Better trading news today from travel giant Thomas Cook will not halt plans to close its Bradford city centre call centre with the potential loss of around about 460 jobs.

A 90-day consultation period with the TSSA union over the planned closure of Cook's Aldermanbury site, whose lease will expire in 2014, ends this week and more details about the outcome should be revealed shortly.

Thomas Cook said its turnaround plan was on track after sun-seekers boosted summer bookings. Holidaymakers snapped up deals to Turkey, Spain and Greece as they went in search of warmer weather, while the group was also able to raise prices by eight per cent on average in recent weeks.

The group said total cumulative UK bookings remained one per cent down year-on-year, with a ten per cent rise in specialist and independent holidays offsetting a nine per cent fall in the mainstream market.

Despite the decline, the group said there were signs of a financial improvement as recently appointed chief executive Harriet Green, former boss of Leeds-based electro components distributor Premier Farnell, leads a top-down review of operations to revive business.

She said: "Working together with the management team, my priority has been to ensure a renewed focus on delivering to our plans for the current financial year, reviewing our approach for the forthcoming year and developing our objectives to grow and strengthen the business for the future."