V-Flyer

The big five tour operators and now down to the big three
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/19032007/344/m ... rator.html

This has got to effect jobs and the prices of many holidays

here is the official press release

http://www.firstchoiceholidaysplc.com/f ... l19307.pdf

Very interesting news and throws open a whole new issue for VH.

Rumours Friday evening was a Cosmos/Monarch/FCA merger then FCA announces it is merging with TUI and in effect taking it over as the new opertor will be based in the UK and headed up by the head of FCA. I would imagine (and pray) that LH will be operated as FCA from UK and short haul as tuifly.com....I would hate to see an FCA 763 in the bright yellow new corporate ID of Tui!

Originally posted by willd
Very interesting news and throws open a whole new issue for VH.

Rumours Friday evening was a Cosmos/Monarch/FCA merger then FCA announces it is merging with TUI and in effect taking it over as the new opertor will be based in the UK and headed up by the head of FCA. I would imagine (and pray) that LH will be operated as FCA from UK and short haul as tuifly.com....I would hate to see an FCA 763 in the bright yellow new corporate ID of Tui!

Cosmos/Monarch were rumoured to be merging with FCA were they?
Where did you hear that? I work for the Monarch/Cosmos group and had heard nothing on the grapevine. Most interesting.
In travel, there is rumour after rumour and not much happens that's a total surprise.
Thanks, Helen

Radio Five Live Business weekend show on Sunday evening. They said that the Greek guy, whose name escapes me, who owns/operates/majority shareholder in Mon and Cosmos, had placed a bid for FCA late Friday evening. It was rejected. I guess he may have got wind of the FCA/TUI deal before it was announced.

Mergers etc change all the time good example from banking is that The Times on Sat said that Citibank were after Barclays and by Monday it was off and Barclays are about to merge with ABN Amro.

Now that TUI and First Choice have merged will this mean that the breands will carry on as seperate entities or will one of the names disappear (like MyTravel disappearing from November into Thomas Cook)?

The FCA fleet is (apart from the Airbuses) similar to the Thomsonfly fleet and one or two other carriers within the World of TUI.

Very interesting indeed!

Thanks for that, Willd.
The chap you were thinking of is Sergio Mantegazza.
Monarch/Cosmos/Globus has remained a family business and he's the Daddy.