City and finance

Jet2 reduces planned capacity growth for coming winter citing 'market difficulties'

Airline and operator has taken around 200,000 seats off sale owing to 'less certain consumer environment'

Kuoni parent Dertour's acquisition of Hotelplan given the green light by Swiss authorities

Dertour has been cleared by Swiss competition authorities to take over Hotelplan’s brands, including its UK arm comprising Inghams, Explore Worldwide and others

'As easyJet holidays turns five, I believe it has Jet2 and Tui firmly in its sights'

Five years on from easyJet holidays launching to the trade, is the future orange? Industry insider Steve Endacott gives his take as the operator marks the milestone

Tui boss calls for return of 'seamless' EU borders and tells of big drop in US sales

Tui’s Sebastian Ebel has highlighted a big fall in sales to the US and said it and the EU need to make border control more user friendly for UK travellers

No need for 'aggressive' lates pricing this summer, Tui chief insists

Sebastian Ebel says Tui is well sold in the UK for summer 2025 and will not be as aggressive in late sales pricing as competitors, but signalled bargain prices in the UAE due to the Middle East conflict

Third-party agents help Tui to strongest early summer result for more than a decade

Chief executive Sebastian Ebel has credited the ’proven sales strength’ of both its own agents and partner agencies for its strong showing in the three months to the end of June 2025

Premier Travel to take on three former Baldwins Travel branches

The agency will expand into Maidstone, Uckfield and Tonbridge

Hays Travel acquires Cruise.co.uk to expand into online cruise market

Hays hails deal as its biggest since acquiring Thomas Cook in 2019

Growth in pay for 'standard' travel jobs failing to keep pace with higher earning roles

’Wages for these positions need to at least match the rate of inflation or our industry risks missing out on top graduates who could otherwise have a long and fulfilling career within travel,’ warns C&M Travel Recruitment chief Barbara Kolosinska

Heathrow to submit third runway plan next week as profits near £1 billion

Heathrow airport has said it will submit plans for a third runway to the government by the end of July and detailed half-year results, with a small increase in the number of passengers in the financial period

October launch date for new EU border rules risks half-term disruption, agents warned

Advantage has warned of possible October half-term bottlenecks at airports as the EU prepares to roll out biometric and fingerprint registration this autumn

EasyJet holidays 'well sold' for summer peak despite UK heatwave and lates trend

EasyJet holidays is 85% sold for the summer peak despite a later booking market caused in part by the UK heatwave, easyJet has revealed in the group’s Q3 results

Loveholidays tight-lipped on potential £1 billion stock exchange move

Loveholidays has declined to comment on reports it is planning a stock exchange flotation that will value the company at around £1 billion only 13 years after its inception

EasyJet ready to set new profit target for holidays arm after further £13 million boost

EasyJet holidays delivered a third-quarter pre-tax profit of £86 million, and is on course to make in the region of £235 million – just £15 million shy of the £250 million target easyJet set for its in-house operator two years ago

New home for ex-Travelopia brands Citalia, Sovereign and American Holidays

TravCorp Holdings acquires Specialist Holidays Group

Spending growth with agents all-but flat again in June as travel jobs market slows

Agents saw year-on-year spending growth of 0.5% in June, a marginal uplift from 0.1% in May, with retail spending up by just 0.2%, while the number of candidates looking for travel jobs also fell last month

Travel Counsellors reveals millennials are becoming its top customers

Travel Counsellors says those aged 29 to 44 are its biggest group of customers, outstripping those of other age groups, as it details half year results and looks ahead to the summer peak

Jet2 pays out record £184.5 million in agent commission as profits soar to new heights

Airline and operator paid out an extra £17.6 million in commission to agents during the 12 months to the end of March 2025 following an uptick in ‘higher margin’ package customers

High street help, spending power and ‘dealing with Donald’: has Labour delivered for travel in its first year?

It’s been a year since Labour took power for the first time for nearly 15 years. Gary Noakes runs the rule over Keir Starmer and his team’s first 12 months in charge – and assesses how travel has fared

Aito: 'Travel must be treated as a partner, not an afterthought – the rhetoric is promising, but we need action'

The Labour government turns one this week. To mark the occasion, TTG reached out to several industry leaders for their assessment of what progress has been achieved for travel over the past year, and where there is still work to be done. Our third and final contributor is Aito head of industry affairs Christina Brazier

Advantage: 'Government has shown willingness to improve practical travel arrangements and remove barriers'

The Labour government turns one this week. To mark the occasion, TTG reached out to several industry leaders for their assessment of what progress has been achieved for travel over the past year, and where there is still work to be done. Our second contributor is Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said

Tui heralds the return of Johan Lundgren

Former easyJet boss Johan Lundgren is to return to his former employer Tui as a non-executive director next year

Abta: 'There are positive signs the government stands ready to support the long-term future of our industry'

The Labour government turns one this week. To mark the occasion, TTG reached out to several industry leaders for their assessment of what progress has been achieved for travel over the past year, and where there is still work to be done. Our first contributor is Abta’s director of industry affairs Luke Petherbridge

Payday time! The new booking trend more frequent than peaks (and just as lucrative!)

With turn-of-year peaks appearing to be ’flattening’, agency chiefs say they have identified a new emerging booking trend which is more frequent and just as lucrative