Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy has reassured agents that the company will not change its approach to the trade after increasing its Atol licence.
During the Barrhead Travel Group conference in Palma, Heapy said Jet2 will carry on working with travel agents in the same way it has done as its Atol licence continues to grow.
“When some companies get bigger, they become arrogant and start abusing their power,” Heapy said.
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But he promised “nothing will change” at Jet2, adding: “We’ll still be the same and people will still have the same access to us.”
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He reiterated that the operator has no plans to become a competitor, saying: “I can give a cast-iron commitment that we’ll not open our own high street travel agency. What we want is partnerships.”
Heapy warned the travel industry against complacency and suggested businesses should use healthy periods as a chance to prepare for a downturn in fortunes.
He said: “In travel, when you’re going through a good period, all it means is that the next disaster is around the corner.”
“Pride comes before a fall. We’ve got to be ready and use this [healthy] period to strengthen our businesses both in terms of financials and robustness.”
He said agents should not rely on the peak season to bring strong results and went on to suggest that agents should place great importance on “cultivating your database”.
“You can use it to get higher repeat bookings from your customers,” he said.
Asked whether Jet2 has an interest in entering the long-haul market, Heapy said “never say never” but highlighted the expense and challenges of such a move.
When the 200 or so guests in the room were asked to show their hands if they would like Jet2 to give long-haul options, the vast majority indicated their approval.
Elsewhere in his one-hour discussion with Jet2holidays travel agent relationships director Alan Cross, Heapy criticised politicians for their “scant understanding” of the outbound travel sector.
“I don’t think many of them take outbound travel seriously,” said Heapy, calling on elected representatives to recognise the sector’s “massive” contribution to GDP.
He also criticised the government for making travel more expensive through taxation.
“Governments want to have fewer people flying – they want to take away the right of people to go on holiday,” Heapy said, pointing to taxes imposed on airlines.
“It’s an existential threat to us all,” he said, adding: “We’ve got to get together and make sure we’re not getting a rough deal.”
On technological developments, he said these had the potential to make jobs easier, telling the conference: “Artificial intelligence [AI] is not a threat to jobs – it enriches jobs.”