Originally Posted by
LGWAlan
the 737-500 was actually an Astraeus aircraft specifically for Bath Travel/Palmair
A Pprune member
Rainboe was a Skipper on the 737-500 Astraeus aircraft specifically leased for Bath Travel/Palmair --- G-PJPJ
Spirit of Peter Bath. He brought me back from Mahon to BOH summer 2009.
We had a very nice catch up.
Bath Travel was founded by Peter Bath's grandfather Ernest in 1924.
Peter took over the business in 1954 and took it from one office to over sixty branches.
He lived 10 minutes from what was then Hurn Airport and personally saw off the Palmair holiday flights – eventually doing so 350 times a year and continuing until the year before he died in 2006.
Palmair's first IT charters from BOH Hurn to Majorca began as far back as 1959 (I think earlier than those of Harry Chandler's Travel Club of Upminster)
Palmair were first Holiday Company to use the new BAC 1-11 jets of British United in 1965.
Sadly due to the hostile rise of Low Cost Airlines, growing Internet sales, 2008 Banking debacle/Recession, and the dismantlement of the traditional Package Holiday as we knew it, Palmair could no longer compete and the decision was made in 2010 to close the Palmair Holidays brand down and return the 737 early to the lessor.
Funny that in 2024 and now for summer 2025, we see Package Holiday expansion at BOH with numbers that Peter could only dream of, with both TUI and Jet2 basing 4 x 189 seat 737-800's at Hurn for year round Package Holiday offerings.
Had Palmair survived would they still be a strong force today at Bournemouth?