Court Line
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Court Line was a UK holiday charter airline in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It pioneered (in conjunction with Clarksons Holidays) the concept of cheap and cheerful package tours to Spain and other destinations, thus establishing a whole new way of holidaymaking for the British.
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The airline was originally named Autair International. A complete change of image resulted in Court Line Aviation being launched in 1970. The breakthrough all-over colour design was by Peter Murdoch. The BAC 1-11s 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". Aircrews 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.
Other airlines were quick to jump on the burgeoning package tour bandwagon and the in the early 1970s, a holiday in Majorca or on the Costa del Sol became affordable to the average person for the first time. Court Line was based at Luton Airport in Bedfordshire.
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In 1973, Court Line ordered the first pair of Lockheed L-1011TriStars to be registered in the UK (G-BAAA and G-BAAB). This was a big gamble, as the new jets had almost four times the 1-11's passenger capacity. Court took the view that the market would grow and that such large aircraft would 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 package tour market.
Unfortunately, the gamble failed, and compounded by the OPEC fuel crisis, on 15 August 1974, the company went bankrupt, with all flights cancelled and many holidaymakers stranded with no means of getting home. As a result of this, the Association of British Travel Agents set up a fund to provide insurance against such an event in future.
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