The UK’s Britannia Airways was much beloved in its time, bringing affordable travel to millions of British people during the formative years of the leisure travel industry. Operating for over four decades, Britannia Airways eventually became Thomsonfly at the turn of the millennium before merging into TUI Airways. During its time, Britannia pioneered many innovative services, such as assigned seating, non-smoking flights, and online booking, and slowly expanded its reach from Europe to North America and the Caribbean. Here’s the story of one of the nation’s favorite airlines.