Increased competition has many benefits A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR


The launch of Jet2 flights and holidays from Gatwick always felt a case of when rather than if.


And as chief executive Steve Heapy told me on a Travel Weekly webcast last week, it seems various factors – notably availability of slots – aligned to persuade the airline and operator the time was right to continue its expansion beyond its heartland in the north. As is often the case with new bases for major operators, the reaction


from the trade in the southeast of England has been almost entirely positive (page 5). And one of the key reasons for that positivity is the expectation that greater competition at the Sussex hub will result in some attractive pricing in the months ahead. It seems we have been talking about this month’s Budget forever


but, as Dame Irene Hays says in this week’s edition, at least we can now hope for an element of certainty from next week when businesses and consumers alike will understand the full impact of the government’s fiscal plans (page 4). Regardless of the detail of the measures outlined by the chancellor next Wednesday, it seems beyond doubt that value will continue to be a prevailing factor in decision-making for the foreseeable future. The confluence of the Budget and Black Friday is certainly apt, and it remains to be seen how much of a driver the global deals frenzy will be for travel this year. Whether your agency has a catchment area with a focus on Gatwick or not, increased competition and keener pricing can only be a good thing as we head towards peaks.


Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS NEWS


Heapy fears impact of Budget tax rises 4 Hays posts £81m profit for year to April 4 Agents start selling Jet2 from Gatwick 5 Bon Voyage courts trade; Celebrity Xcel 6 Oceania Allura; Althams buys Garstang 8 conference Report


COVER photo Pictured at Hays Travel’s


conference in Greece are,


from left: Dame Irene Hays; Leeanne Burns, Washington branch manager; Maria Waghorne, Hempstead Valley branch manager;


Davina McCall; Ricky Doyle, Glasgow branch manager;


Danielle Broadley, Blandford branch manager; and


Jonathon Woodall-Johnston pages 4 & 10 Photo: Alice Lelliott


Hays Travel Conference 2025, Greece 10 Disney hosts trade on new ship Destiny 12 comment


Amanda Matthews: Support the faithful 14


NEWS YOU CAN USE Tui, Kuoni, Simpson Travel, Ryanair


Ambassador, Viva Cruises, Tui, Atlas 20 Fred Holidays, Leger, G Touring


17 22


FRONTLINE agent diary


Sharon Thompson: Message from India 26 Your Stories AAAs winner Becky Walker talks cruise and Africa 28


FRONT COVER AND THIS PAGE: SeaDream Yacht Club; Shutterstock/Fred Duval, Smolkov Vladislav, Pawel Kazmierczak; Steve Dunlop


travelweekly.co.uk FOLLOW US: @travelweekly close-up


Designer Travel, Hays, Savvi, Red Sea 29 in the picture


SPAA Annual Awards 2025, Glasgow 31 competitions Elemis advent, Greece, Morocco


33


DESTINATIONS aviation


New Flights: Seoul, Samos, St Louis and beyond – your guide to eight of the best new routes for 2026


34


Hub Airports: Tap into lucrative add-ons by selling stopovers in hub hotspots 41 Weddings & Honeymoons


Greek Isles: Suggest newlyweds sail into married life with a luxury cruise 48


BUSINESS NEWS


Virgin Atlantic loan; US shutdown ends 54 Airlines 2025 conference, London:


travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 20 NOVEMBER 2025 3


›UK air system ‘stretched to its limits’ 55 Analysis: Jet2 and Travel Republic


56


WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK


OJoined agency bosses in Miami for the launch of Celebrity Cruises’ fifth Edge Class ship, Celebrity Xcel.


OPut the final plans in place for T


ravel


Weekly’s second Inspiring Women Retreat, being held for leading female executives next week in Barbados.


OMade a flying visit to Cambridge to take my son out for dinner. I can’t believe he’s already well into his second year!


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60