I’d be surprised if the crews position out, or back generally… would be an expensive option… needs double the number of hotel rooms when the aircraft lands in TFS. And double the number on the last day of duty position home as 2 crews overlap, plus you lose the revenue seats to sell on 2 flights, as well as having 2 crews massively overlap duty. Far more efficient to swap crews at a convenient point when the aircraft is on the ground in the UK. Inbound crew gets off… fresh crew gets on for the flight south.

Alas your wrong. Crew position both ways. I don't get your math regards number of hotel rooms - simple put the crew go on one flight out, stay let's say 5 nights, on the 6th day they fly back after their standby duty. The new crew fly out on the 6th day ready for duty on the 7th day with another 5 day stay. I'm not sure how Jet2 work it I'm sure someone in the know will know.

TUI do have an aircraft in TFS which operates revenue flights for them. Surely having 2 aircraft, 1 standby to cover Canaries and Cape Verde, will be better for everyone. I don't think TUI do standby aircraft do they?

There used to be 2 787s fitted out in economy configuration for the summer season then back to long haul for summer. It always seemed to be TUIC and TUID. At the moment both are still on long haul maybe that will change soon.

In your example on the 6th day the crew flying home can't operate a TFS-UK-TFS duty, and then position home, it's a 4 hour flight back after a 10 hour plus duty... would be an insanely long day. The company would run up against duty of care issues and BALPA would never allow it. In my company crews operating any duty over 14 hours are entitled to a hotel at base after landing, as there are safety (and company liability) concerns about driving home after being at work for that long. On the same day the crew flying down to TFS wouldn't have duty to operate much after a 4 hour positioning flight, for the same reason.

So in that example the aircraft is effectively grounded every week on the day the crews swap over. If that's how TUI do it, then it works for them. Or to fly the aircraft every day with positioning crew, on the changeover day you need 2 sets of hotel rooms, 2 sets of crew, and 2 seats of seats that can't be sold every time a crew positions out/back.

But I'd assumed they'd want to utilize the aircraft every day, hence why I thought the company would have taken the operationally simpler approach of just swapping out crew at a UK airport. No FDP issues... single sector for each crew plus ground transport, no seats left unsold for crew, no crossover of hotel rooms, full coverage to fly aircraft every day.

I am crew for TUI, the TFS slips are crewed mainly using crew from the regional bases and mostly work with the crew swapping at UK bases.
Crew generally do 1 night at a time in TFS. Occasionally may be a 2 night trip eg UK - TFS (night stop) TFS - UK - TFS (night stop) TFS - UK but this is uncommon.

Impressed with Tui.

due to a giant cock up with covid paperwork my wife was left behind on Sunday while I and my daughter flew to Florida. We knew about the issue on Saturday but there was no way to resolve it over the weekend. Tui agreed to not count her as a no-show and not cancel the return ticket.

We resolved the paperwork issue this morning (Monday) and Tui have got her on Tuesdays flight for a very reasonable £155.

I don’t think think many scheduled carriers would be so accommodating.

That's refreshing to hear these days.

Long time lurker, first time poster… :)

Travelling on BY5434 LGW-FAO on 05/05/22, which had already been swapped from a TUI 737 to one of the leased Titan A320 planes, but just got another email this morning to say it’s been swapped again to a Avion Express Malta bird, presumably another A320 (already checked in so can’t see the seat map any more).

Seems to be some hot-potato action going on with the assigned metal.. :)

Hi guys, sorry if this is in the wrong area of the forum, does anyone know when the 4 Sunwing aircraft are heading over to their 4 respective bases for the summer season? I am assuming possibly Saturday the 30th?

Thanks and again apologies if its wrongly posted

https://jethroseu.co.uk/fleets/fleet...ui_airways.htm all listed here

Only just received today formal notification of change of aircraft for our inbound to Smartlynx A321. Fortunately pickled it up several weeks ago and was able to sort seats out again. Email stated will be operated with TUI cabin crew.

Perfect much appreciated

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Wow lucky me. Dropped on there then. Looking forward to an otherwise pretty unlikely trip on the 763. This is surely their last summer.

I read somewhere, maybe here, that the 767s will go in 2024. I can see them in the schedules until at least Easter next year.

I’ve got quite a few flights out to see family in Mallorca from NCL through tui and they are all flyAlbastar versus TUI. Not sure if it’s a lease or just covering capacity out of ncl.

Was fairly common to see spanair, future and aireuropa cover Palma flights in a past life in the days of Portland Holidays, Thomson et al

Albastar
 

Albastar are flying for an increasing number of TUI Airways Palma flights this summer - BOH EXT INV EMA MME and NCL as you mention.
They fly 737-800's.

Air Europa are also doing some Palma's for TUI - I think from Scottish airports.

And NWI on Fridays too

The heady days. Sometimes there were 3 AE, and 3 Viva air Fri Night flights from GLA alone.

The NCL PMI Albastar flight is the Thursday flight its a W pattern it used to be the Aberdeen Sunwing aircraft.

Summer Aircraft Movements
 

a few aircraft movements for TUI getting ready for the summer schedule:-

G-TUMM 44654/8243 B737-8 Max due to be delivered to LGW tomorrow

G-TUMN 44655/8216 B737-8 Max delivered to LGW yesterday

G-TUKP 37250/4345 B737-8K5 delivered to LGW yesterday, ex Sunwing C-FYAU

C-FYJD 41807/5420 B737-8Q8 delivered to ABZ yesterday, on lease from Sunwing

C-GFEH 41608/5346 B737-8GS delivered to NWI today, on lease from Sunwing

ES-SAM 1896 A320-232 due to be delivered to DSA tomorrow, on lease from Smartlynx