Travel: Departures: Loss leaders lost

THERE is also a problem with the big print where the new Thomson Summer Sun brochure is concerned. 'Prices from pounds 99,' yells the cover, followed in smaller type by '(see page two)'. This reveals that to qualify for a pounds 99 holiday you must depart Gatwick for Ibiza on 1 or 8 May and stay at the Las Perlas apartments - sharing a one-bedroom apartment between four adults.

Even if you have three sufficiently close friends and got through to Thomson reservations the moment sales began at 7am, you would have found the trip sold out. The reason is that Thomson's Family Choice programme, which went on sale the week before, offered the same 'loss leader'. The holidays were snapped up and none was left by the time the main brochure appeared.