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and more awards success too! J
ET2.COM and Jet2holidays marked a major milestone recently when it took formal delivery of the last of 34 brand new Next Generation 737-800 aircraft from Boeing – taking the number of aircraft in its fl eet to 100.
The brand new aircraft, which seats 189 passengers, was handed over to
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays at a ceremony at Boeing’s Seattle Delivery Centre in the United States. The aircraft is fl ying to the UK, where it is being fi tted with special fi nishing touches, including bespoke seating, before coming into operation. Six lucky winners joined the celebrations, after winning a social media competition hosted by Jet2. com and Jet2holidays. Tyler and Declan Adams from Bishop Auckland, Gareth Brown and Amy Anderson from Edinburgh, and Mark Jones and Nicholas Heyes from Cheshire, were chosen from more than 2,000 entries after submitting a video entry explaining why they deserved to win a place on a once-in-lifetime four- night trip to Seattle.
This newest aircraft is the fi nal one of 34 brand new Boeing 737-800NG aircraft which
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays has brought into its fl eet since September 2016. The aircraft have an approximate list price of $3.3 billion, however the company has negotiated signifi cant discounts from this price. The fl eet of new aircraft enable the company to continue its growth and development strategy, meaning it can fl y more package holiday and fl ight-only customers to sunshine, ski, and city destinations across Europe, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean. As well as
Jet2.com being the UK’s third largest airline, Jet2holidays is now the second largest tour operator in the UK. The company’s fl ight-only product was enjoyed by 5.37 million passengers in the last fi nancial year , a growth of 48 per cent year-on-year, whilst demand for ATOL protected package holidays continues to grow, as Jet2holidays took 2.5 million customers on real package holidays, an increase of 45 per cent year-on-year. In total, the company fl ew 10.38 million fl ight-only and package holiday passengers (one-way) in the last fi nancial year (year ended March 31, 2018), and this combined leisure travel business increased revenues by 42 per cent to £2,223.2m.
This growth is set to continue, with over 12 million seats and three new destinations (Chania in Crete, Bourgas in Bulgaria, and Izmir in Turkey) on sale for Summer 19 from across its nine UK bases – a capacity increase of 15 per cent.
February 2019 Travel News Last of new aircraft on the way...
As well as supporting the company’s continued growth, the new aircraft will also enable
Jet2.com to make further product improvements in line with its family friendly ethos. This continued investment into delivering a VIP customer experience has seen the company win a number of high profi le awards, such as TripAdvisor Best Airline – UK for the past two years running, seventh position in TripAdvisor’s Top Airlines of the World, and Which? Travel Brand of the Year 2018.
The delivery is the latest stage in the growth story of
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays since fl ights began from Leeds Bradford Airport in 2003. Since then, the company has expanded to become the 3rd largest registered airline in the UK, providing friendly low fares to more than 70 sun, city and ski destinations across Europe.
The aircraft uses years of research to provide more comfort for passengers, and features the 737 Boeing Sky Interior which includes sculpted sidewalls, a window design that draws passenger’s eyes to the windows, and a cabin design that off ers more openness and extra leg room.
Meanwhile,
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays enjoyed a triumphant night at the Travel Weekly Globe Awards, picking up four accolades and voted for by travel agents and the travel industry.
Jet2holidays, the UK’s second largest tour operator, won the award for Best Short Haul Operator for the third year running at the prestigious awards, held at Grosvenor House in London on Thursday evening. The travel industry also recognised Jet2holidays partnership approach to working with independent travel agents by voting Jet2holidays as Best Trade Sales Team. The award celebrates Jet2holidays 18-strong trade team and their dedicated approach to working with independent travel agents to help them grow their businesses successfully.
Jet2.com also added to its vast award collection and was voted Best Short Haul Airline by UK travel agents for an incredible seventh time in eight years, beating a number of other well-known airlines to the coveted prize.
Rounding off an extremely successful evening, Jet2. com and Jet2holidays CEO Steve Heapy was awarded the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award. The Travel Weekly Globe Awards, now in their 42nd year, are seen as one of the industry’s leading awards ceremonies, recognising the outstanding and inspirational in travel.
New: Sorrento direct from Belfast for summer 2019
TOPFLIGHT have announced that summer 2019 will see a much greater choice of holidays direct from Belfast with the inclusion of Sorrento as a holiday option for Northern Irish holidaymakers. Topfl ight will now operate Sorrento for the upcoming summer season from Dublin, Cork and now Belfast making this incredible destination very accessible no matter where you live. The company has listened to the requests of Northern Irish holidaymakers and are now in a position to off er the travelling public a destination which they have been asking for. Topfl ight have over 25 years of knowledge and expertise of sending clients on Italian holidays setting them apart from their copmetitors. From the team of friendly, experienced Sales Advisors, who can help you choose the holiday that is right for you, to the Resort Managers, who are in resort going above and beyond to ensure that your holiday goes just as smoothly as it should, you can be certain that when you book with Topfl ight, they are with you all the way. This year sees the addition of a Belfast to Naples route meaning that it is now even easier to reach one of Topfl ight’s most popular destinations, Sorrento. Located on one of the most magnifi cent coastlines in Italy, with breathtaking views sweeping across the Bay of Naples. It is both an ideal base from which to explore the main sights of the Neapolitan region and an enchanting town in its own right. Flights will operate direct from Belfast from May to September 2019.
Alongside Topfl ight’s Sorrento programme other Summer 2019 Highlights include:
The Andrea Bocelli Summer Experience Summer 2019 sees the addition of a wonderful new Escorted Tour holiday in Tuscany, ‘The Andrea Bocelli Summer Experience’ off ering a week long holiday with excursions to some of the most beautiful places in Tuscany, the opportunity to learn to cook some delicious Italian food and the absolute pleasure of attending an incredibly unique concert with Andrea Bocelli, in his hometown. This will be an experience you don’t want to miss!
The Beauty and Diversity of Tuscany
Tuscan holidays have continued to increase in popularity and Topfl ight’s 2019 brochure showcases this fabulously diverse region, off ering charming cities and towns, the stunning coast and indeed the incredibly beautiful Tuscan countryside. Off ering self- drive holidays here, Topfl ight ensure that you have the fl exibility you need to access some of the most visit- worthy hidden gems, that are simply not reachable by bus or train, guaranteeing a truly authentic Italian experience.
New and Improved Tailormade Service
With Tailormade holidays, Topfl ight’s specialists can help you to design a bespoke itinerary that suits your own specifi c tastes and timeframe. Choose from a range of Italian destinations, carefully selected accommodation and tried and tested excursions to create a holiday where every details is considered. Topfl ight’s Overseas Concierge is on hand to ensure that you have all the information and assistance you need during your Tailormade holiday too. Contactable 24/7, they will be in touch before you travel and will contact you at each point of your journey to make sure that everything runs just as smoothly as possible. Topfl ight’s Italy brochure for 2019 highlights just some of the wonderful Tailormade holidays that were taken last year and showcases some of the many possibilities. For further details on Topfl ight’s new Sorrento programme or any of Topfl ight’s Italian holidays visit topfl
ightholidays.co.uk or visit your local travel agent.
Crete is the top destination for family beach holidays - it came out on top with a score of 85 out of 100 as it has the highest number of family-friendly water and theme parks (story above picture)
RIGHT: The Greek island of
Jer2.com and Jet2holidays CEO Steve Heapy and VIPs at the ribbon cutting ceremony marking the departure of 34 brand new Boeing Next Generation aircraft for the UK
Discovery Cove price deal
SEAWORLD Parks & Entertainment has launched an early-bird booking deal for 2020 Discovery Cove Ultimate Swim packages. This off er has been launched due to the increasing demand from consumers to lock in their Discovery Cove packages earlier than ever before.
This limited time off er, available until the end of February 2019, allows travel agents to provide a saving to their customers when booking 2020 Discovery Cove Ultimate Swim packages through their preferred ticket supplier. Packages booked through Attraction World have been discounted up to £53pp, which for a family of four equates to a saving of up to £212 off the previously issued rates.
Sarah Ashmore, Key Account Manager South, Attraction World comments: “This is an amazing off er, so I would urge all fellow agents to start speaking to their customers about it. Discovery
Crete top beach destination in the world according to new survey
CRETE is the top destination for family beach holidays, according to a new survey by online agency, On the Beach.
The survey compared beach destinations in 10 countries, looking at fi ve key criteria listed by parents as the most important considerations when travelling with
kids.These were: Average temperature, average sea temperature, family friendly attractions (waterparks and theme parks), fl ight duration and average cost for a family of four during 2018.
Crete came out top with a score of 85 out of 100 as it has the highest number of family-friendly water and theme parks of all the destinations studies. Second place was the Costa Blanca with a score of 84, due to its short fl ight duration from the UK, warm sea and air temperatures, and number of water and theme parks,
Cyprus third place, with a score of 83, just ahead of
the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada in Spain, which was considered overall the best value country with the shortest fl ight duration. In total, 16 Spanish beach destinations feature in On the Beach’s Family Beach Index top 50.
Top 10 most family friendly beach holiday destinations:
1. Crete: 85.2 per cent 2. Costa Blanca: 84.3 per cent 3. Cyprus: 83.2 per cent 4. Costa Brava: 82.9 per cent 5. Costa Dorada: 82.8 per cent 6. Majorca: 82.6 per cent 7. Malta: 81.9 per cent 8. Corfu: 80.6 per cent 9. Sardinia: 82.6 per cent 10. Costa De la luz: 80.5 per cent
Cove in itself is one of the best days a customer will have in Orlando, and when you consider this also gives you access to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica, you’ll struggle to fi nd a ticket that’s better value for money.”
A Discovery Cove Ultimate Swim package includes a one-day reservation at Discovery Cove (with 30-minute dolphin swim experience, all meals, snacks and beverages included) plus 14-days unlimited entry to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica Orlando, with free parking included
at all parks. Contact your preferred ticket supplier for pricing details. Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive day resort where guests enjoy a one- of-a-kind opportunity to swim with dolphins, rays and tropical fi sh, and hand-feed exotic birds. Guests experience the most exciting animal encounters the world has to off er in a breathtaking tropical atmosphere. Discovery Cove is a paradise of rocky lagoons surrounded by lush landscaping, tropical reefs, winding rivers, a resort-style pool complete with waterfalls, and pristine white- sand beaches.
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