Speaking as Jet2.com and Jet2holidays issued half-year results on Wednesday (19 November), in which it laid out its plans to open a new base at Gatwick next year in more detail, Heapy said there had been “slight shift” in demand and that Jet2 was doing “a lot of marketing to customers”.
"We have seen a later booking trend during the year, and we have been able to respond by flexing either package holidays or flight-only," he asserted.
Heapy said the operator would continue to offer a £60 deposit and the option to pay balances in three instalments. “I expect that will prove to be very popular over the coming months, but we are heading towards Christmas, and the market will be slightly quieter.”
However, he said some consumers were “wanting to lock in value before the Budget”. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her Autumn Statement next Wednesday (26 November).
Heapy said Jet2 was “leveraging technology to persuade people to book earlier”. “Marketing will become more relevant and timely to customers,” he said, adding: “I would hope the market does change a little bit.”
Jet2 has seen a slight reduction in bookings from independent agents during the its first-half and a corresponding increase in direct sales. The overall proportion of direct bookings via web and app increased by one percentage point to 80% while independent agent sales decreased by the same proportion.
It said: “During the period, travel agent commission grew 1% to £135.3 million as higher average package holiday prices were offset by a reduction in independent travel agent booking volumes.”
Heapy said he remained optimistic despite the market. “Our brand strength gives us massive protection in whatever the economy throws at us in the next few months. In economic times like we have at the moment, people gravitate towards brands they trust.”
Looking further ahead, he said Jet2's current winter capacity was up by 7.7% at 5.5 million seats, while for summer 2026 – excluding the airline and operator's new base at Gatwick – it is up by 5%.
He nonetheless signalled caution in the market generally. “I think capacity increases next year will also be lower," he added. "It is looking like it will only be slightly bigger than this year.”
Heapy was speaking as Jet2 revealed its results for the six months to the end of September, its most profitable part of the year. Profit before tax and foreign exchange revaluation rose by 1% year-on-year to £780 million on a 5% increase in revenue to £5.34 billion.
During the April-September period specifically, Jet2 saw flight-only demand increase by 16% to 4.77 million, while package sales grew by just 1% to 4.73 million.
Jet2 said this reflected "a continuation in consumer behaviour towards shorter booking lead times" and underlined the importance of "the flexibility of our fully integrated operating model to adapt to changing consumer trends”.
