NEWS ROUND-UP NEWS IN BRIEF


Law partner Maria Pittordis dies after short illness


Hill Dickinson partner Maria Pittordis has died after a short illness, aged 55. The law firm’s head of marine, trade and energy is survived by her husband Takis and three children. Pittordis was an expert in travel law and a campaigner for justice on issues such as fake holiday sickness claims. › Talk Back, page 25


Cruise sector mourns death of John Honeywell


Cruise journalist John Honeywell – known to many by his alias Captain Greybeard – has died after a short illness, aged 69. World of Cruising’s editor at large was described as a “great man” and a figure who will be much missed by the industry. He formerly wrote for the Daily Express and Daily Mirror. Honeywell leaves behind his wife Shelia and sons Nick and Russell.


Travel Weekly recruits Harry Kemble as cruise reporter


Travel Weekly has hired Harry Kemble as a news reporter, covering the cruise sector. He joins the


editorial team from the Daily Mirror, where he was involved in its Pride of Britain coverage. To speak to him about a story, email harry.kemble@travelweekly.co.uk


Jet2holidays tops Cook to be number two Atol-holder


Jet2holidays has overtaken Thomas Cook to become the second-largest Atol-holder. The Leeds-based operator


is now licensed by the CAA to sell 2.93 million Atol-protected seats. Thomas Cook Tour Operations is licensed for


Steve Heapy


2.45 millon when factoring in the Atols of subsidiaries Future Travel and Freedom Travel


10 travelweekly.co.uk 19 October 2017


Cook to shift away from brochures to magazines


Amie Keeley and Ben Ireland


Thomas Cook is “slowly going away” from brochures and moving towards “magazine- style” publications.


Outgoing chief digital and


marketing officer Gilles Despas said one of the reasons was fluid pricing, meaning price-led brochures can be out of date before they are distributed. He said Cook’s recently


relaunched Excursionist magazine had gained “a lot of traction”. Speaking at the Travolution


Summit, the annual event held by Travel Weekly’s sister title, Despas


said: “We are slowly going away from the traditional brochure and bringing the customer into the experience of the holiday before they are on holiday.” Cook’s website currently


features more than 100 brochures, all of which are available to download or view online. They include brochures


focused on specific destinations; Signature, Airtours, Emporium and Club 18-30 programmes;


magazine-style titles such as Excursionist from Cook’s Inspire Me section; Explore resort guides;


THROUGH THE AGES: Cook brochures from 1981 and 2017, and the new magazine-style Excursionist


and brochures for sectors such as weddings, city breaks and LGBTQ- friendly holidays. Instead of brochures, Despas


predicted virtual reality tools and “big screens” in shops would “put the customer in the destination”, whether that be the resort or destination, hotel or aircraft. Rival Tui announced last year it


would be phasing out brochures by 2020 and replacing them with technology in stores and glossy print magazines. A spokesman for Cook said: “Digital sales are growing strongly and we’re investing in rich and inspiring online content to attract more customers, but our


Group. Jet2 added more than 650,000 seats in the week after Monarch’s failure, while Thomas Cook added 230,000. In April, Jet2holidays was


licensed for 2.27 million seats and Thomas Cook and subsidiaries for 2.58 million. The UK’s biggest operator, Tui


UK, is licensed for 5.4 million passengers. It has added 250,000 seats since Monarch’s collapse on October 2.


brochures still play an important role in our stores.” Despas, who spearheaded the


rollout of a single web platform, OneWeb, across the group, and led the team responsible for delivering the alliance with Expedia, will leave the business in December. It follows the announcement that


Tui’s Andrew Flintham will become managing director of Cook’s UK business and Chris Mottershead as chief of UK source market and group differentiated product. Digital will be wrapped in with IT in a new function, led by Alan French as group strategy and


technology director. › Business, page 80


Steve Heapy, chief executive of


Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “This is great news for everyone associated with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays and is only possible thanks to the continued support of independent travel agents. “This goes to show what can be achieved through an unswerving focus on delivering the very best service for customers.” › Talk Back, page 25


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