The travel trade has hit back at easyJet’s criticism of traditional package holidays following the airline’s launch of easyJetHolidays.
EasyJetHolidays allows customers to combine flights with 10,000 hotels, supplied by First Choice Holidays’ sister company Hotelopia. Holidays are protected under the Travel Trust Association’s ATOL.
Chief executive Andy Harrison claimed the move confined tradtional European package holidays to the “dustbin of history”.
He further criticised the trade by saying package holidays had developed a reputation for “everything that was bad about travel”, citing fixed term durations and hotels allocated on arrival.
Agents and tour operators hit back at the remarks. Freedom Travel managing director Trevor Davis said: “It’s absolute rubbish.”
He added agents were already starting to see customers returning to book holidays on the high-street after not enjoying the experience of booking online.
“We believe people who have booked on the net are returning to travel agents because they don’t enjoy the experience. If something has gone wrong they have had no-one to turn to. A number of shops are saying people who booked with them two years ago, have come back and said they didn’t save much money by booking online and arguably it was more hassle booking through the Internet.
“I am not convinced that easyJet selling holidays will have any detrimental effect on the industry. It’s another supplier turned competitor.”
Meanwhile, specialist tour operator Hidden Croatia said the fact the airline was using First Choice’s Hotelopia leant little credibility to its claim of consigning middlemen to the scrap heap. The operator said easyJetHolidays’ dynamic packaging system was “nothing new”.
Meanwhile, First Choice Holidays congratulated easyJet on choosing Hotelopia. First Choice added its company not only offered flexible and accessible flights but also package holidays tailored to customers’ needs.
A spokeswoman added: “Hotelopia’s parent company is currently considering inviting Mr Harrison to one of its induction days so we can show him how much more there is to the changing face of package holidays.”