Jet2holidays overtakes Thomas Cook to become the second largest operator

The operator has knocked Thomas Cook from the number two spot in the list of top Atol-holders and has added more than 650,000 extra seats in the week following Monarch’s failure.

Jet2holidays is now licensed by the CAA to sell 2,936,420 Atol-protected seats, while Thomas Cook Tour Operations is licensed for 2,389,227. If Thomas Cook Retail, Future Travel and Freedom Travel Group’s Atols are added, its total comes to 2,459,518 – still fewer than its expanding rival.

The change contrasts with April, when Jet2holidays was licensed for 2.27 million seats and Thomas Cook and subsidiaries for 2.58 million. The CAA declined to comment on individual businesses, but confirmed the figures and added: “Atols represent what you are allowed to sell, that is your limit.”

Jet2holidays moved swiftly after the demise of Monarch, expanding at both Manchester and Birmingham. A Jet2.com and Jet2holidays spokesperson confirmed to TTG: “Yes, we are number two.”

Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays added: “This is great news for everyone associated with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays. There has been much written about the industry in recent times, but this goes to show what can be achieved through an unswerving focus on delivering the very best service for customers so that they enjoy a lovely holiday time and time again."

The airport arguably representing the most potential after Monarch’s collapse is Gatwick, where Monarch carried 1.7 million passengers to 31 destinations between November 2016 and August this year, and held an average 15 daily slot pairs. The Jet2.com and Jet2holidays spokesperson would not comment on slots.

However, a legal wrangle is thought to be taking place as to whether Monarch’s slots can be sold at all. Monarch’s administrators KPMG told TTG: “Our legal advice is that we can sell the slots.”

Meanwhile Tui UK, licensed for 5.4 million passengers, has added 250,000 summer 2018 seats plus more flights to the Canaries from Manchester and Birmingham this October half-term and at Christmas. Thomas Cook said it had added 115,000 seats each at Luton and Leeds Bradford for next summer and was “finalising plans for further growth”.