


Mason played


a central role in a scheme that caused significant financial harm


each received 22-month prison sentences for contempt of court after breaching freezing orders obtained by Barclays in the same month that they acquired Baldwins, although only Dylan has served his sentence. Antrobus fled to Ireland and Mason to Barcelona, leaving warrants for their arrest outstanding. Dylan and Antrobus were


disqualified as company directors


in December – Dylan for 13 years, having been described by a High Court judge as the “driving force” behind the “scam”, and Antrobus for 10. All three were declared bankrupt last year. Insolvency Service chief


investigator Victoria Edgar said Mason committed “a serious breach of his responsibilities as a company director… [and] played a central role in a scheme that caused significant financial harm”. Dylan now claims to run a venture


capital company, NexaTech Ventures, despite being disqualified. Proceedings initiated by Barclays


against Mason, Dylan and Antrobus in pursuit of the missing money remain outstanding.


Holidaymakers want ‘confidence and clarity’


importance on having confidence and clarity when they book their trips.” Wingfield also acknowledged challenges facing the sector as the Iran war entered its sixth week, as the authority reminded firms of their duty to offer cash refunds alongside alternative options if holidays were cancelled due to “unavoidable and extraordinary” circumstances. He said: “It is important that passengers’ holidays are protected, and we will continue to work with industry to ensure they understand how best to support their customers.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/PeopleImages


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