Chief executive Garry Wilson, addressing a media dinner in London on Wednesday (6 September), said he was surprised by the demand for what are typically shorter, more expendable trips. “There’s huge appetite for city breaks,” he said.
“It’s interesting because we keep waiting for the cost of living crisis to hit – it’s been really surprising to us how many cities have been bought. We expected beach [holidays] would be fine, and maybe they [consumers] would sacrifice some of those little city breaks, but the city breaks have proved really popular, so we’re investing a lot there.”
EasyJet’s extensive European network has made it a popular choice for holidaymakers looking to put together DIY city breaks, something its relatively new package operation – easyJet holidays – could leverage and lay down a challenge to rivals like Jet2holidays, which has its own Jet2CityBreaks brand.
Outlining the operator’s plans for growth, Wilson highlighted continued investment in beach holidays, and in ski breaks, with easyJet this week confirming four new ski routes for winter 2023/24.
EasyJet holidays, said Wilson, is on track to double its passenger numbers to two million this year, which Wilson described as “way above the expectations we had initially".
He added more than two-thirds, 68%, of customers had stated their intention to book again with the firm. “The thing that’s pleased us is we’re not selling cheap holidays – 75% of what we’re selling is to four- and five-star hotels.”
Wilson said the pandemic has served as an opportunity to examine “how a brilliant holidays company should look in terms of customer experience”, and stressed the opportunities for growth were significant. EasyJet holidays was launched in November 2019 and was launched to the trade a year later during the pandemic.
“I think when we announce our results at the end of this year, one big focus for me and the team is how big can this business be," Wilson continued. "Even with two million customers, that’s still a tiny proportion – less than 5% – of seats that easyJet flies so you think there’s so much more opportunity for us to grow this business."
Wilson also confirmed easyJet holidays expansion into Switzerland as a source market, with other launches in the pipeline for the coming months.
