I understand that the LUXOR flights are expressly linked to the Nile cruises operated by TUI, or so I read, who have 3 boats operating plus a newly refurbished one being added. The boats have a capacity of about 145 pax so the flights will be limited to the numbers they can carry on their cruises.

Per jethros another B737-800 is to join the fleet. Ex TUI Belgium frame that’s spent the last few years in the US, regd G-TUKR

Any truth in these rumours of 767s being extended to end of Summer 2024? I think they need to be, TUI are at serious risk of reputational damage with these third party operators. Surely getting rid of these makes the fleet in a worse position?

Getting rid of the 757's was surely a very short sighted decision, looking back on it. Would have thought they would have been better off keeping them til end of Summer 2023 personally, rather than using anybody/everybody to operate their flights.

Time to consider the A321 like Jet2 - Ops, missed the boat on that. Max10 to save the day........June 21 first flight, certification 24.....

It is the sensible thing to do. Even though there 24 and 25 years old they still work. Expensive to operate- yes but still probably cheaper than charter airlines. Charter airlines are bad for the customers and not what they pay for. They should of just kept the 757s for another 2 or 3 years or longer!

Ftfy :E

the third party airlines not only supply a/c but crews as well, pointless having a/c with nobody to fly them

Third-Party Operators
 

The last part of the quote is too true and often the case at BHX but also the current third-party incumbent far from guarantees that all flights will operate after another terrible week.

One Sunwing aircraft would have done an average of 26 sectors in the last week and it managed 5 and is on the ground again.

It got to a point on Thursday that a flight-plan was filed Toronto - BHX with a replacement although that never happened.

Tonight it will be a hotel for the Naples pax but a fairly common occurrence at BHX these days.

The ironic aspect......BHX had a spare TUI aircraft but that went to Edinburgh to cover a EDI-CFU-ABZ for a late running Dalaman - Aberdeen aircraft operated by.... you guessed it.

The other issues this week have been with the 787 fleet seeing Montego Bay delayed a day outbound and nearly 2 days inbound, Air Tanker operating one Dalaman 788 flight then the next sector was completed by two 738's. To be fair they all got away reasonably although the one 738 returned to Manchester which had a positioning flight number but you can't get 250-300 pax on a 738 so I assume they were split between other airports.

Another week they will want to forget.

Pete

The 757's and the 767's were due to go some years back now, but cue the 737 MAX Groundings, then Covid, and so now TUI are in a pickle as for their current Fleet, and their future fleet procurements;
The extended Sunwing 737 swap/lease deal is finally due to end.

The last 767's in the TUI Group (There are around 3 left) are all elderly, and no doubt due to retire when any C or D checks are due.
Likewise the many of the TUI UK 787's are now long in the tooth, and a handful of them are also due major checks.

Add to all of that, we now see 737M-10 delayed even further with Boeing pleading to the FAA for yet more waivers and more time (should have entered service back in 2021) which may not even see this type certified with the same 737 Type Rating.
The -10's for TUI have not yet been built, so even if the same 737 Type certificate and pilot ratings are awarded, TUI will not get the fleet on strength before 2026/2027.

I could see a shift by TUI Airways (UK) to Airbus for both the A321N and the A330N, but they would be at the back of Q.

Commiserations,
but TUI are having a bad summer, so be prepared for constant substitutions to 3rd party carriers, and sadly also be prepared to get delayed and/or get diverted on the way home.

If I was TUI management, I'd seriously consider looking to get a few 77Ws. Massive, relatively quick to acquire and would definitely be filled on Manchester/Gatwick to Cancun, Orlando, Punta Cana. The 787s can then be used for regional long haul instead of axing it, the more unusual long haul routs (Costa Rica year round, Vietnam, Los Cabos) and to cover short to medium haul for the delayed 737-10s

777s? never going to happen. No crew, capacity in a leisure config too large (even for TUI) and becoming increasingly expensive to fuel and maintain.

777 TUI>?
 

777's for TUI?

Well,now there's a thought....The -200 series is the right size, but not really the -300.
Not sure of current selling/leasing prices, but if they are ''cheap'' then that surely counteracts the £ costs of Ops/Fuel/Mx
(cannot be much worse than looking after old 767's and middle aged 787's)

Re Crew, anyone ex Thomson who still drives, and had 757/767 Type rating would not find the 777 Training an issue.

Does TUI read this >?

Maybe they could snap up some cheap 380s too before global snap them all up.

I have just returned from Twelve days in a Tui UK exclusive hotel in Paphos and the company’s reputation is very poor with many guests reporting delays and changes to third party flights with GetJet,SmartLynx being the worst.

Personally my outbound BHX-PFO was delayed 1hr25mins as they couldn’t get an fuel but seemed to be a just a Tui issue. Must say was impressed with Max aircraft seemed a bit more space than 738 I thought

Then inbound was planned to be a high capacity Dreamliner but that got moved to MAN to cover another flight so instead delayed the flight by an hour and sent one Tui 738 but oldest in fleet and then used GetJet for other flight. Their uproar at PFO as the GetJet needed to position back to MAN to keep up with following day schedule. Customers refused to board so gave people extra day in Resort fortunately inbound was just 205 so most got back on Tui 738 but crew not happy as called off standby to operate Deep night with getting back on stand at BHX at 05:38

Looking at the schedule for S24 it appears that Tui are not planning to use the 787 on short haul from BHX as based aircraft

TUI have done a similar thing at BHX today, outbound AGP was on a 788, which then went back to MAN, with the inbound AGP-BHX operated on 2 flights, on the awful GetJet 737, and also on the equally awful SmartLynx A320, and then both aircraft have replaced the 788 again, to LCA! You have to feel sorry for the passengers on these flights.

In regards to BHX for summer 2024, base is currently, 1x 789, 1x 788, 2x320, 8x737 - The 789 does short haul flights to AGP & KGS (Sundays), the 788 does PMI x3, SID x2, DLM & KGS

​​​​​​​In what way are they awful?

Guessing the 2024 schedule is only accessible through booking system?

Looking at the TUI fleet vs. Britannia in the 1990s, is it smaller now than it was then??? Someone else got that 3 decades of growth!
It's a relative decline on steroids.

TUI Airways
29 B73H
18 B73M
2 x B763
13 x B787
Total = 62

Jet2
6 x A321
9 x B757
7 x B733
85 x B73H
Total = 107

Interesting thanks.

Britannia Airways from 1992 was to be 22 all new 757-204 G-BYAC - G-BYAY
G-BYAM was not a BY order, and was leased from Monarch, and also G-BXOL, both to 1999
(G-BYAG lost at Gerona SEPT 1999)
The BY 757 had 235 seats

The first BY 757's were 3 from Air Holland, with another one brand-new from Icelandair, and all 4 were leased to BY in full livery from 1991 for a number of years.

7 mostly new 767-204ER were in the fleet, plus 3 older 767-204.
These all had 290 seats (250 for the Oz flights)

Quite a few 737-204 and 737-204 ADV remained in the fleet until 1993/94

From 1996 the new larger 767-304ER fleet joined, and this was to be 10 aircraft G-OBYA - G-OBYJ
G-OBYK was not a BY order, but an original Air 2000 order in 1999, G-OOAL.
The 767-304ER had 328 seats.

So in Summer 1999 the fleet was 24 x 757, 10 x 767-304ER, and 7 x 767-204ER
= 41 Heavies with Britannia Airways.

May be wrong, but I only recall 6 x B767-200’s in the fleet when I was there 1997-2000. Also, 1999 saw delivery of the new B737-800’s of which 6 operated in the U.K. before redeploying to Scandinavia IIRC.