Thomas Cook Airlines to grow seat-only sales
Thomas Cook Airlines is aiming to grow its seat-only sales as the percentage of capacity taken by its in-house tour operators is shrinking year on year.
Currently, 35% of Thomas Cook Airlines seats in the UK are sold to third parties, compared with just 27% in 2011, but by next summer the figure will rise to 40%.
UK chief executive Christoph Debus said the Thomas Cook Group’s German airline sold only 28% of its capacity in-house and he envisaged the UK carrier moving in the same direction.
"The amount of capacity we sell as seat-only in the UK will grow beyond 40%, especially on long-haul flights," said Debus. "We are already on the GDSs and advanced in the seat-only market."
Debus said the airline continued to work closely with its in-house operator ‘where necessary’, but he said the two were growing separately. "The tour operator is reducing its risk by taking less committed capacity and buying seats from other airlines, such as easyJet, when it needs them," he said.
"Thomas Cook wants to grow, but some of this growth will go to other carriers, and we can grow independently as an airline."
At the moment, 85% of Thomas Cook customers fly on its in-house carrier, but Debus said this was likely to fall, especially on long-haul routes. Across the whole of the Thomas Cook Group, 50% of its customers fly on third-party airlines.
Earlier this year, Thomas Cook Airlines announced new routes from Manchester to New York and Miami and a revamp of its Airbus A330 fleet, including a new Premium service.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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