Court Line was a prominent British holiday charter airline during the early 1970s based at Luton Airport in Bedfordshire. For other uses, see Holiday (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... An Airbus A380 of Emirates Airline An airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... London Luton Airport (IATA: LTN, ICAO: EGGW) (previously called Luton International Airport)[3] is an international airport located on the edge of the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England approximately north of London. ... Bedfordshire (abbreviated Beds) is a county in England that forms part of the East of England region. ...

It pioneered the concept of "cheap and cheerful" package tours to Spain and other "Med" destinations in conjunction with Clarksons Holidays, thus establishing a whole new way of holidaymaking for the British.

Autair The Beginning

The airline, which was originally named Autair (Luton) Ltd and later Autair International Airways, was formed in 1960. It started operations in 1961 with one Douglas DC-3 used on contract work for other operators. More DC-3 aircraft and Vickers Vikings were bought and the airline operated both freight and passenger services and inclusive tours. The Airspeed Ambassador was introduced in 1963 and a leased Handley Page Herald was also used. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1961: Events February February 3 - Operation Looking Glass commences, meaning that the US Air Force Strategic Air Command would have a permanent, airborne command post. ... The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft, which revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s and is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made (also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747). ... this is an article about the single-engined amphibian Vickers Viking of 1918. ... The Airspeed Ambassador was a twin piston engined airliner that first flew on July 10, 1947 and served in very small numbers through the 1950s. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1963: Events January January 7 - Aeroflot commences direct services between Moscow and Havana February February 14 - the Indian Air Force receives its first batch of Soviet fighters, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s March March 18 - the Dassault Balzac makes its first transitions... The Handley Page Herald first flew on the 25th August 1955, from Radlett in Hertfordshire, UK. Designed to replace the Douglas DC-3, it was powered by 4 Alvis Leonides Major piston engines, driving 3-blade propellers. ...

In October 1963 the airline commenced scheduled services between Blackpool and Luton. In the following years the piston-engined aircraft types were withdrawn and replaced with turboprop types (the Hawker Siddeley 748 and the Handley Page Herald). In 1966 the Court Line Shipping Company took a controlling interest in the airline. Further scheduled services within the United Kingdom were operated with the Heralds and five BAC One-Eleven 400 series jets were introduced to operate the inclusive tour flights. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1963: Events January January 7 - Aeroflot commences direct services between Moscow and Havana February February 14 - the Indian Air Force receives its first batch of Soviet fighters, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s March March 18 - the Dassault Balzac makes its first transitions... Blackpool (Squires Gate) Airport (IATA: BLK, ICAO: EGNH) is a small international airport, 5 km south of Blackpool, Lancashire in north west England. ... London Luton Airport (IATA: LTN, ICAO: EGGW) (previously called Luton International Airport)[3] is an international airport located on the edge of the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England approximately north of London. ... For the use of the term in optics, see piston (optics). ... A schematic diagram showing the operation of a turboprop engine. ... The Avro 748 was a small short-range turboprop airliner designed by Avro in the late 1950s as a replacement for the now-aged DC-3s then in widespread service as feederliners. ... The Handley Page Herald first flew on the 25th August 1955, from Radlett in Hertfordshire, UK. Designed to replace the Douglas DC-3, it was powered by 4 Alvis Leonides Major piston engines, driving 3-blade propellers. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1966: Events Puerto Rican International Airlines begin services. ... The BAC One-Eleven was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s. ... Jet aircraft are aircrafts with jet engines. ...

In October 1969 the schedules services were stopped and the turboprop aircraft sold, the airline also ordered the bigger 500 series version of the BAC One-Eleven. This is a list of aviation-related events from Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team is formed. ... The BAC One-Eleven was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s. ...

Court Line The Re-launch

To coincide with the arrival of the first BAC One-Eleven 500 the airline changed its name on the 1 January 1970 to Court Line and introduced a new corporate look and a focus exclusively on the then fast-growing package holiday market. As the larger One-Eleven 500s were delivered most of the smaller former Autair 400 series aircraft were retired, except G-AWBL. The BAC One-Eleven was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1970: Events January January 31 - Mikhail Mil dies, aged 61 February February 17-18 - US Air Force Laos. ... A package holiday or package tour consists of transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. ...

The corporate look was an all-over colour design by Peter Murdoch. The BAC One-Elevens were painted a variety of distinctive eye-catching pastel colours: yellow/gold/orange, pink/rose/magenta, pale violet/mauve/purple, light green/mid-green/forest green, in keeping with the holiday "feelgood-factor". Aircrew wore trendy uniforms designed by Mary Quant and passengers were made to feel the flight was a fun part of the holiday. For many, it would be their first flying experience. Mary Quant OBE FCSD (born February 11, 1934 in Kent, England) is an English fashion designer, one of the many designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants. ...

Other airlines were quick to jump on the burgeoning package tour bandwagon. In the early 1970s a holiday in Majorca or on the Costa del Sol became affordable to the average person for the first time. Location Location of Majorca in Balearic Islands Coordinates : 39° 30’N , 3°0E Time Zone : CET (UTC+1) - summer: CEST (UTC+2) General information Native name Mallorca (Catalan) Spanish name Mallorca Postal code 07001-07691 Area code 34 (Spain) + 971 (Illes Balears) Website http://www. ... The Costa del Sol is a region which comprises the coastal towns and communities in the Málaga province, along the Mediterranean coastline. ...

This image is a candidate for speedy deletion. It will be deleted after Friday, 26 October 2007.

Lockheed L-1011 G-BAAA of Court Line - scanned from company publicity material, fair use. ... Lockheed L-1011 G-BAAA of Court Line - scanned from company publicity material, fair use. ...

The widebody era

In 1973 Court Line was the first European airline to order and take delivery of a pair of Lockheed L-1011 Tristar widebodies (G-BAAA and G-BAAB). This was a big gamble, as the new jets had about three times the 1-11's passenger capacity (400 vs. 119). Court took the view that the market would grow and that such large aircraft could be operated profitably. In addition, it was looking to expand to new holiday markets in the US and the Caribbean, which at the time was wholly new territory for the UK package tour market. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1973: Events Icelandair established. ... The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as just L-1011 (pronounced ell-ten-eleven), was the third widebody passenger jet airliner to enter operation, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ...

Hard times

Unfortunately, the gamble failed to pay off.

At the time the UK was in the grip of a major recession as a result of the mid-1970s energy crisis caused by OPEC's oil boycott of the West in the aftermath of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. This was a punitive measure directed against these countries for their support of Israel during that war. It led to a drastic reduction in the availability of petroleum products - including jet fuel - resulting in a quadrupling of the oil price. 1974 also became known as the worst year for the UK package tour industry. Clarksons, Court Line's main customer, was facing mounting financial pressure and Vladimir Raitz's Horizon Holidays collapsed during that year. The airline decided to purchase Clarksons to prevent it from going the same way as Horizon, thereby trying to protect its business. However, Clarksons financial position further deteriorated during the course of that year. In a desperate attempt to fill the group's planes and hotel rooms so that it could stay afloat, Clarksons began selling its holiday packages below cost, with a fortnight all-inclusive holiday to Majorca selling for as little as £50. Not to be confused with APEC. OPEC Logo The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an international cartel[1][2] made up of Iraq, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Angola, Algeria, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. ... ... Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in jet-engined aircraft. ... Vladimir Gavrilovich Raitz (born May 23, 1922) is the co-founder of the Horizon Holiday Group, who pioneered the first mass package holidays abroad. ...

The end

On 15 August 1974, the company went bankrupt, with all flights cancelled and as many as 50,000 holidaymakers stranded overseas with no means of getting home. is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

As a result of this, the Association of British Travel Agents set up a fund to provide an insurance against such an event in future. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

The following day (16 August 1974) all of the group's UK-based subsidiaries went into voluntary liquidation. This included both Court Line and Clarksons, its associated in-house tour operator. is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

After sitting on the apron at Luton Airport for several months, the two L1011 TriStars finally found a new home with Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways.

Factors behind collapse

In addition to the early- to mid-'70s oil crisis, there were other factors that had caused the collapse of the group of companies that included Court Line and Clarksons.

One of these factors was the parent company's precariously highly geared investment in the shipping and leisure industry sectors.

According to some insider reports at the time, Court Line itself was a viable business. However, a proposed MBO was rejected as its liquidation value was needed to pay off the parent company's debts. Management by Objectives (MBO) is a process of agreeing upon objectives within an organization so that management and employees buy in to the objectives and understand what they are. ...

The DTI final report [1] into the Court Line collapse concludes:

"The short answer is that there was no single reason for the collapse, which was caused by a number of contributory factors. Court Line expanded rapidly in many directions, some of which were both logical and justifiable, others not. The overall management was throughout inadequate and it was in any event never supported by the necessary financial control. This meant that as Court Line expanded it became progressively vulnerable to any substantial setback in any of its areas of activitites. When a serious setback occurred, triggered off by the oil crisis of Autumn 1973, it immediately affected the Shipping, Aviation, and Leisure Divisions. The Group was so highly geared, so structured and having such inadequate financial control, that it might well have been brought down by a substantial reverse in any of its major activities. As it was the cumulative effect on all three Divisions, when all the cash resources which would otherwise have been available had been invested unprofitably in the Caribbean, meant that the position progressively deteriorated and rendered the collapse in August 1974 unavoidable."

Disposal of airline's assets

Following the spectacular crash of Court Line and Clarksons at the height of that year's holiday season, most of the failed carrier's fairly new aircraft were quickly snapped up by other airlines. Cathay Pacific acquired both of the L-1011 "Tristar" widebodies while Dan-Air and Monarch Airlines respectively acquired four and two of the 1-11-500 narrowbodies. Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (Cantonese: gwok3 taai3 hong4 hung1 yau5 haan6 gung1 si1; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; abbreviation: 國泰) (SEHK: 0293) is an airline based in Hong Kong, operating scheduled passenger and cargo services to over 104 destinations world-wide. ... Dan-Air (Dan Air Services Limited) is a defunct airline based in the United Kingdom. ... Monarch Airlines Boeing 757-200 in the old livery, Alicante Airport, Spain. ...

Facts of Interest

• Court Line had two wholly owned subsidiaries. These were Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT), a regional arline based in the Caribbean, and Court Line Helicopters, based in South Africa. Both of these subsidiaries survived the spectacular Court Line crash of August 1974.
• Dan-Air and Monarch needed to re-register the aircraft they acquired from Court Line and pay off the debts Court had incurred at various foreign airports because these planes had been impounded by overseas airport authorities in lieu of the airport user charges the failed airline owed them.

LIAT is an airline based in St. ...

Aircraft operated (Autair International)

• Airspeed Ambassador
• BAC One-Eleven 400
• Douglas DC-3
• Douglas DC-4
• Handley Page Dart Herald
• Hawker Siddeley 748
• Vickers Viking

The Airspeed Ambassador was a twin piston engined airliner that first flew on July 10, 1947 and served in very small numbers through the 1950s. ... The BAC One-Eleven was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s. ... The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft, which revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s and is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made (also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747). ... The designation DC-4 was used by Douglas Aircraft Company when developing the DC-4E as a large, four-engined type to complement its forthcoming DC-3 design. ... The Handley Page Herald was a 1950s British turboprop passenger aircraft. ... The Avro 748 was a small short-range turboprop airliner designed by Avro in the late 1950s as a replacement for the now-aged DC-3s then in widespread service as feederliners. ... Note: this is an artice about the Post World War Two twin-engined Vickers Viking airliner. ...

Aircraft operated (Court Line)

• BAC One-Eleven 400
• BAC One-Eleven 500
• Lockheed Tristar

The BAC One-Eleven was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s. ... The BAC One-Eleven was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s. ... Orbital Sciences Stargazer Lockheed L-1011 The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar was the third widebody passenger jet airliner to reach the marketplace, following the Boeing 747 jumbo jet and the Douglas DC-10. ...

Code Data

• IATA Code: OU
• Callsign:

“IATA” redirects here. ...

References

• Merton Jones, T. (1972). British Independent Airline & Operators Since 1947. LAAS International. NONE. 

External Links

free yahoo group & archive *"Homage to Court Line"