‘EastJet
has made a strong start to 2012’, according to Chief Executive Caroline
McCall. Sitting on an EasyJet flight recently to one of their newer and
more distant
network destinations ‘Amman’, it was evident why. Every seat was
occupied and I
certainly was not the only suit-wearing business traveller onboard.
EasyJet
has been trying to take a bigger bite out of the business travel market in
recent years. Diversification in terms of network choice and features aimed at
Business travellers are obviously making a difference. These include flexible
bookings enabling itinerary and name changes up to two hours before
departure; no weight restriction on hand luggage as long as it fits into
one of the famous EasyJet ‘orange baggage frames’; potential to jump on
an earlier flight for free or a later flight if availability allows for a
rescue ‘fee’ and onboard extras such as speedy boarding and on loan
iPads. Add to that a new base at ‘Southend Airport’; a boost for Olympic
traffic and also an additional London hub for the airline, all point to another
strong year within the corporate sector.
Statistics
support the airlines attempts to woo business travellers and their innovation
in network expansion, with healthy growth in passenger numbers. In the last
three months of 2011, the number of business travellers on EasyJet increased by
200,000 over the same period in 2010.
Another
bonus in 2012 is that Jordan is celebrating the 200th anniversary of
the rediscovery of Petra this year, this particular routing is likely to remain
very popular among business and leisure travellers alike and again seems an
astute decision by EasyJet. However, the 00:20 arrival back to London Gatwick
from Amman gives travellers a dilemma in getting home…thankfully the Gatwick
Express saved the day whisking me to Victoria in just 30 minutes.
Any conference-related news? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
