Travel News January 2022


asyJet and easyJet holidays have announced a new route from Belfast International Airport to Mahon Airport on the Balearic Island of Menor-


ca, which will take off for the first time this summer. Flights to Mahon are scheduled to launch from 2


April 2022, with departures twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays, offering customers in Northern Ireland even more choice when it comes to picking a summer holiday destination Te new flights are among 16 new routes that easyJet


has added to its UK network for summer 2022 today, to some of Europe’s favourite beach destinations in Spain and the Balearics, the Greek Islands and Italy as well as Turkey, Bulgaria and Morocco. Package holidays to Menorca with flights from


Belfast are available to book for next summer through easyJet holidays, with a range of holiday types available from adult and family to luxury and undiscovered. All easyJet holidays include flights, accommodation, 23kg of hold luggage and transfers on beach breaks. Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager com-


mented, “We’re delighted to announce this new route from Belfast International Airport for next summer, providing our customers in Northern Ireland with an even wider range of fantastic beach destinations


Jet2 Awarded Highest Ever Customer Score


JET2.COM will continue to be recognised with the


prestigious Which? Recommended Provider status for Airlines, aſter the leading leisure airline received its highest-ever customer score despite another year dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Tis means Jet2.com, Jet2holidays and Jet2City-


Breaks all continue to receive Which? Recommended Provider status. Tis latest recognition comes on the back of


Which?’s annual Best & Worst Short-Haul Airlines Survey, which is based on the experiences of over 1,300 paying customers who have flown in the past two years. With Jet2.com scoring highly across a number of


measures including punctuality, cabin cleanliness, customer service, value for money, refunds and covid precautions, Which? confirm that Jet2.com is the only airline to be recognised as a Which? Recommended Provider for Airlines, saying “At a time when some airlines were making sworn enemies of their customers, Jet2.com received its highest-ever customer score.” Tis success comes on the back of the company’s


continued investment into delivering a VIP experi- ence. Tis service includes friendly flight times and a generous 22kg baggage allowance through a flight-only booking with Jet2.com. Customers travelling with Jet2holidays and Jet2C-


ityBreaks get to experience Jet2.com flights as well as in-resort Customer Helpers, transfers, free child places and ATOL protection. Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have continued their cus-


tomer-first strategy throughout the pandemic, winning praise from customers, consumer organisations, media, and independent travel agents for how they have looked aſter customers affected by programme changes. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, stat-


ed “Te past two years have been the most challenging in history for the entire travel industry and the way different companies have responded will be remem- bered for a long time.” “ We are very proud to be a company that has been


repeatedly recognised for the way we have looked aſter customers and independent travel agents, and there can be no better or fairer measure of how well we are doing than the consumer champion Which? and their members. Aſter so much hard work, we are incredibly proud to be recognised as a Which? Recommended Provider once again.” He added that “We start 2022 in the firm belief that


we will see travel bounce back strongly this year, and our track record for looking aſter customers means we are well positioned to capitalise on that. We know that customers need assurance more than ever, and as Which? point out in their research, our standards of customer care exceed other short-haul airlines.”


Ireland Remove Pre-Departure


Test Requirement IRISH Taoiseach Micheal Martin has confirmed that passengers planning on travelling to the Republic of Ireland will no longer need a negative covid test. Previously, arrivals were required to undertake a pre-departure PCR or antigen test to enter into Ireland- Tis has now been scrapped and is expected to be


introduced in the coming days. Tose travelling into Northern Ireland at the moment still require a negative covid-19 test result. England is also expected to follow similar guidance surrounding travel testing.


to enjoy. We remain committed to strengthening our unrivalled short-haul network and providing more affordable and easy connections to our customers in Northern Ireland, by offering low fares and more choice when they travel.” Paul Bixby, easyJet holidays Commercial Director,


said “Aſter recent events we all need a holiday to look forward to, so we we’re pleased that even more of the UK can now enjoy easyJet holidays with the launch of new holidays to some of our favourite destinations. Adding that “We’re committed to providing brilliant


holiday experiences at unbeatable prices, with industry leading flexibility, so we’re really excited to take our customers who book one of our new holiday routes on their well-deserved beach breaks in 2022.” All customers booking flights with easyJet continue


to benefit from flexible booking policies under its Pro- tection Promise, including fee-free changes up to two hours before departure. Te easyJet holidays Protec- tion Promise also gives customers ultimate flexibility, protection and reassurance. Te holidays Promise offers a refund guarantee, freedom to change a booking, a reduced balance due date, a Best Price Guarantee, and deposit refunds.


These New Routes Are Set to Launch Just In Time For Summer 2022


Top NI Travel And Tourism Names Included in Queen’s New Year Honours


TITANIC Belfast’s Chief Executive Judith Owens and CEO of Hospitality Ulster, Colin Neill, have both been included in the Queen’s New Year Honours Lists. Te newly appointed MBE’s were amongst a long list of fellow Northern Irish receivers which ranged from Education contribution to sporting accolades. Judith Owens was awarded the MBE for her services to Tourism and Colin Neill for his services to the Hospi- tality Industry of Northern Ireland. Speaking on Judith’s MBE award, Chairman Colin Harvey of Titanic Belfast said: “We are immensely proud that Judith has been included in the New Year Honours. Judith’s reputation in and contribution to the tourism industry over the years is unrivalled and it is wonderful to see her hard work recognised as Titanic Belfast approaches its milestone 10th birthday in 2022.” Siobhan Lynch, Director of Operations at Titanic Belfast added; “Judith is renowned for her passion and commitment to advancing tourism in the destination, and the impact of her dedication and drive can be seen in the ongoing success of the world-leading attractions and venues she operates and the colleagues she inspires. We are thrilled that she has been awarded an MBE as she is thoroughly deserving of this honour.” Hospitality Ulster also took to twitter to congratulate the company’s CEO: “We are extremely proud that our CEO, Colin Neill, has received an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours for services to Hospitality. Tis has been the most challeng- ing period for Hospitality businesses & this honour also helps shine a spotlight on their continued struggle!”


Northern Ireland Follows England’s Decision To Scrap Follow-Up PCR THE Northern Ireland Executive have announced


that people in Northern Ireland who receive a positive lateral flow test no longer need to complete a follow up PCR test to confirm their result. Tis decision comes following England’s announce-


ment. Te Department of Health have announced that


anybody with a positive lateral flow result should self-isolate with immediate effect. Currently, the isolation period required in Northern


Ireland lasts seven days, with a negative lateral flow test required on day six and seven. With the advice that people should continue to isolate until two negative lat- er flow results are received twenty-four hours apart. Or, if they have completed 10 full days of isolation. With preference to whichever option comes earlier. Te Department of Health have emphasised that


the removal of a follow-up PCR test confirmation is a “temporary measure” in response to the high rates of COVID-19 throughout Northern Ireland. Tere has currently been no further decision about


if the Northern Ireland Executive are yet to follow Ireland’s decision to scrap the pre-departure PCR test for travel.


Aer Lingus Bridges The Path To America AER Lingus and Emerald Airlines have announced


details of the commencement of Aer Lingus Regional flights Te flights operated under a franchise agreement by


Emerald Airlines will commence on 17th March as Aer Lingus Regional. Tis announcement will result in Emerald Airlines


flying over 340 flights per week across 11 routes , with further route announcements to be made in the coming weeks. High-frequency routes, including Dublin-Edinburgh


and Dublin-Glasgow, will be served up to 4 times daily. Te announcement sees the re-establishment of


services to regional points across the U.K including Newquay Cornwall, Exeter, and Isle of Man. Emerald Airlines will be the only airline offering these services from Ireland. Critically, the announcement adds over 60 UK – US


routes on the Aer Lingus network connecting via Dub- lin including connections from UK regional airports to New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Seattle. Aer Lingus recently announced an ambitious sched-


ule for Summer 2022, which reflects the airline’s goal to build to pre-pandemic levels of flying and anticipates continued momentum in customer demand. Tis commencement of the Aer Lingus Region-


al routes operated by Emerald Airlines will greatly increase connectivity between the UK, Ireland and the US, and accelerates Aer Lingus’s strategy to expand Dublin Airport as a hub airport. Lynne Embleton, Aer Lingus CEO, stated that “To-


day is about opportunities. Opportunities for our UK customers to connect with ease to Aer Lingus flights to North America and to take advantage of the US pre- clearance facility. Opportunities for customers across UK and Ireland as we develop the Aer Lingus regional network. And opportunities for the Irish economy and


UPDATES 3


Easyjet Announce New Belfast to Menorca Summer Route E


Irish aviation as we expand our hub at Dublin.” Conor McCarthy, Emerald Airlines CEO, commented


on this announcement “We’re delighted to be able to commence operations under our franchise agreement with Aer Lingus well ahead of plan in line with the recovering customer demand. Our customer-focused schedules will offer choice, convenience and great value for both regional and transatlantic air travel.” Tis announcement is a great boost for connectiv-


ity from Ireland to the U.K, including cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Bristol, Leeds and the Isle of Man. Emerald Airlines will be offering a high-frequency


schedule with convenient flight timings to facilitate both business and leisure passengers. When talking about the benefits this announcement


have for long-term connectivity, McCarthy said “We are very confident that this will result in long-term connectivity being maintained across the Irish Sea and will boost business and leisure travel between Northern Ireland and Britain.” More routes seem to be in store for Belfast as McCar-


thy goes on to explain, “we have already reached a long- term commercial agreement with George Best Belfast City Airport and look forward to connecting Belfast to many cities in the UK as soon as possible in 2022. Fur- ther details, routes and launch dates in relation to the Belfast operation will be announced in the New Year.” Emerald Airlines is continuing with the expansion of


its fleet of ATR72-600s. Te ATR72-600, the latest generation of turboprop


aircraſt combining environmental and economic perfor- mance, has a significant environmental advantage over regional jets and other turboprop aircraſt emitting up to 40% less CO2 on short, regional flights.


Ireland Wins ‘Best Destination’ Award in New York For Eighth Year in a Row IRELAND has won ‘best destination in Europe’ a


major travel award in the United States for the eighth year in a row. Te award was presented to Tourism Ireland on 16 December at the 19th annual Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards in New York. Ireland took the number one spot in the ‘best desti-


nation in Europe’ category – beating off tough compe- tition from England, France, Greece, Iceland and Italy. Travel Weekly is the leading weekly newspaper for American travel agents and travel professionals and thousands of its readers voted in the various categories earlier this year. Ireland has won this award every year since 2014. Welcoming the news of the award, Niall Gibbons,


Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We are delighted that Ireland has been singled out for the


eighth year in a row for this prestigious award. At the end of what has been another challenging and unpredictable year, this is some really positive news. Accolades like this help to shine a spotlight on Ireland for all the right reasons and, while we know there are still challenges ahead, Tourism Ireland’s aim is to roll out a really extensive and targeted programme of promotions in 2022.” Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North


America, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our travel trade partners across the United States – who continue to play a hugely important role in helping us promote the island of Ireland. Our message for our US travel trade partners is that we cannot wait to welcome their clients back for a fantastic vacation experience in 2022.”


Does the Government Care? Travel Sector Hits Out at Recent Budget ANGER continues to spread across the UK’s travel


industry as Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent announce- ment of £1bn to the hospitality and leisure sectors. Members of the travel industry feel leſt out once


again as comparing financial help across other sectors has a feeling of “being leſt to wither and die.” Tese are the words of Joss Croſt, the CEO at UKin- bound who has hit out at the Chancellor’s budget.


“Te Chancellor’s budget will undoubtedly help do-


mestic tourism businesses that are facing unprecedented challenges due to the Omicron restrictions which is obviously good news. However, it is astounding that hospitality businesses, which can trade, will receive sec- tor specific support, but the UK’s tourism supply chain,


are being leſt to wither and die”


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