Bristol-based Thornton’s Travel, which handled £4 million in
business travel bookings in 2019, has ceased trading after 80 years.
“We are sorry to inform you that
E Thornton & Son Ltd has ceased trading with effect from 30 September 2020,”
ABTA announced today, adding that it also traded as Thornton's Travel Service and Thornton's Cruise World.
On its website, the company said: "It is with deepest sadness that we announce Thornton’s Travel ceased trading on the 30th September 2020. We were very proud to have reached our 80th anniversary and would not have achieved this without our amazing staff, suppliers and clients."
The privately owned company, whose
corporate clients spanned the oil and gas, engineering, defence, entertainment
and manufacturing sectors, was a member of the Advantage Travel Partnership,
Focus Travel Partnership and the Business Travel Association.
Around 60 per cent of its
corporate bookings were for air travel, 20 per cent for accommodation and 10
per cent for rail travel.
Thornton's just missed out on
inclusion BTN Europe’s Leading 50 TMCs survey, with its business travel sales
putting it in 51st place in the UK.
ABTA says business travel
booked with Thornton’s is protected by the trade association and
flight and rail tickets should remain valid.
“If you are in receipt of your
ticket or e-ticket these should remain valid and you will need to contact the
airline or rail operator to confirm this. If you received an ATOL
certificate which states flight only you should contact the CAA.”
It is the second company with significant business travel volumes
to cease trading following the downfall of Business Travel by STA and parent
company STA Travel in August.