On Monday, September 23, 2019, we woke to the devastating news that Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel company, had gone into liquidation.

Thomas Cook had been around for 178 years, and its failure put 22,000 jobs at risk globally, including 9,000 in the UK. It also triggered the biggest ever peacetime repatriation, aimed at bringing more than 150,000 British holidaymakers home.

As an airline, the Thomas Cook we knew could trace its history back to 1996 when the Thomas Cook Group purchased rival travel company Sunworld and acquired its first airline, Airworld (RL).

Sunworld went on to acquire Flying Colours Leisure Group, and Airworld was merged under the Flying Colours brand at the end of the 1998 summer season.

Flying Colours (MT) then merged with Caledonian Airways (KG) on September 1, 1999, and JMC Air (MT) was created a few months later, named after Thomas Cook’s son’s initials: ‘John Mason Cook’.

On March 31, 2003, JMC Air was rebranded as Thomas Cook Airlines (MT), with management capitalising on the long and trusted history of the Thomas Cook name in the holiday industry.

The final piece in the puzzle was the merger of MyTravel Airways (VZ) with Thomas Cook on March 30, 2008. The Thomas Cook name and callsign ‘Kestrel’ were maintained, and the airline we knew was born.

Used for - TCX Tribute — The various airlines that would merge and be taken over over the years to eventually form Thomas Cook Airlines

Sunny Heart

On October 1, 2013, Thomas Cook unveiled its ‘Sunny Heart’ rebranding and in December that year, the airline welcomed the first of its new Airbus A321s, resplendent in its new livery and appropriately named ‘Sunny Heart.’

The airline also introduced a brand-new cabin crew uniform in March 2017 for all employees of the Thomas Cook Group of airlines, including Thomas Cook UK, Condor in Germany, and Thomas Cook Scandinavia and Belgium, created by Bacher Work Wear. The new uniform meant that cabin crew from Belfast to Brussels, Billund to Berlin looked identical and stylish across the group of airlines.

Speaking about the new outfit, a member of the airline’s crew commented, “I love my uniform, since it’s part of my profession and follows a long tradition of aviation apparel. The uniform is very classy, in royal blue, and features golden stripes that elegantly represent me. Having been unflattering and bulky for decades, my uniform now has a feminine cut, especially in the single-breasted suits. Wearing it gives me a good feeling and makes me proud every single day”.

To enhance the customer experience onboard, the airline invested £100 million in refurbishing and upgrading its cabin interiors. In summer 2015, it launched its brand-new premium product across its fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft.

The carrier also expanded its long-haul offering, primarily from its hub in Manchester, with limited flights also operating from Glasgow, London Gatwick, and London Stansted to numerous destinations across North America, as well as for a short time to Cape Town in South Africa.

LGBTQ+ Supporter

For many years, the airline was also a proud supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. On August 20, 2019, the airline operated its first-ever ‘Fly with Pride’ flight to San Francisco from Manchester with an all-LBGTQ+ crew.

The ‘Fly with Pride’ Airbus A330 aircraft was emblazoned with the Pride heart, one of five Thomas Cook Airlines aircraft specially painted, each representing a decade since the Stonewall riots and one for each of the five years that the airline supported the Manchester Pride Festival. The crew also sported special uniform additions throughout the season.

The airline was a HUGE supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.

Rescue Deal

After years of financial woes, in August 2019, Thomas Cook secured a £900 million rescue deal led by its largest shareholder, the Chinese firm Fosun. But demands from its banks to raise a further £200 million in contingency funding put the agreement in doubt.

The holiday company held desperate last-minute talks with lenders in an attempt to secure the additional funding and salvage the deal, but to no avail.

The airline’s final flight, MT2643, from Orlando, operated by Airbus A330-200 (G-MLJL) touched down at Manchester on the morning of September 23, 2019. It was the end of an era.

Many of the staff who worked for Thomas Cook had been there for many, many years, and the outpouring of grief was immense. Airlines rallied round to support those who were out of a job with GoFundMe pages set up, offers of employment and general support across social media.

It really did highlight how we are just one big aviation family.

Thomas Cook’s Sunny Heart 💛 may have gone from the skies, but it will never go from the Hearts and minds of the thousands of staff and loyal customers that have flown with the airline for many years.

Check out our Thomas Cook tribute gallery below.