Tui Group will significantly increase the amount of flying it does with third-party carriers as it looks to offer consumer greater flexibility and break into the city breaks market.
Speaking at this week’s Abta Travel Convention, UK and Ireland managing director, Nick Longman, said the move will allow the company to offer new destinations it does not fly to, citing Mykonos as an example.
Longman said the firm will target the most popular cities searched for by consumers such as Dubai and New York with the Tui masterbrand which has begun to be rolled out.
And he said the operator could do more in the youth market to popular destinations like Ibiza and use its Dreamliner fleet to add new long-haul destinations in regions like the Caribbean.
“We are really looking to diversify our business,” Longman said. “We are in a good place to do things we have not done before.
“We are going to significantly increase the amount of third-party flying and we are going to do that this year.”
Longman said this would help spread the risk so that Tui will be better able to adapt if situations arise like the terrorist attack in Tunisia this year which saw it have to “re-programme” 27 flights.
“You have to make changes when you are successful. Think ahead. Be bold and be brave and take risky decisions.
“Diversify to cover your risk. You have to have some really good people. Is good enough good enough? Whatever you do do it quickly.
“There’s no point in having an idea that takes three years to deliver. I think at Tui we have been guilty of that and that as to change.”
Longman said if Tui was a woman today it would be Mary Berry, of the Great British Bake Off, however it aspires to be more edgy like Uma Thurman.