Thomson shuts Glasgow call centre as web use rises

Travel giant Thomson is to close its Glasgow call centre in Scotland, with the loss of up to 450 jobs, blaming a continued increase in the amount of online bookings for holidays. The company said the centre is likely to close by the end of the year, but it would seek to find alternative employment…

Travel giant Thomson is to close its Glasgow call centre in Scotland, with the loss of up to 450 jobs, blaming a continued increase in the amount of online bookings for holidays.


The company said the centre is likely to close by the end of the year, but it would seek to find alternative employment for the affected staff either within the company or elsewhere in local businesses.


The decision comes just months after parent company Thomson revealed 50% of its bookings were now made online.


According to reports, Thomson is now expected to launch a virtual call centre programme in the UK, whereby customers are automatically diverted to a High Street agent to answer queries or book a travel product.


The system is believed to have been on trial for a number of months and has been used by parent company TUI on mainland Europe.