Airline Set To Take Off For Summer Holidays: Thomas Cook's new airline offers refreshed service.

After nearly 18,000 crew training days, more than 17,000 litres of paint to re-brand aircraft and amendments to over five million pages of flight manuals, the all-new Thomas Cook Airlines, which operates 42 aircraft from 11 bases across the UK, will take to the skies from 30th March 2008.

The new airline has been formed following Thomas Cook's merger with MyTravel and the planes have been prepared so that this summer the leading tour operator can cater for its 2.9 million passengers who will be flown 50 million miles by more than 600 pilots to 78 destinations. They will be served by nearly 2,000 cabin crew over 125,000 flying hours.

Customers flying with Thomas Cook Airlines will now be able to enjoy a greater selection of movies on long haul flights. On shorter trips, cabin crew will have two films to choose from, enabling them to tailor the film option to the customers travelling. For those who fancy some in-flight retail therapy, shoppers will be able to pick from delights such as Lola Rose jewellery, Billy Bag products and Tom Ford fragrances for men. Those travelling in premium cabins will enjoy duvet quilts instead of blankets and u-shaped pillows for extra comfort.

Frank Pullman, managing director of Thomas Cook Airlines said: "We're very pleased to have our all-new airline ready for take-off, enabling us to serve our customers even more effectively during the all-important summer season this year. The improvements don't stop there though, over the coming months, we have a number of changes scheduled, all of which will add to the customer's enjoyment and comfort, such as increased seat pitches and new cabin crew uniforms."

The first flight under the new Thomas Cook Airlines will leave Gatwick, heading to Reus at 05.05 hours on 30th March. Passengers will enjoy a special reception prior to boarding.

Thomas Cook Airlines will be the second largest leisure airline in the UK. It comprises of seven Airbus A330-200s, 11 Airbus A320s, four Airbus 321s, two Boeing 767-300s, two Boeing 757-300s and 16 Boeing 757-200s. For more information, log on to www.thomascookairlines.co.uk.

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