FLYING HIGH:  Travel Solutions managing director Peter McMinn (centre) and colleagues Rosemary McLaughlin and Robert Wilson laucnh new dedicated air division at Belfast International Airport.

NORTHERN Ireland’s leading independent specialist tour operator Travel Solutions has expanded its local operations with the launch of a new dedicated air holiday division.

The Belfast-based company, established in 1996, has been an award-winning coach holiday operator for many years.

But a growing demand from customers for its air holiday packages has led Travel Solutions to create a separate division to expand and develop its air holiday portfolio.

Flight-based holidays on offer out of Belfast and Dublin include the beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira, otherwise known as the ‘Pearl of the Atlantic’, and Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands and the warmest region in the British Isles.

For a somewhat colder experience, the company will also operate occasional flight packages to Iceland while sports fans will be delighted to hear that air packages are now available to key sporting events across the UK and Europe.

These include official Manchester United breaks, Formula One Grand Prix trips and rugby breaks – all including flights, transfers, accommodation and tickets for each event.

City breaks available by air include London, Devon, Cornwall, Bournemouth, Isle of Wight and Torquay.

Travel Solutions Managing Director Peter McMinn has high hopes for his company’s expansion into the air package industry.

“In recent years we’ve noticed an increased demand for air holiday packages and after piloting a number of very successful destinations, we now feel that the time is right to embrace this growing part of our business fully and create a new division of Travel Solutions dedicated to the provision and development of air holiday packages direct from Belfast and Dublin,” said Mr McMinn.

“Our aim is to offer Northern Ireland holidaymakers an alternative to the traditional package holiday operators and give them new choices by introducing a range of exciting and interesting new destinations such as Madeira, Jersey and Iceland which are already proving a big hit with customers.

“Having a dedicated air division also opens up a lot of opportunities for us to expand our city breaks and sporting packages which have traditionally been coach-based.

“We confidently predict that air packages, which will be available from travel agents across the country or directly from Travel Solutions via our website or call centre, will represent a major part of our business over the next few years,” added Peter.

Working only with well established and professional transport and accommodation suppliers, Travel Solutions is currently one of Ireland’s largest coach tour and short break operators.

The company carries approximately 45,000 holidaymakers annually to an ever growing range of destinations and special events and its high levels of customer service and satisfaction have ensured that the company enjoys a lot of repeat business through its loyal customer base, as Peter McMinn explains.

“Excellent customer service should really be a given in the travel industry but unfortunately that is not always the case,” said Peter.

“At Travel Solutions we pride ourselves on our high levels of customer service and personal contact and this is reflected by the large and loyal customer base that we have built over the years and the high level of repeat business that this generates. Our customers know that the service and support they will receive from Travel Solutions tour managers is second to none.

“What’s more, as a fully licensed tour operator, we offer holidaymakers peace of mind in the knowledge that their holiday booking, and the money they’ve spent, is safe and secure. This sort of financial security and protection has become increasingly important in the current economic climate,” concluded Mr McMinn.