Getting back to the original topic:
If aircrew (flight deck and cabin crews) are not included in these job cuts this time, that is good news.
It is a pity that shops are having to close, but with the Airtours/Thomas Cook merger didn't they end up with too many shops and should have close more earlier for good business reasons.
The big pity is that the airline industry here is struggling with all the obstacles that are being put in its way with punitive passenger duties (do rail travellers get punished with similar passenger duties?) and daft EU compensation rules (were any rail travellers delayed much longer by recent power-line failures covered by any EU compensation schemes?) when there should be some government appreciation of how important this sector of the economy really is. But when you get mindless morons following the fanatical religion of 'greenie-ism' where airlines are seen as an evil that is a sign of affluence and must be stamped out being able to influence politicians so convincingly, there is little hope for reason.
Now onto the 'follow on' comments:
I find it extremely amusing that an outsider from a country that is super sensitive about criticism feels that he can come here and criticise Thomas Cook shops! Our local Thomas Cook shop is extremely helpful and informative and our most recent holiday with them was decided based on the very helpful and accurate information provided by the very motivated staff in the shop. (But then, package holidays are not a concept that Capetonians are used to, so I wouldn't rate their opinions too highly!) And Crawley, hmmm, I spent some time near there recently and I don't rate it at all as a 'tourist attraction' but I didn't see any of the locked gates, barred windows, razor-wire and 'armed-response' burglar alarms that I saw when I was last in Cape Town!!!!