Be careful when doing your own package that you also include insurance cover for your flights ...

Supply and demand, the Thomson aircraft may be nearly full or the Thomas Cook aircraft maybe all but empty.

Also both airlines have different costs and charges they will need to cover, Thomson's maybe higher.

I tend to agree £313 more is a lot for what is basically the same aircraft and service.

Why so bread dearer in Waitrose than Asda?

Why is petrol dearer on the motorway than in a big town?

It's free enterprise. No company charges the cost plus a small, fixed amount of profit - they charge what they think people will pay. If they ask too much they risk not selling and if they ask too little they risk missing out on the profit they need. So if TC are full when they take off and Thomson have loads of empty seats it will mean both got it wrong!

And in your example, people are still wary about TCs financial position and view Thomson as more secure - both marketing teams will have factored that into their prices.

By the time I decided to book the prices had changed again so I booked a package with Thomson who gave me the web price which was cheaper than DIY.