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The Charter
Airline Group of the UK (CAGUK)
CAGUK is an
independent grouping formed to represent the interests of the major UK
charter leisure airlines and their passengers. The Group consists of
First Choice Airways,
Thomson
Fly,
Thomas Cook,
Monarch Airlines,
MyTravel Airways,
Excel Airways and
Astraeus
Together, in the last year, these
airlines have carried some 35 million passengers, representing over 95% of
all passengers carried by UK non-scheduled airlines and 30% of passengers and some 34% of
revenue passenger kilometres flown by all UK airlines. CAGUK airlines
serve around 25 airports across the UK operating regular services to over
100 overseas destinations. At several UK and European airports they
represent the majority of services. Together, CAGUK airlines employ
almost
15,000 staff and operate more than 180 of the most modern, quiet,
fuel-efficient and emission-minimising aircraft in service. Many
of these aircraft, both Airbus and Boeing, are fitted with engines, systems
and components manufactured in the UK. They represent some of
the most enterprising, innovative, flexible, efficient and profitable
airlines in the world and operate to the highest standards of safety and
security. They are the original low cost carriers.
Notwithstanding the advent of the no-frills carriers, they continue to offer
some of the lowest priced air travel in the world.
These factors are often overlooked by
decision makers in the political, regulatory and legislative arenas, and by
the media. This lack of awareness may well result from their
concentration on “getting on with the job” without engaging fully in the
public affairs arena, which has resulted in an all-round low profile,
unexciting to the media, and an under-representation in the decision making
processes. Their aim in setting up the CAGUK is to redress this.
They are keen to ensure greater understanding of the charter sector and
achieve recognition for our contribution. Some of the key facts they
want to promote include:-
-
the significant scale of their operations;
-
their unit costs and prices are among the
most competitive and lowest in Europe (including those of the no-frills
airlines)
-
they are the most efficient
users of airport capacity (large aircraft with more seats, high load
factors and quick turnarounds);
-
they operate from local airports to the
maximum possible extent and serve more UK airports than
UK scheduled
airlines.
They
remain full and active members of the
British Air Transport
Association (BATA) and the International Air Carrier Association (IACA)
and will continue to work with and through those associations.
However, such associations cannot always cover the interests of all their
members. This is a time when fundamental decisions have to be made,
both in the UK and the EU on the future of their industry in the widest
sense. It is vital that those decisions are made with a full
awareness of the implications on their important sector – and of their
passengers.
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