easyJet to give its business passengers fast track through security
EasyJet is hoping to attract increasing numbers of business travellers. They had slightly over 10 million business travellers during 2012, up from around 9 million in 2011 and some 8 million in 2010. (Not all to or from the UK). The total number of easyJet passengers is around 50 million per year, so business is some 18% or so. EasyJet is now planning to offer free fast track through security for business passengers, to attract yet more. EasyJet claims that what business passengers want is low fares, and flexible fares, punctuality, quick boarding, friendly flexible fares, easy booking, allocated seating and fast security. From May 2013 fast track security will be provided to flexi fare passengers at 27 airports amounting to 54% of the airline’s business network and over the coming months will be expanded to more airports across easyJet’s network. Last year the number of business passengers travelling on Eurostar stayed level. In 2012 there were about 5,402,000 business trips made by Brits to Europe, and some 5,852,000 business trips made by overseas residents to the UK (74% of the Brits’ business trips by air, and some 69% of the European business trips).
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EASYJET IS TO OFFER FREE FAST TRACK SECURITY TO ATTRACT MORE BUSINESS TRAVELLERS
easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, is to provide free fast track security to attract more business travellers. The new service will be provided as an added benefit when buying easyJet’s flexi fares, which are available from £79 one way.
easyJet already carries more than 10 million business passengers a year who have been attracted by the airline’s low fares, industry leading punctuality and friendly service across Europe’s leading network.
All research shows that these are the key elements in attracting and retaining business passengers. The research also highlighted the other features that will help easyJet prise high yielding business travellers away from Europe’s flag carriers. These include flexible fares, which easyJet launched in 2011, allocated seating – which was introduced by easyJet across its network in 2012 – and fast track security.
Fast Track security will be included as one of the range of benefits provided with easyJet’s flexi fares which give passengers unlimited flexibility to change the date of their flights up to two hours before the scheduled departure time. Passengers booking an easyJet flexi fare will also benefit from the choice of seats at the front of the plane, speedy boarding, no booking fees and a hold bag included at no extra cost.
From May 2013 fast track security will be provided to flexi fare passengers at 27 airports amounting to 54% of the airline’s business network and over the coming months will be progressively rolled out to more airports across easyJet’s network.
Carolyn McCall, easyJet’s CEO explained how easyJet is targeting business travellers:
“Above all else business travellers want frequent, punctual flights to leading airports, with friendly service and at great fares – and that is why 10 million of them choose to fly with easyJet every year.
“Building on that platform we want to give them other services that they truly value and which we can deliver without changing our simple efficient operations. Allocated seating is a good example of something our business passengers told us they really wanted and that we have been able to manage while maintaining our industry leading punctuality. By teaming up with our airport partners we can now offer fast track security which enables time sensitive business travellers to reduce their journey time through the airport.
“easyJet doesn’t offer a business class but we do make business sense.”
The following 27 airports are part of phase one: London – Gatwick, Southend and Stansted, Liverpool, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Venice Marco Polo, Athens, Budapest, Munich, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Prague, Tallinn, Geneva and Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, Paris CDG and Orly
http://corporate.easyjet.com/media/latest-news/news-year-2013/15-05-2013a-en.aspx?sc_lang=en
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At Eurostar:
For the year ended 31 December 2012 passenger numbers rose 2% from 9.7 million to 9.9 million. Whilst business travel remained flat, the uplift in passengers was underpinned by continuing resilience in the leisure travel market as the number of leisure passengers grew by 3% compared to the previous year. ( link )
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…. over the last 12 months there was a 1% reduction in business trips abroad to 6.78 million. This matches the 1% reduction in overall travel abroad by UK residents which fell to 56.4 million for the last 12 months – holidays fell by 2% year-on-year to 36.1 milllion. ( link )
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There is more information about the changes in choice of airline for business travel, and the history of EasyJet attracting more business passengers by the CAA at http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP796.pdf (Dec 2010)
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easyJet had 10 million business passengers in 2012, up from 9 million in 2011
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EasyJet strikes deal for Parliamentary air travel
18 Sep 2012
Easyjet profits from business travel – now 9 million business passengers per year
15 November 2011
in fuel costs during the year, but said it managed to offset this through efficiency
savings. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15732969
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UK residents travelling abroad
2012 Thousands of UK residents visits abroad | From ONS Travel Trends | (thousands) | % of total travellers | ||
Europe | Air | Sea | Channel Tunnel | Total | |
Holiday | 22,440 | 3,862 | 3,047 | 29,350 | Holiday 66% |
of which inclusive tour | 9,326 | 986 | 704 | 11,017 | |
Business | 4,014 | 562 | 826 | 5,402 | Business 12.2% |
Visiting friends or relatives | 6,244 | 1,218 | 732 | 8,194 | VFR 18.5% |
Miscellaneous | 592 | 423 | 257 | 1,271 | |
All visits | 33,291 | 6,065 | 4,862 | 44,217 | Air 75% |
Tunnel 11% | |||||
74% of UK resident business trips to Europe by air | Sea 14% |
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Overseas residents visiting the UK
2012 thousands of Overseas residents visits to the UK | From ONS Travel Trends | % of total visits | |||
Europe | Air | Sea | Channel Tunnel | Total | |
Holiday | 5,335 | 1,685 | 1,525 | 8,545 | |
of which inclusive tour | 531 | 532 | 361 | 1,423 | |
Business | 4,016 | 1,049 | 787 | 5,852 | Business 26% |
Visiting friends or relatives | 4,853 | 798 | 763 | 6,414 | |
Miscellaneous | 1,437 | 320 | 229 | 1,985 | |
All visits | 15,641 | 3,852 | 3,304 | 22,796 | Air 69% |
68.6% of European resident business trips to UK by air |
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