TUI Travel is to launch a new concession scheme offering discounted package holidays and flights for the 19,000 staff working in its UK and Ireland division in April. The move is part of a benefits harmonisation exercise following the 2007 merger of First Choice Holidays and the tourist division of TUI, owner of Thomson Holidays.
From April, all head office and airline employees will be entitled to a discount of between £500 and £1,750, depending on length of service. They will be able to redeem this against 70%, 50% or 25% of the total price of a holiday.
Staff in the company’s retail division, as well as those based overseas, who are either new joiners or who are former First Choice employees will be entitled to discounts of between £300 and £1,000 depending on length of service. Dione Mathias, reward manager at TUI UK, said: “We have opened it up to a lot broader types of holiday.”
All employees in each of these arrangements can purchase holidays through the concession scheme from their pre-tax salary, thus saving on national insurance and income tax.
Further arrangements for former Thomson retail staff will come into effect in April 2010.
TUI Travel is still finalising the details of all schemes with HM Revenue and Customs.