Thomas Cook Airlines is shaking up its Economy cabin offering as it introduces a brand new ticket fare.

Passengers travelling in economy will now be able to choose between existing fares, or a new and cheaper 'Economy Light' ticket.

The main difference is that the new ticket type will include a 6kg cabin bag as a well as a personal item (such as a handbag), but no hold luggage. Meanwhile, check-in will only be available online.

However, the rest of the booking remains the same as standard Economy as passengers will still get the in-flight meals and entertainment.

'Economy Light' will be available on long-haul flights only, but the airline hasn't revealed if it plans to roll it out on shorter routes too.

Thomas Cook Airlines is introducing a new Economy Light fare

It could make for a tempting deal for those who can pack lightly. For example, you could bag a return from Manchester to New York from £299.99pp (standard Economy returns start from £359.99pp).

Sound tempting? Economy Light tickets are available on the Thomas Cook Airlines website for flights from Thursday 1st November.

The rest of the airline's fares across Economy, Premium and Business (Condor only) will remain the same.

However, it will also be introducing a new 'Flex' option to its Economy fares; this turns a non-refundable fare into a flexible ticket allowing for cancellations, and removing penalties and charges for changes made to the date and route.

Thomas Cook isn't the only brand to have made this type of change to its Economy cabin.

Virgin Atlantic launched a new three-tier Economy ticket system earlier this year, also including a new ticket type which doesn't include any hold luggage. ( Check out our review here ).

It makes for another budget-friendly option for passengers (
Image:
Thomas Cook Airlines)

Similarly, British Airways also introduced hand luggage-only fares on its long-haul routes.

Henry Sunley, Commercial Director at Thomas Cook Airlines said: "We wanted to ensure that we provide fares that support the different needs of our customers, which can differ from trip to trip. Economy Light offers an option for those customers who want less amenities for their journey but want to benefit from fantastic cost savings.

"They are the first fares that we have introduced on a pan-European scale across Thomas Cook Group Airline for our seat-only business."

He later added: "Economy Flex fares have been available with Condor for a number of years and are a great option for business and leisure travellers alike. We believe that our UK customers will welcome the chance to add extra flexibility to their trip if they wish to.

"With Economy Light and the option to add flexibility with Economy Flex, we are providing more choice than ever for our customers."

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