Clarksons Travel Group
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Travel and holiday packages |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Founder | Tom Gullick |
| Defunct | 1974 |
| Fate | Acquired by Court Line; ceased operations after Court Line collapse |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Package holidays, charter flights, tours, cruises |
Clarksons Travel Group emerged as a trailblazer among UK package tour operators during the 1960s and early 1970s. Established in 1959 under the name Clarksons Tours, it operated as a division of the well-known City-based company H. Clarkson shipbrokers. The enterprise was founded by Tom Gullick, who had previously served as a flag lieutenant in the Royal Navy.
While the firm enjoyed considerable growth, it encountered financial challenges that culminated in its acquisition by its primary air travel partner, Court Line, in 1972. Court Line’s collapse on 15 August 1974 subsequently caused Clarksons to fail as well, leaving debts exceeding £7 million owed to around 100,000 holidaymakers, with potential liabilities reaching twice that figure.
Services
Operating out of Sun Street, EC2, within the City of London, Clarksons focused on providing affordable short breaks to European cities and renowned wine regions. Their budget-friendly package holiday offerings combined lodging, meals, and charter flights departing from the UK.
Popular destinations featured Spain, Portugal, Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece, along with Mediterranean cruises and tours centered on urban and viticultural attractions. For instance, a two-week full-board stay in Palma, Majorca was priced at approximately £50. Flight routes extended to locations such as Tunisia as well. In 1972, Clarksons introduced package holidays to hotels owned by Court Line on the Caribbean island of St Lucia, utilizing wide-bodied Court Line Lockheed L-1011 TriStar jets—the first aircraft of this type to operate within Europe.
Technology
Clarksons distinguished itself through early technological innovation by implementing the first real-time computer system in the Western Hemisphere, which integrated the management of bookings, flights, and accommodations simultaneously. The Sperry Rand UNIVAC 96K 9400 system incorporated a teletype-style terminal with hexadecimal input, six magnetic tape units, two magnetic disk drives each with 10MB capacity utilizing heavy metal platters, and a high-speed line printer capable of swiftly producing airline tickets.
The computer facility maintained rigorous environmental controls and functioned around the clock via a three-shift schedule. Senior operators Christopher Haige and Bruce Grant were instrumental in deploying this groundbreaking UNIVAC 9400 Real-Time computer in 1968—the first installation of its kind throughout Europe and the UK.
Air travel
Clarksons managed an air terminal located at 202–204 Finchley Road, London, NW3 near Frognal Lane, primarily facilitating coach transfers to Luton Airport. This airport served as the main base for Court Line flights—the chief air carrier supporting Clarksons.
Facing financial strain, Clarksons was ultimately rescued by Court Line, their largest client. According to Flight International, over the five years preceding their collapse, approximately eight million holidays were sold at an average loss of £1 each.
The publication highlighted how marketing airline seats bundled with Mediterranean hotel stays broadened holiday access for millions but cautioned that offering £25 flights for less than £20 was unsustainable. This situation was exacerbated by factors such as rising inflation, a weakening pound sterling, doubled fuel costs, political instability in Portugal, Cyprus, and Greece, and the three-day workweek during a critical booking season. Court Line’s takeover of the insolvent Horizon Holidays did not resolve these financial issues.
Flight International also criticized the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), under Lord Boyd-Carpenter’s leadership, for insufficient transparency regarding intertwined corporate relationships and urged adoption of public disclosure standards akin to those in the United States. It further condemned Trade Secretary Peter Shore for maintaining governmental secrecy and mismanagement under provisions of the Civil Aviation Act 1971.
Political consequences
Clarksons possessed an Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) certification, providing a form of insurance coverage. Although 35,000 passengers stranded abroad were successfully brought home, the available funds fell short of covering the deposits of 100,000 customers who had prepaid for holidays.
Trade Minister Tony Benn guaranteed that no customers would suffer financial losses as a result of the company's failure, a stance likely shaped by the approaching General Election in October 1974. In the end, every affected customer received full compensation.
Incidents
On 3 July 1970, a Dan Air de Havilland Comet aircraft, registration G-APDN and chartered by Clarksons, was en route from Manchester to Barcelona when it veered off its planned flight path and crashed into the Montseny Massif near Girona, Spain. The impact and subsequent ground fire completely destroyed the plane. Tragically, all three pilots, four cabin crew members, and 105 passengers on board lost their lives.
This event marked Dan Air's first fatal crash involving paying passengers. A memorial commemorating the incident, known as the Dan Air G-APDN Air Crash Memorial, stands in Padiham, Lancashire.