Thomas Cook takes big step to recovery As Britain's great summer getaway kicks off, next week's third-quarter trading statement from Thomas Cook is expected to herald another significant breakthrough for the company, when leading leisure analysts believe it will announce it has broken even, compared with losses of almost £30m at the same point last year. In May, the 172-year-old tour operator announced a major £1.6bn refinancing, including a £425m rights issue, to put it on a more stable footing and remove the threat of a "debt wall" in 2015 when previous bonds were due to mature. Analysts at Morgan Stanley believe the continuation of Thomas Cook's improvement programme will have resulted in flat earnings before interest and taxation for the third quarter, despite Easter falling earlier this year than in 2012. Wyn Ellis, analyst at Numis Securities, also expects a "significant improvement" in third-quarter results, "possibly to break-even," with the recent weakness of the pound also thought to have helped. Britain's poor spring weather prompted more families and couples to book their summer holiday abroad this year, after many stayed at home to enjoy events such as the Olympics in 2012. Thomas Cook's best-selling destinations for summer include Spain, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Tunisia. The tour operator's shares have soared 912pc in the past year to close on Friday at £1.49.