Europe’s second-largest tour operator, Thomas Cook, is in the black for the first time in four years thanks to a resurgent performance from its British package holidays arm. The German-owned group, which includes Club 18-30 and the ski specialist Neilson, made profits of €105m (£72.3m) in the 12 months to October, compared with a €176m loss the previous year. Britain contributed a 5% increase in sales to €2.5bn and turned in the best level of profitability across the group.

Thomas Cook took 13.2 million people on holiday last year, second only in Europe to Thomson Travel’s owner, TUI. The average holiday cost €515 (£350). But the group admitted yesterday that it needed to “realign its business” to compete with low-cost airlines and cut-price internet deals on hotels. Thomas Cook’s chairman, Thomas Holtrop, said: “We are gradually departing from the ideal of an integrated leisure travel group. Not because the model itself was bad but because it has outlived its usefulness. It no longer conforms to the needs of a time characterised by excess capacities and falling prices at airlines and hotels.”

He has set targets of increasing sales by 4% annually and raising earnings by 5%-10% a year. He said all Thomas Cook’s businesses needed to achieve a return on sales of between 3.5% and 4%.

The company revealed last week that up to 325 jobs were likely to go in Britain through a merger of its mass market and Signature city tours business. Recent reports have suggested Thomas Cook also wants to sell Club 18-30, its holiday firm which has attracted controversy for its pub crawls and “booze cruises”.

The United Kingdom will issue its first electronic passport this week, the UK Home Office says. The UK Passport Service expects to issue about 7 million passports this year, the Home Office previously told Card Technology. In addition to the traditional data page in a passport, the electronic version contains a contactless smart card chip that stores the same information as the data page along with a digitized representation of the passport holder’s facial image. The new version of the passports, which also incorporate security features to indicate tampering and prevent forging, will gradually be issued through the spring and summer, the Passport Service says, with all new passports carrying a chip by August.

The UK and the 24 other members of the European Union are all obligated to begin issuing e-passports by August. E-passports are also getting a push from a U.S. government mandate that the 27 nations in its Visa Waiver program adopt the travel documents by October. Overall, an estimated 40 nations are moving to chip-based passports.

Sir Freddie Laker, the British pioneer of charter airlines, has died in the United States at the age of 83.  Sir Freddie, who introduced cheap air travel to the world in the 1970s, died of undisclosed causes in Miami, a family friend said.   

At its peak, Laker Airways offered London to New York tickets for £118, but was forced out of business in 1982.  Fellow airline tycoon Sir Richard Branson paid tribute to Sir Freddie as “one of Britain’s great entrepreneurs”.

He left British United to launch Laker Airways in 1966 – using a business model similar to the budget carriers of today.   The pinnacle of his venture came with the launch of the Laker Skytrain in 1977 – the first low-cost transatlantic operation.

Although popular with the public, Laker Airways became embroiled in price wars with more powerful companies and eventually went bust, owing £270m.  Members of the public set up a “save Laker” fund and raised more than £1m in donations in a bid to see his company resurrected.

He made several attempts to re-launch the airline, but was eventually blocked by the Civil Aviation Authority.  He then moved to Miami, and later to the Bahamas, where he stayed in the airline business working on smaller projects from his home.

Many of us dream of a holiday or permanent home in Spain but think it is out of our reach unless we have the cash up front to pay for it. However, with nearly 200,000 Britons moving abroad each year, a Spanish mortgage is an option well worth considering. Spanish property Agents, Pocomed (www.pocomed.com), have helped many of their British clients to obtain a mortgage in Spain, highlighting the ease of availability and very competitive rates allowing clients to realise their dream of a place in the sun.

Spanish property has long been known as a fabulous second holiday home destination and with mortgages widely available from most of the major Spanish banks and savings banks it has never been a better time to buy. Pocomed have seen many of their British clients, fed up with the UK, opting to move to Spain and finding it a lot easier getting a mortgage in Spain rather than approaching a British bank.

Dawn and Steve Bent were fed up with life in Britain and decided it was time to move, kids and all, to a new life in Spain. They were thrilled when they went to look at some plans for a new development of villas and with the help of Pocomed, were able to put an offer on a spectacular 5-bedroom detached villa. But then the time came to apply for a mortgage .After many rejections in Britain from reluctant mortgage lenders, Dawn and Steve decided to try their luck in Spain. Following an introduction to a Spanish bank from Pocomed, Dawn and Steve had their mortgage agreed in a matter of hours and were on their way to a new life in Spain. Dawn said, “After about half an hour of speaking with the Spanish bank manager, I felt like my life had been given a new release. A lot of the relationship was based upon trust as well as any legal requirements.”

Spanish mortgages are available for up to 80% of the value of the property. As in the UK, there is a variety of mortgage options available and some lenders will even offer lower start up interest rates for the first year.

Pocomed owners Carol and Tony Roberts, have been living and working in Spain for the last four years and have a wealth of experience to offer potential clients wanting to invest in Spain. Situated in the province of Murcia in the South East of Spain, Pocomed are real estate agents specialising in Costa de Almeria and the Costa Calida. Their emphasis is on offering advice and support using their expertise and client friendly attitude.

Note to Editors

Pocomed have published an ebook on the step by step process of buying a home in Spain covering such topics as how to choose and finance your home. If you would like a copy, or to speak to Tony or Carol Roberts on any aspect of the process please contact Paula Gardner on 0208 504 4557 or paula@divinepublicity.com or visit the Pocomed.com website

The official launch of Atlas Travel Search, one of the most accurate specialized search engines on the Internet. Atlas Travel Search gathers travel related information from websites for products and destinations around the world.

It organizes and displays the most valuable information to help everyone plan their travel needs. As one of the only specialized travel search engines on the Internet, The Atlas Travel Network is committed to gather, organize and deliver the most important travel information.

The Atlas Travel Network consists of three unique segments: Atlas Travel Directory, Atlas Travel Search and Atlas Target Program. Atlas Travel Search joins Atlas Travel Directory as a key tool for planning any travel, whether for business or pleasure. The ultimate goal of each of these products is to provide visitors with relevant travel information and deliver it in a concise organized manner.

With over 1 billion web pages estimated on the Internet related to the travel industry, The Atlas Travel Network recognizes the importance and need for a specialized search engine. Atlas Travel Search’s standards require content rich, user friendly, travel related websites that are indexed and graded on a specific scale to ensure quality and importance.

Atlas Target Program will help owners of travel sites promote and drive targeted visitors that are actively seeking travel products and services directly to their website. Both programs offer different advertising solutions that cater to the specific needs and budgets of every travel affiliated website owner.

The Atlas Travel Network offers simple solutions for users to find the information that they are seeking, and gives the travel affiliated website owner the ability to effectively target visitors looking for their products and services.

Company Contact:

Stephen Pitts
The Atlas Travel Network.com
Telephone: +1 (386) 271-3693
Email: info@theatlastravelnetwork.com