That this House is shocked by Airtours' policy towards disabled travellers illustrated by the case of Mr David Wood, a wheelchair user, who was barred from boarding his flight hours before departure as he was deemed incapable of travelling with the airline unaccompanied, giving no consideration that he is a fit man who has flown unhindered for many years on different airlines; and calls on Airtours to change its policy towards wheelchair passengers and not to make a blanket assumption that they all need to be accompanied by a carer.

That this House is shocked by Airtours' policy towards disabled travellers illustrated by the case of Mr David Wood, a wheelchair user, who was barred from boarding his flight hours before departure as he was deemed incapable of travelling with the airline unaccompanied, giving no consideration that he is a...

That this House notes with concern the criticisms made of various tour operators, including Airtours, in the January issue of Holiday Which; notes that one in nine of the respondents who went on Airtours' long-haul holidays would definitely not recomment a friend to do the same; believes that the experiences of members of the public travelling to Australia from Manchester with Airtours on 24th December are not untypical, in that the flight was over three hours late leaving Manchester and over 24 hours late leaving Sydney - both delays due to technical difficulties; notes that other passengers reported that three times in two weeks the same flight had been delayed, also for technical reasons; is alarmed that, according to a member of Airtours' staff, the turn-around of aircraft is so rapid that maintenance is not as it should be; calls on the regulating authority and the Government to ensure that the comfort and safety of passengers is paramount; and further notes that despite these criticisms, Airtours' ground and air staff in the United Kingdom and abroad were always courteous and helpful and that the accommodation provided whilst the aircraft was inoperative was of a good standard.

That this House notes with concern the criticisms made of various tour operators, including Airtours, in the January issue of Holiday Which; notes that one in nine of the respondents who went on Airtours' long-haul holidays would definitely not recomment a friend to do the same; believes that the experiences...

That this House notes with concern the decision by the President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to clear Airtours' bid for Owners Abroad despite the recommendation of the Director General of Fair Trading to refer the bid to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; notes that pre-bid advice given in December to Airtours in the name of the Secretary of State was that Airtours' bid was unlikely to be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; notes there is no previous case where the Office of Fair Trading has recommended reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in opposition to pre-bid advice; understands that in Airtours' case, pre-bid advice was given at the insistence of the Department of Trade and Industry and was not in accordance with the views of the Office of Fair Trading; notes that the Chairman of Airtours Mr David Crossland is a prominent constituent of the Minister for Corporate Affairs; understands the Minister was aware of this some time ago contrary to claims made by officials in his Department; notes that the Minister did not publicly declare his interest and was still involved in consideration of the bid as recently as 15th February before relinquishing responsibility to the Secretary of State; and therefore calls for a full inquiry to clarify the role of the Minister in this affair and whether he had any involvement in pre-bid guidance given to Airtours which served as such a convenient precedent for the Secretary of State's decision not to refer Airtours' bid to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

That this House notes with concern the decision by the President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to clear Airtours' bid for Owners Abroad despite the recommendation of the Director General of Fair Trading to refer the bid to the Monopolies and Mergers...

That this House notes with concern the hostile bid for Owners Abroad by Airtours; believes that it will lead to domination of the package holiday market and in particular, by vertical integration of the holiday travel agency business, to two companies accounting for over 60 per cent. of the total market and that this is likely to lead in the long term to a reduction in consumer choice, a threat to independent tour operators and travel agents and the loss of thousands of jobs in the United Kingdom travel business; and, therefore, calls for the Office of Fair Trading to recommend that the President of the Board of Trade refer the bid to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

That this House notes with concern the hostile bid for Owners Abroad by Airtours; believes that it will lead to domination of the package holiday market and in particular, by vertical integration of the holiday travel agency business, to two companies accounting for over 60 per cent. of the total...

That this House congratulates Airtours plc on its innovative practices and successful management and believes that its proposed acquisition of Owners Abroad will bring benefits to the consumer, a wider selection of affordable holiday destinations departing from regional airports across the country and even greater value for money.

That this House congratulates Airtours plc on its innovative practices and successful management and believes that its proposed acquisition of Owners Abroad will bring benefits to the consumer, a wider selection of affordable holiday destinations departing from regional airports across the country and even greater value for money.

That this House calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission the proposed take over by Airtours of the tour operator Owners Abroad.

That this House calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission the proposed take over by Airtours of the tour operator Owners Abroad.