Kiss Flights

Last updated
Kiss Flights
Type Private
Industry Tour operator
DefunctAugust 17, 2010 (2010-08-17)
Headquarters London, UK
Parent Flight Options
Website Kiss Flights

Kiss Flights was a charter, seat only tour operator which ceased trading on 17 August 2010. Kiss Flights was a trading name for Flight Options [1] Ltd, based in London. The company sold flights to Spain (mainland and Canary Islands), Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Portugal and Turkey. [2]

Contents

History

Originally trading under the name of, it was sold to Flight Options Ltd in January 2009 following the collapse of XL Leisure Group. [3] It was founded by Michael Smith and Paul Moss, who had previously worked at failed tour operator XL Airways which also went into administration in September 2008. [4] Some of their flights were operated by the Swedish airline Viking Airlines. The company was registered with ATOL (No.4233) through its parent company, Flight Options Ltd. [5] The parent company was set up in 1995 and has bought a number of other companies. The website was originally only for travel agents, although it later became possible for the general public to directly book online. The company was licensed to sell 168,700 seats until March 2011 using ATOL protection.

Cessation of operations

On 17 August 2010 Flight Options Ltd announced that it would cease trading at 17:00 BST. This led to initial uncertainty for up to 70,000 holidaymakers, with 13,000 of those abroad. [6] It is the third British travel company to fold during the summer of 2010. Firstly Goldtrail collapsed on 17 July 2010, then Sun4U on 13 August 2010. Due to the timing at the height of the summer season the CAA even guaranteed outbound flights for the first 24 hours after the collapse. [7]

Related Research Articles

First Choice Airways Limited was a British charter airline of European tour operator TUI Travel PLC, based in Crawley, England until its merger with Thomsonfly to form Thomson Airways in 2008. It flew to more than 60 destinations worldwide from 14 UK and Irish airports. 70% of the airline's services were operated for its parent company, rising to 85% in the summer season, with the remainder on behalf of some 120 other tour operators. It also operated scheduled year-round leisure routes to Cyprus and the resorts of Spain and Portugal.

Monarch Airlines, also known as Monarch, was a British charter and scheduled airline founded by Bill Hodgson and Don Peacock and financed by the Swiss Sergio Mantegazza family. The company later became a low-cost airline in 2004 before abandoning charter flying completely. The airline's headquarters were at Luton, and it had operating bases at Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, Gatwick and Manchester.

Flybe (1979–2020) Defunct regional airline of the United Kingdom

Flybe, styled as flybe, was a British airline based in Exeter, England. Until its sale to Connect Airways in 2019, it was the largest independent regional airline in Europe. Flybe once provided more than half of UK domestic flights outside London.

Thomas Cook Airlines Defunct British charter (and scheduled) airline (2003-2019)

Thomas Cook Airlines Limited was a British charter and scheduled airline headquartered in Manchester, England. It was founded in 2007 from the merger of Thomas Cook Group and MyTravel Group, and was part of the Thomas Cook Group Airlines. It served leisure destinations worldwide from its main bases at Manchester Airport and Gatwick Airport on a scheduled and charter basis. It also operated services from eight other bases around the United Kingdom. Thomas Cook Group and all UK entities including Thomas Cook Airlines entered compulsory liquidation on 23 September 2019.

Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom) British aviation regulator

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the statutory corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the United Kingdom. Its areas of responsibility include:

XL Airways UK

XL Airways was a British low-cost charter and scheduled airline, which ceased operations when it went into administration on 12 September 2008. Its headquarters were in Crawley, West Sussex, near London Gatwick Airport. It was part of the XL Leisure Group. From its three bases at London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow, the airline provided short-haul and long-haul charter services, predominantly to leisure destinations.

Viking Airlines Former Swedish charter airline

Viking Airlines AB was a privately owned charter airline with a head office in Stockholm, Sweden and based in Stockholm. Viking Airlines primarily operated charter flights for European tour operators. The airline was established in 2003. Viking Airlines had its head office in Spånga, Stockholm, Sweden.

Flyglobespan Defunct British airline

Flyglobespan was a low-cost airline based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It operated scheduled services from five airports across Scotland, England and Ireland to destinations in Europe, North America, North Africa and South Africa. Its main bases were Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Aberdeen Airport. The airline's slogan was "Award-winning airline". It went into administration due to financial problems and the airline declared bankruptcy on 16 December 2009.

BritishJET Travel and holiday companies of the United Kingdom

BritishJET was a trading name for the tour operator Malta Bargains Limited based in Malta. It operated inclusive tour charter flights from Malta International Airport.

ABTA – The Travel Association Travel and holiday companies of the United Kingdom

ABTA Ltd, operating as ABTA – The Travel Association and formerly known as the Association of British Travel Agents, is a trade association for tour operators and travel agents in the United Kingdom.

Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) is a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) scheme to give financial protection to people who have purchased package holidays and flights from a member tour operator.

XL Leisure Group U.K. travel company

The XL Leisure Group (XLLG) was a major tour operating company in the UK, consisting of charter and scheduled airlines, holiday companies and flight-only tour operators. It also had operations in France, Germany, Ireland, Australia and Cyprus. The group's UK companies were placed into administration on 12 September 2008.

Thomas Cook Group Former global travel group

Thomas Cook Group plc was a global travel group, headquartered in the United Kingdom and listed on the London Stock Exchange from its formation on 19 June 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG — successor to Thomas Cook & Son — and MyTravel Group until 23 September 2019 when it went into compulsory liquidation. The group operated as a tour operator and airline, and also operated travel agencies in Europe. At the time of the group's collapse, approximately 21,000 worldwide employees were left without jobs and 600,000 customers were left abroad, triggering the UK's largest peacetime repatriation.

Dubai National Air Travel Agency is an Emirati airport services provider which provides aircraft ground handling, cargo, travel, and flight catering services across five continents.

Travel City Direct was a brand owned by Virgin Holidays. It was previously the trading name of the Really Great Holiday Company PLC, a British holiday company based in Crawley, specialising in holidays to the United States. The company was part of the third largest tour operator in the United Kingdom, the XL Leisure Group and was the UK's largest direct sell tour operator to Florida.

TUI Airways British charter airline

TUI Airways Limited is a British charter airline, offering scheduled and charter flights from the United Kingdom and Ireland to destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.

Clarksons Travel Group was a pioneering package tour operator in the UK during the 1960s and early 1970s. Its founder, in 1959 as Clarksons Tours, a subsidiary of the long-established City firm of H. Clarkson shipbrokers, was Tom Gullick, a former flag lieutenant in the Royal Navy.

Goldtrail was a UK-based tour operator that specialised in operated flights and holidays to Turkey and Greece. It was run by Abdulkadir Aydin, the sole director, based in Surrey, England.

Jet2holidays is a British package holiday provider and tour operator. It was formed in 2007 as a subsidiary of Dart Group PLC, and a sister to Jet2.com, the third-largest scheduled airline in the UK. As of 2018, Jet2holidays is the second-largest tour operator in the United Kingdom, by ATOL licenses granted.

Thomas Cook Holidays Package holiday provider

Thomas Cook Tourism (UK) Company Limited, known as Thomas Cook UK, is an Anglo-Chinese package holiday provider which offers 'Flight + Hotel' packages and Hotel only bookings. The company was launched in 2019, when Chinese firm Fosun International purchased the brand from the insolvent Thomas Cook Group, and began trading in September 2020.

References

  1. Unrelated to Flight Options LLC, based in the United States
  2. Hewage, Tim (17 August 2010). "Air Operator Kiss Flights Ceases Trading". Sky News . Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  3. "Kiss Flights travel company ceases trading". BBC News. 17 August 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  4. Taylor, Ian (22 September 2008). "XL Leisure staff join seat-only start-up". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  5. "Flight Options Ltd". CAA . Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  6. "Kiss Flights travel company ceases trading". BBC News. 17 August 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  7. "Q&A: Kiss Flights collapse". BBC News. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2010.