EasyJet will close its call centre at Luton by December with the loss of 144 jobs.
The carrier will move its phone-reservations service to outsourced operations in Berlin and Poznan in Poland.
EasyJet said the closure would cut costs, arguing the Luton operation was “not sustainable”. It reported an 8% fall in revenue per seat in the three months to June. Total revenues were almost 7% up, but the airline is expanding at 15% a year.
It is understood the airline has also struggled to find staff with the necessary language skills to match its growing network outside the UK.
EasyJet has had a call centre at Luton since its launch in 1995. However, 30% of its network now operates without touching Britain.
The carrier reports just 2% of bookings are made over the phone.
Trade union Unite expressed dismay at the closure after agreeing to more flexible working. Regional industrial organiser John Street said: “We were confident we would keep the Luton operation.”
More than 1,000 EasyJet staff will remain at Luton, and the carrier said it plans to recruit a further 1,000 across Europe over the next 12 months.