Bartlett: Jamaica first to fully recover from Thomas Cook collapse
Published:Friday | September 27, 2019 | 12:17 AM
Jamaica has become the first country to fully recover the lost airlift occasioned by the fallout from the collapse of the United Kingdom-based tour operator Thomas Cook, says Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.
Speaking from London this afternoon, Bartlett explained that the country has also safely negotiated for additional seats over the winter tourist season.
“We have met with all our key partners, our three major airlines – Tui, Virgin, and British Airways – and we have completely restored all the seats that would have been lost for the period, and we are expecting additional arrivals for the winter,” the minister said.
Bartlett added that he was pleased that the airlines, tour operators, and travel agencies have come together to take Jamaica out of danger in terms of airlift not only for the rest of the year, but for the winter tourist season.
“The good news really is that we have been able to increase rotations, and in short order, we will be making a full announcement as to the number of new seats that we will have for the winter season,” stated Bartlett.
Earlier in the week, a confident Bartlett said that Jamaica was in a very strong position to recover quickly from an estimated US$10-million fallout.
Thomas Cook was one of the world’s oldest and largest tour companies. Its folding of operations took many in the world travel market by surprise and left more than half a million international travellers stranded worldwide.