50 years of Palmair (From Bournemouth Echo)

50 years of Palmair

7:00pm Friday 24th October 2008

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IT has just one plane but its friendly service and quality holidays means Palmair is still flying high after 50 years of taking to the skies.

The Bournemouth-based airline is celebrating its golden anniversary today, marking the exact date the first flight took off from the airport to Palma on October 25, 1958.

Managing director David Skillicorn said: “We want to mark the special day by quietly announcing it to our passengers, giving them a glass of bubbly and then getting on with what we do best.”

The tour operator was established by the late Peter Bath, known as one of the south’s most colourful and best-loved businessmen, as part of the family-run Bath Travel Group.

Mr Bath, who died in 2006, took over the Bath Travel business, which was founded by his father Ernest Reginald Bath in 1924, after the war.

Renowned for his dedication to the airline and insistence of the personal touch, he saw off every flight in person, a tradition that delighted passengers for many years.

After his death, loyal staff member Teresia Rossello has stepped into the trademark role, overseeing the seating plan and making the early-morning starts to ensure passengers still get that personal touch when leaving for their holiday.

David Skillicorn, who has been managing director of Palmair since 1995, said: “We are not at the cutting edge and never want to be. That is not what Palmair is about.

“We are about consistency of service; people know exactly what they are getting when they come to us. The fact we are local is also important.

“If any of our customers have a problem, they know exactly who they are phoning or know where to go to rectify the issue.

“Again, it is the personal touch that makes all the difference to people; it’s going that extra mile.”

And despite only having one plane, the company was named one of the four best airlines in the world and won the best short haul carrier title in the 2008 Which? Awards earlier this year, being short-listed alongside Air New Zealand, Jet Airways and Singapore Airlines.

Mr Skillicorn said: “I still have to pinch myself sometimes.

“It’s a phenomenal accolade and a tribute to all the hard-work carried out by our magnificent team over the years.

“In a world fixated by no-frills and low-cost it is good to know that all the little touches we ensure, matter to people. Peter Bath and myself were always very aware that holidays are a luxury that people have once a year.

“It is our job to ensure that people feel they have their money’s worth. We don’t claim to be the cheapest but people know what they are getting and it is why they continue to come back year after year.”

He added: “If we keep doing exactly what we’ve always done, will we be here for the next 50 years.”

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