in Germany, Switzerland and Austria for German tour operators, flying several 767-300s. On 3 November 1997, the subsidiary's inaugural flight was flown, flying between Berlin and the Dominican Republic. At one point, Britannia Airways GmbH employed roughly 200 people and operated 3 Boeing 767-300s; however, this division was relatively unsuccessful and ultimately closed down during March 2001. During early 1998, the Thomson Travel Group also acquired the Scandinavian holiday operation, Fritidsresor Group, along with its airline Blue Scandinavia, which was later renamed Britannia Nordic (since rebranded as TUI fly Nordic). In addition, it was during this decade that Britannia launched several public image and service quality initiatives, such as the flying with confidence course and closer customer service coordination within Thomson. During the early 1990s, the airline launched its in-flight Royal Service brand to increase the profile of the company's high-end services, somewhat akin to the premium service levels available on scheduled airlines. It was succeeded by a newer brand, 360, during the late 1990s; this service was billed as being less old-fashioned and possessed greater personality. During 2000, Thomson Travel Group, and thereby Britannia Airways, were acquired by TUI Group of Germany. As part of a wider reorganisation of TUI's UK operations in September 2004, it was announced that Britannia would be rebranded as Thomsonfly. Destinations As of January 1995, Britannia Airways operated services to the following international scheduled destinations: Europe Alicante Almería Bodrum Corfu Dalaman Faro Fuerteventura Funchal Geneva Lanzarote Girona Gran Canaria Heraklion Ibiza Kos Larnaca Lyon Málaga Malta Menorca Palma de Mallorca Paphos Plovdiv Reus Rhodes Salzburg Santa Cruz de la Palma Sofia Tenerife Thessaloniki Toulouse Turin Verona Middle East Bahrain Abu Dhabi only for Full stop over North & South America Acapulco Barbados Cancun Montego Bay Natal Orlando Puerto Plata Puerto Vallarta Punta Cana St Lucia Varadero Africa Accra Hurghada Luxor Mombasa Monastir Sharm el Sheikh Asia Auckland Goa Malé Sydney Fleet The Britannia Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft: The Airline also operated Bristol Britannia's and Boeing 707's. Competitors At the time of rebranding, Britannia was the largest charter airline in the United Kingdom, its position of market dominance being owed to the growth of Thomson Holidays. Initially its main competitor was British Airtours. The 1980s saw the growth of Monarch Airlines as a credible competitor. In the 1990s Air 2000, Airtours International, First Choice Airways and Flying Colours Airlines grew as competitors.