Because both airlines rely on people going the "extra mile" to keep going, crewing doing extra shifts, ops doing overtime along with engerneering, cabin and flight crew doing all they can to maintain high levels of performance and service. With so many facing redundancy in the winter, especially in ops and crewing, how many do you think are going to go that "extra mile"? Especially as Thomas Cook has, rather cynically, just reduced its redundancy benefits.

Also, with people now fearing for their jobs a rash of resignations is expected over the coming summer, putting even more pressure on an already demoralised and over stretched work force.

Firstly, TCX i believe did win the OTP award a couple of years ago.

As for redundancies, cabin crew and pilots are unlikly to be affected, lots of summer cabin crew are only temps and will still be needed - theres still going to be the same number of aircraft.

The redundancies will be made in the travel agents etc

According to a report in the Independant they will also shed aircraft ???

From Duff Beer
From AJWTCX
Well maybe. But here's a couple of quotes from todays newspapers.

"It's being presented as a merger but Thomas Cook is clearly in the driving seat"

" ...but analysts reckon that many of the £75m savings will come from cutting six of its 97 aircraft..."

Time to take off the rose tinted spectacles?
BC

97 aircraft??????

Plus, TCX were already getting rid of a few A320's, ironically of course selling one to MYT....

Correct! That was a few years ago and since then they have managed to forget everything they knew in relation to their On Time Everytime approach to things; although they did pull it back last Summer but still lagged 6 mins behind MyTravel on average delay and 12 percentage points behind MYT for OTP.

I don't think anything has been released into the press to that effect and is most likely the media doing what they do best; Sexing things up!. If aircraft are to go, I could see them transferring to MyTravel Airways A/S.

The majority of job losses will be formed where there is duplication of Travel Agents in towns and cities. This will likely fall on the lowest turn over unit or those with the highest price leases. In relation to any agents loosing jobs, MyTravel will likely offer them Home Working positions as it is currently establishing the Going Places For You network. Anyone affected by store closures in the past has been offered this as an alternate to taking redundancy.

If MyTravel Airways does become Thomas Cook Airlines in the UK, I just can't see the same happening in Northern Europe. The UK is used to change, for the example, the four name changes Britannia will have had by 2008. Britannia, TUI Branding, Thomson, Thomsonfly, TUIfly. However look at what happened when TC they tried to change Condor to Thomas Cook Airline; it didn't work and they subsequently they reverted back to the Condor name. MyTravel is an extremely powerful name and brand in Northern Europe where Thomas Cook is relatively unknown. DK wins award after award so I doubt this is going to be something TC want to mess with if the past has taught them anything!

The MyTravel name has been gaining a lot of momentum in the UK and has become the number 3 most popular online travel website in the UK behind Thomson and Expedia and was recently been awarded eSuperbrand status. The logo and title “Part of MyTravel Group” has recently been applied to all the groups brochures and the feeling amongst my customers is that the MyTravel name is well associating with excellent OTP and good service. I can’t see the brand disappearing all together just because they are merging with Thomas Cook; at least not online if anywhere.

Thomas_Cook_757-300

Might those six aircraft be MyTravel's three Airbus A321 aircraft, and the pair of Boeing 767s, plus one other?

New airline should be called something like


"My Thomas Cook Travel" lol


Oh and no doubt it will be another expensive new paint scheme!! Orange, blue, yellow and white, not a good look!! Sure there will be many colourful combinations before all the fleet are done!!


Hope there's not too many job losses though, would say none but I doubt that!

Brae Cwyn said:
They aren't juicy delivery slots.
They are First Choice Airways firm orders for 8 Boeing 787's as European launch order customer for the Dreamliner and global launch customer for the GENX engine.
Roll on Feb 2009. :D

Whoops! Think I might have touched a nerve or three!

Don't want to be pedantic jonseagull, but don't firm orders all come with delivery slots - juicy or otherwise?

I think that you just proved my point. As "European launch order customer etc etc", does that alone not make First Choice a potential takeover target?

Neither of us know the answer (well I don't) so we shall have to wait and see.

BC

Not sure who'd bid now though - TCX and MYT will be too busy bonding, and the resultant frankensteins creation will be too large to buy FCA without escaping the attention of some mergers and monopolies bods. Surely.

Fleet reduction? No way!
 

No fleet reduction will take place in the short-term, due to existing committments for summer programmes and lease cancellation costs. Speculation on this topic is naive. Ultimately fleet expansion looks more likely, assuming the objectives of the merger are achieved.

Jethro has the two MYT 767s being disposed in 4Q 2007 as an update. Maybe Monarch could be in for those whilst they await their own 787s.

I was talking to a couple of ex-MYT people last night and they hadn't heard anything as yet re their shares. I'd agree about speculation at this point being futile, although one good point made was that the full deal should leave the combined group free of net debt after ongoing disposals.

It'll be interesting to watch as they have at least five or six strong brands in the new company. Hopefully no wholesale TUI style of destruction on them.

The ISLANDER wrote
"Once MYT approached with an offer they had to be seen jumping through the hoops as far as the City was concerned"


.......The fact is this was the 3rd attempt by MYT (Airtours) to buy First choice and I think it is misguided to suggest that First choices' management were just playing ball to appease the city. The last two attempts were actively opposed by Peter Long (First choice CEO) last one was in 1999.

Given the shrinking Package holiday market, Peter Long is keen to off load the least profitable section of First Choice before it becomes a liability and the bid war between MYT and TCX bumped up the price nicely...not anymore. Best of luck ;)

re: naming of the new company. My Cook, Thomas Travel et all.

You seem to be forgetting that they HAVE taken bits of each companies existing name.
They took the "Thomas Cook" bit from Thomas Cook, and the "Plc." bit from MyTravel Plc., to get the new name - Thomas Cook Plc.......!!!!!

:D ;) :)

A possible choice of name could relate to their new caterers
Thomas, My Travel Cook
Sorry couldn't resist
:O :O

I appreciate that that this is of no consolation to those involved, but a consolidation in the Inclusive Tour market and charter airlines is really what the indursty needs.

The package holiday market has been creaking at the seems for some time now and this conolidation will hopefully ease the pressure in the market and hopefully nobody will now go belly up.

Thomas Cook 757-300

I agree that the MyTravel name has grown since the big, it's going to fold, scandal. The airline is known now for it OTP see http://www.flightontime.info/summer2006/index.html nice to see Thomas Cook 2nd place, not too much work there to keep to the top :)
It would be nice if the MyTravel name was kept somewhere that it was still in the UK publics view, but hey we will have to wait and see.:confused:

Apologies
 

I jumped the gun! MYT will be shedding a/c, Flight Deck, Cabin Crew, and so will TCX....according to the "new" management's information announced yesterday. I was guilty of optimism, rather wrapped up in the hope of keeping my own job. DOH! :ugh:

Is this "management information" in the public domain yet RoyHudd or only available internally.

A worried TC employee.