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JMC Air

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JMC Air
IATA ICAO Call sign
MT JMC JMC
FoundedSeptember 1999 (1999-09)
(amalgamation)
Commenced operationsMarch 2000 (2000-03)
Ceased operations31 March 2003 (2003-03-31)
(rebranded as Thomas Cook Airlines)
Operating bases
Fleet size49
Parent companyThomas Cook AG
Headquarters
Revenue£438.8million (2002)[1]
Profit£4.14million (2002)[1]
Employees1,736 (2002)[1]

JMC Airlines Limited (also known as JMC Air, JMC Airlines or simply JMC and stylised as jmc) was a charter airline in the United Kingdom formed by the merger of Caledonian Airways and Flying Colours Airlines, following the purchase of Thomas Cook & Son by the Carlson Leisure Group. JMC Air primarily served the Thomas Cook holidays brand and was rebranded in March 2003 to Thomas Cook Airlines UK.

History

[edit]

JMC Air was initially announced in 1999, with a five year, £200m rebranding plan to join three of Thomas Cook's holiday brands Sunworld, Sunset, Inspirations and Flying Colours and Caledonian airlines. JMC Air was named after the initials of the son of Thomas Cook, John Mason Cook.[2][3][4] JMC Air's managing director was Terry Soult who had previously served the same role with Flying Colours.[5][6][7] It started operating under the JMC Air name from March 2000. The main operating bases were London Gatwick Airport and Manchester Airport. Aircraft were also stationed at London Stansted Airport, Birmingham International Airport, Bristol Airport, Glasgow International Airport, Cardiff Airport and Newcastle Airport. JMC Air also operated flights from Leeds Bradford Airport.[8] At the start of operations the fleet consisted of Boeing 757-200, Airbus A320, Airbus A330-200 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft.

In 2000, Thomas Cook was sold to C&N Touristic, a German based group backed by Lufthansa and rebranded as Thomas Cook AG.[9][10] JMC Air became closely linked to Condor as a result of the acquisition, and was estimated to control 16% of all European charter airline seats.[11][12] During the same year, JMC faced legal action from 20 tourists who fell ill on a package holiday in Majorca.[13] JMC Air were also part of an eight airline consortium that attempted to buy the British National Air Traffic Services.[14]

Prior to launch in 1999, JMC Air sought to acquire Boeing's latest 757-300 aircraft which led to them becoming the first UK operator of the -300 in 2001.[15][16] [17][18] By late 2001, Thomas Cook made over 550 staff redundant of which 100 were with JMC Air.[19] JMC Air also closed three bases in the UK, as a result of lower passenger numbers in the wake of the September 11 attacks.[20] In November of the same year, a JMC Air flight from Newcastle to Tenerife was diverted due to a drunk passenger incident, which led to the passenger being arrested and jailed for four months.[21] In the same month, JMC Air took delivery of two leased Airbus A330-200 aircraft via CIT Aerospace and Tyco Capital. The aircraft were configured in a two class layout and powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines. The aircraft were primarily used for long-haul operations to the Caribbean and United States.[22][23][24][25]

In early 2002, a JMC Air passenger successfully won damages for suspected deep vein thrombosis as a result of a long-haul flight from Calgary to Manchester.[26] In May, it was announced JMC Air would be rebranded as Thomas Cook for summer 2003.[27] Around this time, JMC were considering a move to offer flight only bookings to compete with no-frills carriers such as Easyjet.[28] The first Thomas Cook liveried aircraft took to the skies in late 2002.[29]

In 2003, JMC Air was noted as the best UK charter airline for shortest delays by Holiday Which, having taken an average 33 minute delay in 2001 down to an average of 13 minutes in 2002.[30] In the same year, Sufyan Sadiq, a 16 year old travelling with Stamford College was denied boarding of a JMC Air flight from Gatwick Airport after joking with staff that he had a gun in his luggage.[31] JMC Air concluded operations in March 2003, becoming Thomas Cook Airlines whilst JMC was retained as a family holiday brand under the Cook's package holiday umbrella.[32]

Fleet

[edit]
A JMC Air Airbus A320-200 taxiing at Manchester Airport in 1999
A JMC Air DC-10 at Faro Airport in 2000

JMC Air's final and historical fleet prior to rebrand as Thomas Cook Airlines in March 2003.[33][34][35]

Final Fleet

[edit]
JMC Airlines fleet (at closure March 2003)
Aircraft In Service Passengers
Airbus A320-200 5 180
Airbus A330-200 1 354
Boeing 757-200 13 235
Boeing 757-300 2 280
Total 21

Historical fleet

[edit]
JMC Airlines historical fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Airbus A320-200 5 2000 2002 G-BVYC, G-BVYA, G-BVYB re-registered to Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium
G-BXKC joined Ryan International Airlines
Airbus A330-200 1 2002 2003 G-OJMB joined Middle East Airlines
Boeing 757-200 2 2000 2002 C-FXOO returned from lease to Canada 3000 Airlines
G-JMCD joined Ryan International Airlines
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 2 2000 2001 G-GOKT re-registered N352WL to World Airways
G-LYON was returned to the Boeing Capital
[edit]

In 2001, JMC engaged in an advertising campaign for better air health with popular television fitness expert Mr Motivator.[36] A JMC Air female cabin crew uniform from 2003 is part of a collection with the Science Museum in London.[37]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to JMC Air.
  1. ^ a b c "JMC Airlines Limited Annual Accounts 2002". gov.uk.
  2. ^ "Business: The Company FileThe return of the son of Thomas Cook". bbc.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Westdeutsche Landesbank-Carlson-Thomas Cook (Merger)". Commission of the European Communities. 26 May 1999.
  4. ^ Burghouwt, Guillaume; Mendes De Leon, Pablo; De Wit, Jaap (1 January 2015). "EU Air Transport Liberalisation Process, Impacts and Future Considerations". International Transport Forum. 2015 (4): 32. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Terry takes off with new airline". theboltonnews.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Airline plans £100m investment in new aircraft". travelweekly.co.uk.
  7. ^ "UK charter airlines growing urge to merge". flightglobal.com.
  8. ^ Phillips, Alan (15 August 2012). Leeds - Bradford Airport Through Time. United Kingdom: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445623634.
  9. ^ "Thomas Cook sold to C&N for £550m". telegraph.co.uk.
  10. ^ "First Choice shakes off winter blues". BBC. 12 June 2001. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  11. ^ "C&N's Thomas Cook deal links Condor and JMC". flightglobal.com.
  12. ^ Telfer, David J (2002). Tourism and Development Concepts and Issues. UK: Channel View Publications Ltd. p. 283. ISBN 9781873150344.
  13. ^ "Tour firm faces legal action after 20 Britons are taken ill in Majorca". theguardian.co.uk.
  14. ^ "Airlines bid to run UK traffic control". bbc.co.uk.
  15. ^ "JMC eyes 757-300 deal for 2001". flightglobal.com.
  16. ^ "News Releases/Statements". MediaRoom. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  17. ^ "JMC takes first of two Boeing 757-300s in time for summer season". flightglobal.com.
  18. ^ Birtles, Philip (2001). Boeing 757. Zenith Press. p. 64-65. ISBN 0760311234.
  19. ^ "Jobs go at Thomas Cook". bbc.co.uk.
  20. ^ Harvey, Geraint (30 October 2007). Management in the Airline Industry. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781134167333.
  21. ^ "'Air rage' woman jailed". bbc.co.uk.
  22. ^ "CIT Aerospace to Lease Two Airbus A330-200sto the UK-Based JMC Airlines". defense-aerospace.com.
  23. ^ "JMC Becomes New A330-200 Operator". defense-aerospace.com.
  24. ^ "JMC gets long-haul boost with first Airbus A330". flightglobal.com.
  25. ^ Hewson, Robert (2003). Airbus A330 & A340. United Kingdom: Shrewsbury : Airlife. p. 97. ISBN 1840373415.
  26. ^ "Tourist who feared DVT wins damages". bbc.co.uk.
  27. ^ "Thomas Cook name takes to the skies". travelmole.com.
  28. ^ "Now the charter airlines promise flexible flights". telegraph.co.uk.
  29. ^ "JMC 757 demonstrates new Thomas Cook livery". flightglobal.com.
  30. ^ "Passenger delays drop". bbc.co.uk.
  31. ^ "Teenager barred from flight". bbc.co.uk.
  32. ^ Holloway, J Christopher (2006). The Business of Tourism. UK: Financial Times Prentice Hall. p. 483. ISBN 9780273701613.
  33. ^ JMC fleet
  34. ^ "JMC Air Fleet Details and History". planespotters.net.
  35. ^ Womersley, Barry (2000). UK Register. United Kingdom: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. p. 208,224,249,262,270. ISBN 9780851302942.
  36. ^ "campaigns-issues-management---jmc-pushes-health-issue-air-travel". prweek.com.
  37. ^ "JMC Airlines female cabin crew uniform". sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk.
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