DAY trips flying from Bournemouth are being revived after six years - by the former boss of Bath Travel.

Two flights will depart to Venice on Easter Sunday and Monday with 189 seats on each, aboard a Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800.

The revival of what was a travel phenomenon in the days of Palmair has been spearheaded by Stephen Bath, the former managing director of Bath Travel.

He told the Daily Echo: “I am really delighted to be bringing the day trips back. Many thousands of people flew with us to more than 40 destinations in the 1990s and 2000s.”

He added: “The beautiful city of Venice was always one of the most popular, so it seemed like an obvious place to start. It’s a magical place. We never had an empty seat there in 18 years.”

The two days will follow a familiar schedule.

The aircraft will leave Bournemouth at 7.30am returning at 9.30pm.

The price is £325 per person to include some of what the Palmair trips used to offer. Reserved seating, hot breakfast and a tour escort all the way - in this case Mr Bath himself.

He said: “For several years since we sold Bath Travel I have been asked to start special flights from Bournemouth, but I was not allowed to compete with the new owners, Hays Travel for three years. I have been invited by John Hays of Hays Travel to start up the trips and I have to say it’s great to be back.”

Mr Bath said if the Venice trips proved successful, there could be more trips in the autumn and increased capacity next year.

In its heyday, Palmair, the tour operating arm of Bath Travel, took as many as 7,000 day trippers in a single year all over Europe and incredibly as far as Cairo and Luxor.

Stephen Bath’s father Peter established Palmair tour operations in the 1950s and then set up the company’s own airline, Palmair Flightline in 1993.

On Wednesdays the aircraft was not being used for the holiday flight schedule and so the day trips programme was born.

It was Stephen’s job to organise and fill these trips.

  • The Venice trips can only be booked through branches of Hays Travel. For more information contact Hays Travel on 0800 215 5086.