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Airlines
easyJet - airline information
General information
easyJet is Europe's largest low cost airline. The company is based in Luton, near London, UK. easyJet was not the first low cost airline in Europe, as many believe, but undoubtedly it has revolutionized the air travel business on the "Old Continent". Many other airlines, like the Hungarian WIZZ Air, for example, have followed easyJet's example in reducing operational costs. Greek billionaire Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou was the founder of the company created in 1995. Haji-Ioannou still is one of the main shareholders. Initially, easyJet flew 2 leased Boeing 737s flying between London and the cities Glasgow and Edinburgh. The airline company flies mostly new aircraft, unlike many rivals (like Jet2, for example), which fly used aircraft purchased form other carriers. Over the time, easyJet proved to be a highly successful enterprise. The company bought one of its rivals, Go Fly in 2002, which was "melted into" easyJet. Low budget travelers constitute the main market segment, but leisure and business segments are also served by easyJet. easyJet is part of the easyGroup, also founded by Haji-Ioannou. The group also includes other complementary travel service providers: easyCar (car rentals), easyHotel (hotel reservations), easyCruise (cruises). After the entry of 10 new members into European Union, easyJet has penetrated into new markets successfully.
Fact sheet
Destinations
Over 250 routes are flown by easyJet between 73 destinations across Europe. The company serves several secondary hubs, most of which are located on the continent (not on the British Isles).
Fleet
Initially the company only flew Boeing 737s, but it has also introduced the less costly and less noisy Airbus A319s. These jets now make up most of its fleet.
Activity & market position
easyJet has proposed itself to make flying affordable to anyone. In 1998, the company introduced internet booking. Until then, plane tickets were sold over the telephone. Rival Ryanair from Ireland has marketed itself as "cheaper than easyJet". The Irish company has long been trying to get above easyJet, often promoting aggressively, comparing itself with easyJet. Ryanair used a slogan which could be considered offensive to easyJet: "50 % cheaper than easyJet". Ryanair has transported more travelers in 2006 then easyJet, but the latter one obtains more profit. Multiple small airlines from continental Europe and the UK are struggling to face easyJet, which runs several hubs on the continent and has strong presence in most large European markets. Several low cost airlines have went bankrupt due to strong competition from carriers like easyJet, Ryanair pushing from all sides of the market. Both Ryanair and easyJet dispute their status on the European market. Each company calls itself "Europe's biggest low cost airline". easyJet will be around for a long time, it is the biggest low cost carrier on the continent, in terms of profit at least, but it seems to be rather weak on the eastern parts of Europe. The carrier has encouraged its potential clients to "cut out" travel agents. Not only low cost airline tickets, but also cruise services, hotel reservations, car rentals. This was, the company is not just a strong competitor for airlines, but also a threat to travel agencies and accommodation and car rental-offering firms as well Clients often complained about easyJet's policies regarding refunds. Travelers face delays, in some cases they are denied refunds, this has affected easyJet's image in a negative way. The company has promised to improve the "refunding process", which in late 2006, in numerous cases took about 1 week.
Last modified/updated: April 13, 2007
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