10 UPDATE
Which? Travel Brand of the Year is named
AIRLINE Jet2 has seen off fierce competition to become the first airline to ever win ‘Which? Travel Brand of the Year’ at the 12th annual Which? Awards.
Hosted by BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty and Which? Group Chief Executive, Peter Vicary-Smith, the Which? Awards recognises brands that deliver exemplary products and customer service.
This year, Jet2 triumphed as ‘Which? Travel Brand of the Year’ becoming the first airline to win this accolade. Following a disastrous year for airlines, Jet2 has stood out for providing its customers with cheap tickets, good customer service and timely compensation. Shortlisted for the Travel Brand of the Year were HF Holidays, Premier Inn and Riviera Travel.
Peter Vicary-Smith, Which? Chief Executive said, “Since its inception, the Which? Awards has been committed to rewarding brands who have consistently put their customers first”. “Which? Awards are not handed out to just anyone. This year’s winners have reached exceptional standards, delivering excellent products, services and value for money”
Steve Lee, Commercial Director of
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, who collected the award said: “We are very proud to be named Which? Travel Brand of the Year, as it is a ringing endorsement of the service that we give our customers. These coveted awards are given to organisations that provide the very best customer experience, and it goes to show that the investment and hard work that we put into delivering a VIP experience for our customers is working.”
The Which? Travel Brand of the Year award is
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ latest award success. Already this year,
Jet2.com scooped four accolades at the 2018 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice™ awards for airlines (Best Airline – UK, Best Low-Cost Airline – Europe, Best Economy Class - Europe, and Top 10 Airlines in the World).
In January, the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), published by The Institute of Customer Service, named Jet2holidays as the ninth best company in the UK for delivering high quality customer service.
In addition,
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays also became the first company to become fee-free and drop credit card charges on all flights and holiday bookings.
Legoland on short breaks list
IRISH Ferries has added a new destination to its portfolio of short break packages by announcing a partnership with the UK’s favourite kids theme park – LEGOLAND Windsor Resort in Berkshire. To mark the occasion, the ferry company has unveiled details of a three nights family stay with breakfast at the nearby 4 star Grovefield House Hotel for two adults and two children under 11 sharing. Priced from just €227 each, the
deal is vaild for departures until June 25 next and includes return car cruise ferry crossing and two full day passes to the park for all the family.
Featuring over 55 rides, live shows and attractions – where children can fly through the treetops to escape fearsome dragons, meet their favourite Star Wars characters and ride thrilling rapids with a Viking fleet – LEGOLAND Windsor Resort is one of the most visited theme park in Britain.
LEFT: Keith Graham, Managing Director of Selective Travel
Management in Belfast, receives the Overall Excellence Award at the 10th annual Aer Lingus Take Off Foundation Business Awards. The award is being pre- sented by Andrea Hunter, Aer Lingus NI
June 2018 Travel News
Nessebar, Bulgaria - Balkan Holidays are reporting a big increase in sales for this summer Ten per cent increase in Black Sea sales
BALKAN Holidays, the leading tour operator to Bulgaria, is gearing itself up for a busy Summer flying from Belfast as demand for value for money holidays to Sunny Beach and other Black Sea resorts is up by 10 per cent.
The operator has started weekly flights from Belfast Airport to Bourgas every Friday with BHAir for the entire season. Seven night self
catering holidays in Sunny Beach start at £267 per person, departing in June from Belfast, based on four sharing self catering accommodation.
The price quoted of £267 is based on the three star Bahami Residence in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, based on four people sharing a one bedroom apartment. “We have the cheapest holidays to Sunny
Beach and as the leading operator to the region can offer the widest range of accommodation from self catering up to five star,’” said Chris Rand Sales and Marketing Manager Balkan Holidays.
Balkan Holidays, a specialist operator to Bulgaria for 51 years, is also offering free child places, low deposit of just £49 per person and free 20kg luggage allowance per adult.
LMOST half of people in the UK (45 per cent) are planning their summer travel around the World Cup, new research by a leading travel company has revealed. However, almost a third prefer to wait until the football tournament in Russia has finished to book at last minute. Just under a third (31 per cent) cite the importance of their holiday hotel having screens to show the football, and good wi-fi around the swimming pool to be able to watch the matches (29 per cent).
WORLD CUP WORRIES! A
and those from the Midlands prefer to send their family on an excursion during the matches (28 per cent).
Travel Republic has created destination guides which include the best locations to enjoy the football aboard, and where to soak up the sights for the 90 minutes the match is on.
Destination is also key as a quarter of people asked by Travel Republic admitting to travelling to a different country to be able to watch matches at a sociable hour. Regionally, adults in Yorkshire are most likely to use the majority of their annual leave during the World Cup (53 per cent). People in the north-east travel to a different country to watch the matches the most (32 per cent)
Head of Sales Wesley Marley said: “For many of our customers, the World Cup is an important event that cannot be missed. I can easily relate to this, as I chose the most expensive flight of the day to ensure I arrived in time to watch a match, when going on holiday. Luckily many popular holiday destinations take the World Cup just as seriously as in the UK making it easy to enjoy the World Cup and also provide entertainment for non-football fans in the family.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Federal Agency Avoca opens its first retail store at Dublin Airport
IRISH retailer Avoca has opened its first ever travel retail store at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2.
The ground-breaking new store has been created through a partnership between The Loop at Dublin Airport and Avoca and will deliver a contemporary Irish retail offering to passengers.
Custom designed from conception to completion by Avoca and The Loop, this 86 sq m retail space represents a substantial investment by Avoca. It aims to replicate core elements of the Avoca brand experience at Dublin Airport, which is Ireland’s main global gateway.
The new store exudes colour and offers consumers an opportunity to immerse themselves in the unique world of Avoca and experience the rich brand heritage and culture, while discovering a selection of Irish- made products including ceramics, throws, craft fashion items and a selection of food. “We are thrilled to be bringing the Avoca brand to Dublin Airport,” said Anthony Kenny, Acting CEO of Aer Rianta International, parent company of The Loop. “Avoca shares our passion and commitment to creating memorable customer experiences
in a luxury environment. This exciting new retail partnership delivers this, while also reflecting a unique sense of place within a busy international airport.”
Avoca and The Loop are two of Ireland’s leading retail brands and this new store will strongly appeal to both Irish residents and visitors to Ireland, according to Mr Kenny. “Many of the 30 million passengers who travel through Dublin Airport annually will have already enjoyed visiting one of Avoca’s 12 stores around the country,” he added. Speaking about the new partnership, Avoca Managing Director Tara O’Neill said the company was delighted to be bringing a selection of Irish gifting to Dublin Airport. “Together with The Loop, we have handpicked a small range of our beautiful gifting products which we hope will bring enjoyment and a sense of fun to the airport shopping experience.”
The new T2 store stocks lambs wool and cashmere throws, soft goods and ceramics. Passengers will also be able to purchase a selection of Avoca food including organic salmon, fresh meats, jams and chutneys, oils and dressings as well as teas and coffees and baked goods.
for Tourism expects a high number of tourists from the UK to visit Russia for the tournament, despite the recent crisis in relations between Moscow and London over the alleged poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. "In 2017, a total of 178,000 UK tourists visited our country, which is slightly higher than the previous year’s number. Despite the political instability, we expect a significant number of fans from the United Kingdom at the 2018 FIFA World Cup," said in a statement issued by the agency.
The statement followed The Telegraph's publication of its ranking of the 20 cheapest European cities for spring breaks recently. The survey put Moscow in the sixth place, indicating that the total cost of visiting the Russian capital was 199.64 pounds ($282.60). The FIFA World Cup will be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15.
Thousands more flights from Belfast go on sale
LOW COST airline easyJet has put more winter flights on sale meaning that thousands of flights from Belfast are now on sale until March 24, 2019. More than 4,234 easyJet flights are set to take
place to and from Belfast between February 4 and March 24, 2019 providing more than 712, 284 seats for passengers to enjoy their winter getaways, special Valentine’s days or low-fared commutes. Customers can look forward to a number of
routes to destinations such as: Belfast to Venice from £25.69; Belfast to
Kefalonia from £24.68; Belfast to Manchester from from £22.66. (Fares per person, one way, based on two people travelling on the same booking). Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager,
said: “With thousands more flights on sale now, passengers in Belfast can look forward to even more low fares to Europe’s best destinations for city breaks, half term getaways and ski holidays. “EasyJet is the largest airline in Northern Ireland.
Tara O’Neill, MD, Avoca; Anthony Kenny, Acting CEO, ARI; and Maoliosa Connell, Marketing Director, Avoca at the opening of Avoca's first ever travel retail store at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2.
We are proud to have carried more than 51.4 million passengers since operations started there over 17 years ago. EasyJet operates 28 routes from Belfast, offering up to 665 flights per week. The airline is proud to offer passengers with low-fared flights and friendly customer service.”
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