Britain’s leading travel brand, Thomas Cook, has been slammed by Which? Holiday magazine. A survey published today says the company that pioneered organised tourism in Victorian times has “work to do to get standards up to 21st-century expectations”.
The survey of 4,500 Consumers’ Association members criticises Thomas Cook’s “poor quality hotel rooms and unhelpful resort staff”. The firm, which is Britain’s second-largest tour operator, was rated poorest out of 29 for resort reps and the quality of flights and transfers.
Thomas Cook also earned only two stars out of five for value-for-money. Six other big holiday firms were rated equally bad. They include Virgin Holidays, Princess Cruises and the mass-market sister companies, Thomson and First Choice. None earned an overall “customer score” above 70 per cent. Cosmos, Britain’s third-largest operator, took last place with 57 per cent.