Tag Archives: summer Holidays

Norwegian Cruise Line Rules out UK Sailings.

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Norwegian Cruise Line’s UK chief has ruled out operating round-Britain sailings this summer in favour of recently announced fly-cruise itineraries which “fit our brand better”.

NCL announced plans to restart voyages from July – with Norwegian Jade sailing from Athens, Norwegian Gem out of Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Norwegian Joy homeporting in Jamaica’s Montego Bay.

Speaking to TTG on Thursday (8 April) Eamonn Ferrin, vice-president and managing director UK, Ireland, Middle East and Africa, said the line had looked at deployment “from a global level” and felt the destinations and itineraries announced were “much more suitable” for guests across its source markets.

“People want to go on a fly cruise to the Med or Caribbean, and we feel that’s a better market for us to go for,” he said. “We feel it fits our brand better and our customers better. So I don’t think we’ll be looking to stand up a UK ship for this season.”

Ferrin said a late July restart, coupled with NCL’s global outlook, meant favouring sailings away from the UK.

“It got a bit late to be starting up at the end of July. You’re getting into a late-season process – so we felt [the announced itineraries] were a better fit. The three we’ve chosen on a global basis are stunning itineraries that Brits love and there’s already a lot of demand.”

However, Ferrin asserted NCL’s commitment to the UK market through its partnership with ABP Southampton on a new terminal at the port.

“Our long-term goal is to have a lot more capacity from Southampton – so we definitely see a bright future for more departures.”

Speaking alongside Ferrin, NCL president and chief executive Harry Sommer described being able to restart as “like Christmas in April”, adding how “in a typical year” the Greek Isles are NCL’s most popular destination among UK customers.

“We normally have three ships out of Athens, Venice and Rome that are extremely well booked by the Brits,” he said.

Sommer shared his hopes British travellers would be able to join NCL cruises in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic once travel restrictions were relaxed later in the summer “certainly by August”.

Thomson reports ‘fabulous’ demand as Dreamliner arrives

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Thomson reports ‘fabulous’ demand as Dreamliner arrives

Thomson reports 'fabulous' demand as Dreamliner arrivesThomson Airways flew its first Dreamliner into Manchester rather than London Gatwick on Friday as a mark of its support for regional airports.

Managing director Chris Browne said:  “Manchester is really an important airport for us. The Thomson airways boss told Travel Weekly: “We’re a big supporter of regional airports.

“We were based in Manchester when we ordered the aircraft.”

Browne hailed Tui Travel’s announcement on the day the Dreamliner arrived of a deal to buy up to 150 of the latest short-haul Boeing 737s as “huge”.

She said: “It’s about confidence in the future. The business is doing so well. It’s great we can invest so much.

“We had to place the order now to get the options on aircraft or we would have to wait. You could not get a 787 now for years.”

Browne described demand to fly on the Dreamliner as “fabulous” despite the delay in delivery. Thomson had been due to start its summer flight programme to Florida and Cancun with the 787 on May 1.

However, the aircraft was grounded worldwide in January following a battery fire and only resumed flying last month.

Browne said: “It’s the first time I’ve ever known people book a holiday because of an aircraft. The summer programme is pretty much sold up. Winter is selling fabulously.”

Thomson will launch 787 flights from Manchester and Glasgow on July 8. But prior to that, “There is a serious amount of training for the crew before we begin flying,” said Browne.

Thomson plans to operate 47 short-haul flights with the 787 between June 21 and the July 8 start of the long-haul programme.”
Browne said: “A lot of people will be very pleasantly surprised.”

She said no customer had registered concern about flying on the Dreamliner. “Customers have been very understanding. They trust Thomson and Boeing not to put an unsafe aircraft in the air.”

Thomas Cook TV ad banned after consumer complaints

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Thomas Cook TV ad banned after consumer complaints

Thomas Cook TV ad banned after consumer complaintsThomas Cook TV advert has been banned after viewers claimed it could cause harmful copy-cat behaviour among children.

More than 100 complaints were made against the ad which showed a holidaymaker remove a valve from a wheel of one of the company’s coaches with a pair of pliers to cause a flat tyre in an apparent bid to avoid returning home from a sunny destination.

The advertising watchdog ruled that the Thomas Cook campaign was “irresponsible” after it received 118 objections.

The Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints which suggested children could emulate the potentially dangerous scene.

The ASA ruled: “Although we were satisfied that adults would not view the ad as condoning the act of removing the tyre valve, we considered that children, including teenagers, were unlikely to identify the fantastical nature of the story.

“We also noted that the scene in which the tyre valve was removed was central to the ad’s narrative and, because of the risks to children in emulating that action, considered that the ad unreasonably featured that behaviour.

“We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible.”

Cook argued that the “horrified and outraged” reaction of the other holidaymakers in the ad indicated that the behaviour of the man letting down the tyre was not condoned.

The company said it did not consider that the ad was irresponsible because it clearly showed a comical scene and the man’s actions were immediately challenged as being wrong.