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Thomson Airways is the biggest charter airline in the world and is based in Luton in the United Kingdom. It is also the UK's third biggest carrier, with only British Airways and easyJet flying more passengers annually. It was founded in 1962 as Britannia Airways and started using the current name in 2008 after a merger between TUI's Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways.

Thomson Airways flights are operated out of the airline's bases in Newcastle, Bournemouth, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Birmingham, Dublin, Inverness, Liverpool, East Midlands, Aberdeen, Exeter, Manchester, London Luton, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Belfast, Edinburgh, Bristol, East Midlands, Cardiff and Doncaster Sheffield. It utilises a fleet of 60 aircraft to fly to nearly 100 destinations.

Thomson Airways tends to operate flights on behalf of tour companies, meaning that most of its flights are to popular tourist destinations. These include Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, Port Louis in Mauritius, Marrakech in Morocco, Cancun in Mexico, Orlando in the U.S., Goa in India and Phuket in Thailand. Closer to home, routes also include Dubrovnik, Corfu, Venice, Alicante and London.

Passengers on a Thomson Airways flight can check in online and print their boarding cards up to 14 days before departure. At this time, passengers are also able to ask for assistance at the airport, select a seat for their flight or buy additional checked luggage allowance while checking in online. Once they've checked in online, passengers can drop off their luggage at the airline's counters, which open between 2 and 3 hours before a flight. At Manchester, Gatwick and Birmingham airports, passengers can even drop off their bags the day before they fly, reducing hassle and check-in times at the airport.

Passengers can bring 1 item of hand luggage weighing up to 5 kg on most Thomson Airways flights. On some flights, this is increased to 7 kg and if this is the case, it will be plainly indicated on a passenger's booking confirmation. Its dimensions however cannot be bigger than 55 x 40 x 20 cm, as it must be able to fit into the overhead storage or under a seat on the plane. Personal items such as laptop bags, camera bags or handbags, will not be accepted separately and must fit inside a passenger's hand luggage bag. Passengers must be able to place their carry-on bags into the overhead lockers without assistance.

If passengers have a Thomson Airways flight-only booking, they will not have a checked luggage allowance. If they wish, passengers can add a luggage allowance to their booking online. On package holidays flying with the airline, the basic allowance is 15 kg per passenger, although some bookings have an allowance of 20 kg. This will be made clear during the booking process. In addition, any passengers who book a Premium Club ticket are allowed up to 23 kg. Young children under 2 may bring up to 10 kg of baggage as well as a stroller.

Thomson Airways passengers travelling together on a single booking may pool their allowances, but there is a maximum weight limit for any one bag of 23 kg. Sports equipment must be booked by passengers 2 months ahead of their flight. This can only be done by calling the airline's customer service desk. There are fees in place for anyone who goes over their luggage allowance.

• Airline name: Thomson Airways
• IATA code: BY
• Year Founded: 1962
• Headquarters: Luton, United Kingdom
• Website: thomson.co.uk