Jet2.com is increasing its ski programme, adding 30% capacity on flights to winter sports destinations.
The 2017-18 season sees the introduction of the first Jet2.com winter flights from its new bases at Stansted and Birmingham – after the airline and operator began services from both airports in the summer.
Jet2.com will be offering more than 330,000 seats for winter 2017-18 including 11 flights a week from Stansted to four key ski gateway airports: Lyon, Grenoble, Geneva and Salzburg.
Birmingham will also offer seven weekly flights to four destinations: Grenoble, Geneva, Salzburg and Turin.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our ski programme and offering customers more choice on our award-winning airline than ever before.
“People’s minds are turning to the slopes, as we have seen a jump in bookings in September, which bodes well for the season ahead.”
Other changes include the reintroduction of ski flights from Belfast International with weekly services to both Salzburg and Verona.
Jet2.com’s biggest airport for winter sports flights will be Manchester, with more than 100,000 seats. It offers 20 weekly flights to six destinations: Barcelona (for Andorra), Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon, Salzburg and Turin.
Flights have also been scheduled in response to increasing demand for weekend and short ski trips.
“Weekend breaks and short breaks are proving increasingly popular, so we have accommodated this by putting on more flights to suit those skiers, making it easier than ever to head to the Alps for a short ski break,” added Heapy.
To promote the winter programme, Jet2.com is offering half-price ski equipment carriage on flights to five destinations – Geneva, Grenoble, Salzburg, Turin and Lyon – from all nine of its UK bases.
This fee will be reduced from £50 return to £25 for bookings made before October 12, travelling between November 30, 2017, and April 30, 2018.