YORKSHIRE'S LOW COST AIRLINE SPREADS ITS WINGS
Yorkshire's own low cost airline, Jet2.com last week signalled its intent to become the No 1 airline of the North as it announced a deal to launch a parallel service out of Manchester airport.
Jet2.com which now serves 14 destinations from Leeds Bradford and three from Belfast, and recently announced a near 50% increase in capacity from Yorkshire next summer, is hoping to become the preferred airline for leisure travellers in the North of England.
The deal, which was announced at a press conference in Manchester this morning, will see Manchester airport take delivery of SIX new dedicated Boeing 737s, serving NINE exciting European destinations at fares starting from £21.
Jet2.com boss Philip Meeson made it clear that this latest announcement was part of a long-term expansion plan using the airline's Leeds Bradford base as a building block for future development.
“In terms of the size of today's announcement we are adding an additional 200 new employees and six aircraft to the business. We have launched there – which is the North's largest airport – with Manchester's biggest ever commitment by a scheduled airline.”
The six 737 aircraft – each, like every plane in its fleet, owned by the company – will initially fly to nine destinations: Budapest, Faro, Geneva, Malaga, Murcia, Nice, Pisa, Valencia and Venice with one-way starting fares ranging from £21 to £31 including taxes.
Switzerland is due to launch with a Geneva service commencing on December 18.
He added: “Six of the routes we're starting with at Manchester are routes we also serve here at Leeds Bradford. We will be operating parallel services, and this is supported by our recent announcement of a 50% increase in our capacity here in Yorkshire.
“Jet2.com is not just here to stay, it's here to get bigger and better – we want more routes, we want more frequency and we want cheaper air travel for all.”
