MyTravel Group

MyTravel Group plc was a British, global travel group headquartered in Rochdale, England. It was founded in 1972 as Airtours Group. The group included two in-house airlines, MyTravel Airways UK and MyTravel Airways Scandinavia, and various tour operators around the world. On 19 June 2007, the group merged with Thomas Cook AG to form the Thomas Cook Group plc.

"Airtours" redirects here. Not to be confused with British Airtours, a BA subsidiary airline.
This article is about MyTravel Group before its merger with Thomas Cook AG. For the new company, see Thomas Cook Group.

MyTravel Group
FormerlyAirtours Group plc
TypePublic
LSE: MT-S
FTSE 250 Component
IndustryHospitality, tourism
Founded1972 (1972) (as Airtours Group)
FounderDavid Crossland
Defunct19 June 2007 (19 June 2007)
FateMerged with Thomas Cook AG
SuccessorThomas Cook Group plc
HeadquartersRochdale, England
Key people
Michael Beckett (Chairman)
Peter McHugh (CEO)
ProductsCharter and scheduled passenger airlines, package holidays, cruise lines, hotels and resorts
RevenueIncrease£2,790 million (2006)
Number of employees
13,000 (2006)[1]
ParentThomas Cook Group (2007)
SubsidiariesMyTravel Tour Operations
MyTravel Airways (UK)
MyTravel Airways Scandinavia
BCT Travel Group
Direct Holidays
Tjæreborg
Spies
Ving
ALBA Tours
Sunquest Vacations

The successor to MyTravel Group: Thomas Cook Group, entered Compulsory liquidation on 23 September 2019.

History

The group was founded under the Airtours brand in 1972, when David Crossland purchased a series of small travel agencies in Lancashire, United Kingdom.[2] The group began operating package holidays and launched its own in-house charter airline, in the early 1980s.[2] It offered their first charter flights to the Caribbean in 1987 for just £299.[3]

In 1994, Airtours purchased Scandinavian Leisure Group and in 1996 it bought Simon Spies Holding, a Danish rival.[4]

In 2002, Airtours Group plc, rebranded under the new company-wide banner of MyTravel Group plc. This included a name change for Airtours International and Premiair to MyTravel Airways.[5]

In November 2003, MyTravel sold off its North America Cruise Division to NLG (National Leisure Group) of Woburn, Massachusetts.[6]

On 12 February 2007, MyTravel Group plc announced that they had agreed terms on a merger with Thomas Cook AG to form Thomas Cook Group plc.[7]

Operations

Tour Operators
Name Country Fate
MyTravel Tour Operations Limited United Kingdom Merged into Thomas Cook Tour Operations[7]
Panorama Holiday Group Limited United Kingdom Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7]

Dissolution (2014)[8]

BCT Travel Group Limited United Kingdom Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7]

Rebranded to Thomas Cook Scheduled Tour Operations Limited (2008)[9]

Dissolution (2015)[9]

Direct Holidays plc United Kingdom Dissolution (2013)[10]
Tjæreborg Denmark
Finland		 Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7]
Spies Denmark Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7]
Ving Denmark
Norway
Sweden		 Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7]
ALBA Tours Canada Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7]
Sunquest Vacations Canada Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7]

Sold to Red Label Vacations (2013)[11]

Airlines
Airline Country Image Description Fate
MyTravel Airways Limited United Kingdom MyTravel Airways Limited was a British scheduled and charter airline, formerly known as Airtours International. Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7] Merged with Thomas Cook Airlines UK (2008)[7]
MyTravel Airways A/S Denmark MyTravel Airways was a Scandinavian scheduled and charter airline. Transferred to Thomas Cook Group (2007)[7]

Rebranded to Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia (2008)[7]

References
  1. "Corporate Responsibility text from the 2006 Annual Report" (PDF). MyTravel Group plc (archived). 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  2. "Journey's end for the king of the costas?". The Guardian. 19 November 2000. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  3. "Profile: Rise of the holiday maker: David Crossland will be in his". Independent.co.uk. 7 March 1993. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  4. "£10m Danish buy takes Airtours to Finland". The Independent. 16 February 1996. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  5. "Airtours and Going Places pilot new My Travel brand". The Drum. 6 March 2002. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  6. "National Leisure Group Becomes Largest Cruise Seller with Acquisition of MyTravel's U.S. Cruise Brands". Businesswire. 21 November 2003. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  7. "MyTravel and Thomas Cook merging". BBC News. 12 February 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  8. "Panorama Holiday Group Limited". Companies House (HM Government). 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  9. "BCT Travel Group Limited". Companies House (HM Government). 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  10. "Direct Holidays PLC". Companies House (HM Government). 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  11. "Thomas Cook North America Sold to Red Label Vacations". Travel Market Report. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2019.


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