Thomas Cook Travel, which also operates under the Direct Holidays and Panorama banner in Ireland, has decided to end its 100 year old relationship with Dublin, by closing down its summer sun, holiday charter business. After the collapse of Budget travel a number of years ago, Thomas Cook and its sister company Direct Holidays, were the only company to offer charter flights and package holidays from Dublin to Ibiza. Faclon Travel, a sister company of First Choice and Thomson Travel, had pulled out of the Dublin to Ibiza route back in 2010, but have re-entered the market this summer, with charter flights from Dublin to Ibiza on Wednesdays. 44 people will loose their jobs in the Dublin office of Thomas Cook when it closes for business on April 30th next. The closure of the Irish Market, is in response to the growing trend of independent travel by holidaymakers, as they cut out the middlemen and rely on direct bookings with hotels and airlines, as well as unbiased Tripadvisor reviews, to help them choose their holiday. It also allows much greater flexibility and choice, as a new generation of traveller becomes increasingly literate online, replacing the old "pack em and stack em" business model, that become so popular with package tour operators the 70's.
