Agents have welcomed increased competition at Luton airport, with predictions that Jet2holidays’ decision to go head-to-head with its main rivals will improve flight options and could reduce fares.
Jet2.com will compete with easyJet, Tui, Wizz Air and Ryanair at Luton, its 13th base, from next summer. It will have two aircraft based at the airport and serve 17 destinations. The first flight, to Majorca, departs on April 1, 2025.
The move further expands Jet2’s footprint in the south of England, with flights already offered from Stansted and Bristol and services due to start from Bournemouth in February.
More: Jet2 and Jet2holidays unveil debut Luton winter-sun programme
Agents in Luton, nearby counties and north London predicted the move would provide more holiday choices and potentially lower fares.
Luton-based agency Double S Travel said it anticipated its Jet2 sales would rocket by 500%-700%.
“We’ve got three shop windows, all on main roads, and if we get Jet2 posters in them with our logo, that’s all we need,” said owner Steve Pattenden.
He said some rival airlines would need to “buck up their ideas” in response to Jet2’s reputation and service, and was already hopeful Jet2 would further expand at Luton.
Andrew Devine, owner of Beaver Travel in Radlett, Hertfordshire, said Jet2’s arrival could “only benefit” customers, with Luton airport a half-hour’s drive away compared with an hour to Stansted.
He said: “It’s better for our clients to have a regional airport that is offering more choice to destinations.
“We specialise in luxury travel but have got clients who like Jet2’s service and its Indulgent Escapes brand.”
Chris Bailey, owner of Bailey’s Travel, called the move “truly amazing” for its Leighton Buzzard branch and cited Jet2’s product as “superior to rivals’”.
“Our Leighton Buzzard office is wholly dependent on Luton airport,” he said, adding: “We are fans of Jet2 and will continue to do bucketloads.”
Spear Travels said its Thame and Upminster branches would both benefit. Natalie Turner, head of retail operations, said: “It will create a greater range of flights to sell and a more convenient holiday departure experience for our local customers.”
TravelTime World in Berkhamsted said the extra flights would give more choice for less well-served destinations such as Greek islands, the Canaries and Turkey.
Director Ashley Quint said: “What we struggle with at Luton is frequency, so this will fill a gap.”
He also predicted: “It might drive down prices a bit and I would not be surprised if we saw some additional routes from easyJet.”
But Alan Bowen, legal advisor to the Association of Atol Companies, insisted there was less likelihood of price drops because Jet2 was more focused on packages while the “vast majority” of easyJet’s seats were still sold as flight-only.
“The more airlines at any airport, the greater the chance for fares to come down, but there are still considerable differences between Jet2 and easyJet,” he noted.
Alan Cross, Jet2holidays director of travel agent relationships, said the company was contacting more than 100 agents in the area with posters and fact booklets and planned to visit every agent in person over the coming month. He said: “We have had a fantastic response and there is a real sense of excitement about our arrival.”
In response to Jet2’s move, an easyJet spokesman said: “EasyJet flies almost seven million passengers a year from Luton to more than 70 destinations. We remain absolutely focused on serving our loyal customer base from the region, continuing to connect them with Europe and North Africa on our flights and holidays.”