Britannia Airways: The World's Largest Holiday Airline

by Graham M Simons

Overview

Founded in 1961 as Euravia by British businessman Ted Langton and aviation consultant J.E.D. Walker, at a time of considerable turmoil for the independent sector of the British air operators’ industry, Britannia Airways went on to become the world’s largest holiday airline.

Just as Court Line evolved from Autair, so Britannia Airways evolved from Euravia. Both UK airlines had strong links with the travel industry; Court Line with Clarksons Holidays, and Britannia with the Thomson Group, in particular the ‘Sky Tours’ brand. Both were innovative in their own ways, and both grabbed the UK travel industry by the scruff of the neck and shook it into the jet age – Court line traveling down the brasher cheap-and-cheerful road, while Britannia took the more staid, upmarket route.

By 1972, Britannia had developed to such a degree that it was the biggest of the British independent charter airlines. It was also a groundbreaking operation - during the late 1960s, it became the first charter airline to offer assigned seating, as well as hot in-flight meals. Prior to the mid-1970s, Britannia, much like other British carter airlines of the era, had concentrated upon low-cost flights to Spain and the use of provincial airports to provide its services. The company’s management, however, harbored ambitions to grow beyond this. As a result, for example, Britannia's 767s began regular charter flights between Britain and Australia in 1988, a route to New Zealand being added the following year.

Between 1968 and 1984, Britannia carried nearly forty-two million passengers, while the company’s fleet grew to include twenty-nine Boeing 737s and a pair of 767s. Drawing on the author’s in-depth research and knowledge, as well as firsthand interviews with individuals such as Ted Langton, the original tour operator who wanted his own airline, and Jed Williams, who created Britannia, this the full story of one of the most important airlines in the history of civil aviation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526758781
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	02/01/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Graham M. Simons is a highly regarded Aviation historian with extensive contacts within the field. He is the author of Mosquito: The Original Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (2011), B-17 The Fifteen Ton Flying Fortress (2011), and Valkyrie: The North American XB-70 (also 2011), all published by Pen and Sword Books. He lives near Peterborough.

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Chapter 1 Sky Tramps and Travel Agents 7

Chapter 2 Form Your Own Airline 25

Chapter 3 Under New Ownership 73

Chapter 4 Going With Boeing 91

Chapter 5 Recovery, New Colours and a New Type 145

Chapter 6 Milestones and Going Long Haul 175

Chapter 7 Behind the Scenes 185

Chapter 8 Tales From 'Down The Back' 211

Chapter 9 A New MD, Rivals, External Consultants - and the 757 225

Chapter 10 Sports, Social and Families 237

Chapter 11 Mergers and Subsidiaries 243

Chapter 12 Responding to the Changing Habits of a Nation 255

Chapter 13 Memories 267

Chapter 14 Fleets 269

Bibliography 280

Index 281