Patrick Whyte

With the UK government seemingly determined to sever all ties with the European Union, things don’t look great for the travel industry. For the time being there’s not much companies can do but hope for the best.

Thomas Cook’s disastrous merger with The Co-operative Group in 2011 gave it more than 1,200 retail shops at a time when the public was switching to online sales. Gradually it has been trying to reduce this number while at the same time improving those deemed to be in key locations.

It has taken a long time for rail companies and governments to loosen their grip on the data they control. Now that its happened, GoEuro and others operating in multi-modal metasearch are well placed to take advantage.

Monarch’s history of financial struggles means that this isn’t likely to be the end of the saga. The company is talking about new investment but until this goes through, questions will continue to be asked about the company’s future.

In a funny twist of fate, the man who helped drive consumers away from traditional travel agents with Kayak is now building a business around them. By combining the convenience of an app with the human touch, English and company are hoping to hit a sweet spot.

OTAs have had it their own way for a long time but the boss of Booking.com seemed relaxed about the future. Different customers will continue to require different ways to book a room.

By tackling the issue of trust, not only will companies in the sharing economy be able to raise standards, they might also be able to keep regulators off their backs.

While some of fastjet's wounds have been self-inflicted, it hasn't been helped by problems in key markets. The radical turnaround plans initiated by the new CEO seem like the last throw of the dice.

Starwood Capital has gradually been building up its UK presence over the past few years through a series of acquisitions. This rebrand into two distinct units will help it boost brand recognition across the market.

Lastminute.com group may have bought the assets of WAYN but the company behind it remains in insolvency proceedings in the UK. Clearly this isn’t a straightforward deal.