First Choice
First Choice is the market leading tour operator in Ireland through Falcon and JWT brands and in Canada through Signature Vacations.
Following the acquisition of Unijet and Hayes and Jarvis in July 1998, the group also became a leading UK long-haul charter tour operator.
First Choice uses its UK charter airline Air 2000 to operate a fleet of 25 aircraft. It also has its own airline seat broker, Viking Aviation.
In October 1998, the company began a distribution strategy to create retail outlets based around significant charter departure airports through acquisition of Bakers Dolphin and Intatravel and the development of greenfield sites and alliances. First Choice’s retail network now comprises approximately 250 shop equivalents in the UK with around 650 targeted to be operating by the end of 1999.
Kuoni
Kuoni is one of Europe’s largest travel groups and has operations throughout Europe.
The company owns more than 150 retail travel shops in Switzerland.
It operates in the business travel segment, mainly in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, through its alliance with Business Travel International.
Kuoni’s long haul travel operations form the core of its leisure travel business outside Switzerland and it has an established position in the long-haul tour operating sectors in Switzerland, UK, France, India and Italy.
Kuoni recently acquired one of India’s largest operators of package tours to foreign countries and a recent joint venture in Hong Kong has created a platform for the company to establish operations in India and to expand further to the Asia Pacific region.