Steve Heapy, the boss of Jet2.com, has praised agents for the ways they generate excitement in their branches – despite a lack of government action to revitalise UK high streets.
However, he has hailed the new aviation minister, Mike Kane, for his stance on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and airspace modernisation.
Heapy, the chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, reiterated his call for action to revitalise the high street during a Travel Weekly webcast – but noted he had not seen anything from ministers “to convince me that it is a priority”.
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He said one policy to reclassify some commercial properties as residential could “breathe some life” into the high street.
“Then lots of little bars, shops and restaurants will open up again, and it becomes a more vibrant place,” he said.
“It is a testament to our independent travel agent partners…many of them have changed the way they work. They don’t just sit there waiting for people to walk through the door.
“They do lots of marketing. They try to get customers into events. Some travel agents have Prosecco Fridays and stuff like that to get people in.
“Travel agents can create a lot of excitement because they know loads about the product.
“[A holiday] should be an exciting and fulfilling transaction…and travel agents have such an important part to play to build that excitement.
“But it would be good if the high streets had more to pull people in.”
He told the webcast that Jet2 has met “quite a few” government ministers over recent months, “telling them what we think the holiday industry needs”.
“A big theme…is sustainability…because sustainability taxes and charges keep getting levied on airlines and holidays, and therefore that puts the price up,” he said.
“Unfortunately, you cannot escape the fundamental laws of economics that if the prices of something go up, then demand goes down.”
He said he has been lobbying for a revenue certainty mechanism for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the modernisation of airspace.
“The previous government moved very, very slowly on [SAF]. I have seen faster glaciers, and this government has committed to progressing with that, which is great news,” said Heapy.
“Mike Kane [aviation minister] has said that is one of his priorities…but we need to try and accelerate that, because SAF companies are very reluctant to invest in new plants in the UK without a sustainable aviation mechanism.”
He said Kane has also pledged action on airspace modernisation, which could cut carbon emissions by 12-14%.
“Actions speak louder than words, but I think the initial signs have certainly been very encouraging,” he said.