Another airline popular for holiday destinations was Thomas Cook Airlines. Sadly they went out of business back in September 2019, along with all of their High Street travel shops. Founded in 2007 from a merger with Thomas Cook Group and MyTravel Group. It operated services from Birmingham Airport and other UK based airports. They were known for the yellow heart symbol.

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Airlines gone but not forgotten at Birmingham Airport: Thomas Cook Airlines


Airlines gone but not forgotten at Birmingham Airport: Thomas Cook Airlines


Another airline popular for holiday destinations was Thomas Cook Airlines. Sadly they went out of business back in September 2019, along with all of their High Street travel shops. Founded in 2007 from a merger with Thomas Cook Group and MyTravel Group. It operated services from Birmingham Airport and other UK based airports. They were known for the yellow heart symbol.


Thomas Cook at Birmingham Airport

Thomas Cook Airlines operated flights from Birmingham Airport for many years. Founded in 2007 from a merger between Thomas Cook Group and MyTravel Group. There main bases was at Manchester Airport and Gatwick Airport . In 2013, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium, Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia and Condor all merged under the name of Thomas Cook Group Airlines.

The airline collapsed in September 2019. Over 165,000 passengers were stranded overseas (more than the 65,000 of Monarch), that had to be flown back to the UK.

While I've seen Thomas Cook at Birmingham Airport, we had never flown with them.

 

One of my first Thomas Cook plane photos was taken while I was on a walk around Erdington. I was on the Chester Road during May 2014. It was probably an Airbus A321-200.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Erdington (May 2014).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Not a great photo of a Thomas Cook plane, as it was behind trees as it came into land at Birmingham Airport, back in March 2016. But this was on the day of the first Emirates Airbus A380 landing. And I went to the Sheldon Country Park to see it. After I left I went to Marston Green Station, and got this view from the second footbridge before I got to the platform.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Bham Airport (March 2016).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

The first up and close photo I got of a Thomas Cook plane was at the departures at Birmingham Airport during June 2016. The windows to the gates can be a bit fuzzy to look through. A Shell tanker was near the Airbus A321-200 plane. We were on the way to get a Flybe flight to Milan for the Lake Como holiday.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Bham Airport (June 2016).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

In December 2016, I saw this Thomas Cook plane taking off from Birmingham Airport, while I was in Car Park 5. There is a plane spotting area there, but if you go further back, you won't have the perimeter fence in the way.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Bham Airport (Dec 2016).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Back in August 2017 I was in Sutton Coldfield on the Big Sleuth bear hunt. While in Boldmere (after leaving Sutton Park) I saw this Thomas Cook Airbus A321-200 plane.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook from Boldmere (Aug 2017).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Later back at Sutton Coldfield Station (August 2017), I saw this Thomas Cook plane coming into land at Birmingham Airport. Sutton Coldfield is on the flight path into the airport. Was also an Airbus A321-200.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Sutton Coldfield (Aug 2017).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

A close up view of this Thomas Cook plane during June 2018 at Birmingham Airport. In departures, heading to the gate to get a Jet2 flight to Pisa in Italy, for the Florence and Tuscany holiday. Another Airbus A321-200. Behind was several Flybe planes.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Bham Airport (June 2018).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Another good station for seeing planes taking off or landing from Birmingham Airport was Stechford Station. I saw this Thomas Cook plane from Stechford during October 2018. Also an Airbus A321-200. This one was taking off.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Stechford (Oct 2018).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Also in October 2018 was the visit to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, where I saw several planes coming into land at Birmingham Airport. This one was an Airbus A320-200.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Castle Bromwich (Oct 2018) (1).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

It may have also been with Condor at the time. It left the UK Thomas Cook fleet during 2018 (the Airbus A320-200's).

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Castle Bromwich (Oct 2018) (2).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Back in August 2019 was when I last saw Thomas Cook planes at Birmingham Airport. This view was from the X1 National Express West Midlands Platinum bus I'd caught from South Yardley to the airport. At the time there was also a pair of TUI planes to the left.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Bham Airport (Aug 2019) (1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

I popped into Car Park 5 where I saw this Thomas Cook Airbus A321-200. The last time I would see it there before the airline went bust in the following month.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Bham Airport (Aug 2019) (2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Now for a bonus photo.

In May 2011 having just landed at Nice Airport in Frane with BMI Baby, I saw this pair of Thomas Cook Belgium planes (before I got off the BMI Baby plane). This airline was founded in 2001, started operating from 2002 and ceased operating in 2017. These were Airbus A320-200's. The planes were later transferred to other airlines, including one to the UK based Thomas Cook Airlines.

dndimg alt="Thomas Cook Nice" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Thomas Cook Nice Airport (May 2011).JPG" style="width: 100%;" />

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown. Thanks for all the followers.