I'd say you dont have a clue how seasonal charter flying works. Especially for a company as big as TUI. In no way shape or form are they ever going to get rid of TUI Airlines, which are a major and huge part of the TUI operation and overall experience. The airline is actually very profitable for the organisation. TUI and its predecessors have hired in airlines and wet leased in frames in the summer months for many many years. The only difference in recent times is that they plan to have them for longer periods, generally based in the UK (or other respective TUI operating country) rather than flying in on W type patterns. They also have more say on the inflight services, down to having their own crew and branding usually too. Thats not to say these operators dont come with their faults. However, a way of improving this experience going forward for the busier summer months, TUI have decided to invest in a partner where they can have more say in its operation and keep tighter control. If anything its a very positive move. TUI need the uplift in seats in the peak summer months and its either this way or they get more planes of their own, to just park up in the winter losing money every second. Not very business savvy that is it. This way the wet-lease operation can get business elsewhere or take the risk themself of parking up their planes.

Why will the new TUI - Enter Air joint venture airline be able to secure wet lease contracts during the period from November to March, but the various TUI airlines (UK, DE, BE, NL, etc..) would not be able to do so ? Is this purely down to lower labour costs in Poland, or is there more to it than this ?

Had it actually been confirmed anywhere that TUI will use this proposed venture to operate any UK flights?

It's been confirmed that it will initially be operated in the UK and Ireland. The aircraft are expected to be on the Irish aircraft register also.

Whilst this is not wrong, it is overstated. TUI has 20 fewer aircraft in Summer 2023 than it did Summer 2019. Most of those reductions are in shorthaul aircraft. Short haul demand has also returned to pre-pandemic levels. There is certainly room to acquire new short-haul aircraft

Does anyone know which 787s are in SH configuration? I tried looking on FR24 but they're so all over the place it could be any

G-TUIB/D/F

I'd love to know how much extra those 20 odd seats generate on the short-haul 787 given the alternative avoid 75% refund of entire flight for premium pax when subbing one onto LH and the possibility of selling a European premium product (more legroom and a free meal deal from the onboard café)

The vast majority of passengers on TUI planes have purchased a package holiday. If you average a week in the Sun at say around £1k per person, those 25 seats doing 2 rotations a day on 3 aircraft adds up to £150k additional revenue per day. That adds up to quite a lot over a peak summer holiday period.

How many average punters with TUI pay £1K pp for 7 days? Id be wanting chauffeur driven for that.

“Around” being the operative word - some may pay £500pp for a self catering break in Palma, some will be spending £1500pp for a honeymoon in a 5* resort in Rhodes… the point is that 25 extra seats is a lot of potential extra revenue in the peak summer season. And each of those 25 extra passengers will spend money on board, some of them may purchase an excursion in resort, some of them may purchase insurance or foreign currency in a retail store.. etc.

Random question. P&O Cruises often use Tui for chucking people out to their Caribbean sailings. Can anyone see any spare 787's around the 10/11th of November? P&O say they are sorting out timings. I'm a but dubious that this has not been sorted and that they are perhaps trying to find someone with a spare plan somewhere..

I'm due to fly (with family) LGW-BGI on a Tui charter for P&O on 18th Nov, so am interested in what's going on (or not) here? We have been given Tui flight no's so far!

If take up was low, could they be buying time before potentially cancelling aome bookings? Or would they still charter an aircraft even if it were half full?

Currently, on the 10th, there appears to be two TUI flights operating LGW-BGI, TOM012 and TOM026, perhaps they haven’t decided who travels on which one. There appears to be one flight on the 11th. Again on the 18th, there are two flights operating LGW-BGI, TOM010 and TOM098. Hopefully, things will be a little clearer nearer the time.

From looking at availability the cruise we are joining on the 18th appears pretty well-booked. But a bit like airlines, there is a lot of smoke and mirrors in the booking engine.

Typically, there a flights from several UK points to join these cruises. For our one, people also fly out the previous day, as the ship overnights in Barbados before we get on. The same happens at the end, where we have a night alongside before we get off (the ship carries around 3,600 pax, so a lot of flights to get everyone to and from the UK on a turnaround! P&O also have 2 big ships in the Carribean this winter!).

Last winter season there were lots of disgruntled pax venting their disatisfation on various fora due to plentiful aircraft substitutions to the likes of Wamos (with no IFE on their 330's).

P&O also have a big contract with BA and it's not uncommon to find yourself on one of these schedules if the charters are full. The Tui service on their flights is similar to the BA scheduled offering with IFE, food and drink included etc.

Guess we wait and see!

In addition BA last winter operated regular 777 cruise charters to Bridgetown in addition to their scheduled services. I believe this is also happening in Winter 2023/2024.

Summer 2024
 

I'm looking at trying to get a holiday to Malta from Manchester in August 24 but can only book up to 28th May at the moment, any idea when the remainder of the summer season will go on sale?

maybe because TUI Airways don't have any direct flights to Malta on behalf of TUI Holidays, only P&O cruise ship flights.

The TUI Malta holiday flights are all on Easyjet from Manchester, maybe Easyjet haven't loaded their schedules yet from the end of May, or don't want any TUI passengers on their flights from June because they are using the flights for Easyjet Holidays instead?

TUI only offer flights as part of a P&O (or other companies) cruise packages from Manchester.

I just looked at the EasyJet app and they have flights loaded up until June next year…usually around October they will start loading flights for the remainder of the summer season.