Corfu Magazine - Vol. 3, No. 3; March 2008
©Happy Holidays Corfu
easyJet Comes to Corfu - Finally!
by David A. Ross
How long we have waited! And, finally, a low-cost airline has determined to give Corfu a try - at least during the spring and summer months.
Last summer, you may remember, GB Airways, a subsidiary of British Air, took up the route from Gatwick to Corfu. Most who used the service found it to bevery good. Few complaints were heard. This year, however, GB Airways will yield the route to esayJet beginning on 31 March 2008. By mid-summer easyJet will be flying five times per week to Corfu.
Once this service was announced, there was an instantaneous path beaten by Corfu lovers to easyJet's
web site to check prices and dates. At first, fares seemed high for an auction airline, but for those
who persisted and visited thesite regularly, the great deals began to surface.
On an auction airline such as
easyJet, prices can fluctuate
radically from one day to
the next, so it is necessary
to be persistent, and to check your preferred
dates often, because you never know when the
price might suddenly plunge, and you might find
the deal of a lifetime.
In fact, the coming of easyJet to Corfu is a long cultivated, and a long awaited event. For a number of years the independent businesses of Corfu have relished the idea of a low-cost carrier servicing the island. The reasoning behind such a desire is that a low-cost carrier - especially an auction airline offering great last minute deals - might encourage more independent travellers to visit the island, not to mention those buying at the last minute, or for a long weekend.
With the Corfu travel industry focusing more and more upon all-inclusive packages to big hotels and resorts (and leaving the small apartment owner or restauranteur largely without business) in recent years, many small business owners have gone bust, and many more are threatened. What's more, the amount of tourism in general has declined year by year, and a once prosperous holiday location has fallen on hard time, so to speak. Can a budget airline like easyJet change all that? Perhaps not single-handedly, but it can make a difference. Should these flights succeed, the airline might well extend service to the entire year, something that ex-pats living on Corfu would surely welcome. And if easyJet can succeed here, then why not others, as well? So, all you Corfu lovers, book your easyJet ticket now! Travel independently this year; you could not do a bigger favour for your Corfu host or hostess.
easyJet to become North West’s largest airline - Over 4 million passengers a year
easyJet, the UK’s biggest airline, today announces massive expansion from the North West of England, with the addition of new aircraft to its long-established base at Liverpool John Lennon Airport as well as the opening of a base at Manchester International Airport. The move will make easyJet the biggest airline operating in the North West, carrying over 4 million passengers each year.
easyJet currently operates eight aircraft from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, offering a choice of 20 routes to main city airports across Europe and carrying around 2.5 million passengers a year. By 2010, easyJet will base a total of 10 aircraft in Liverpool.
Today, easyJet also announces that it will establish a new base at Manchester. In October easyJet announced its intention to buy the British Airways franchise operator, GB Airways, which has a two-aircraft based at Manchester. easyJet intends to maintain the GB Airways operation at Manchester and will add a further three aircraft, bringing the total number of aircraft based at Manchester to five by 2010.
This means that by 2010, easyJet will have 15 aircraft operating through the two principal airports in the North West, giving it access to a catchment area of some 8 million people within a 60-minute drive. The airline will carry over 4 million passengers on roughly 40 routes each year and will employ, directly and indirectly, around 4,000 people in the region.
GB Airways will continue to operate all routes under the British Airways brand until 29 March. After this, subject to regulatory approval, the GB flights will operate under the easyJet brand and all customers who have booked to travel with GB Airways next summer will be given the choice of flying with easyJet at the same times or else receive a refund. By winter 2008, GB Airways will be fully integrated into the easyJet business model subject to regulatory clearance.
Mike Campbell, easyJet People Director, who advised the staff in Manchester of the news today, commented:
“easyJet recognises the strong demand for low-cost convenient services from the North West, the GB operation at Manchester provides us with a great base on which we can build and tap in to a new market.
“easyJet remains committed to our base at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and by launching additional operations from Manchester, we can make it even easier for everyone in the North West to have access to easyJet services from their local airport, giving consumers the opportunity to explore Europe for less.”
easyJet announces six new routes and summer 2008 schedule news
easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, today announced the introduction of a further six new routes next spring, increasing the total number of new easyJet routes from the UK over the next six months to 18, with more new route announcements expected in the coming weeks.
David Osborne, easyJet UK General Manager, commented
“easyJet will launch 18 new routes over the next few months from our bases across the UK and we will shortly announce further expansion, re-enforcing our position as the UK’s largest airline”.
In addition to the new route announcement, easyJet has today released its summer 2008 schedule from its base at London Luton Airport, with summer schedules from the airline largest base at Gatwick expected to be released within the next two weeks.
Destination Information
Biarritz is located on the Bay of Biscay, on the southwest coast of France and is perfect for a short break, combining the elegance of a belle époque seaside resort with the distinctive sights and tastes of the Basque region.
Split is the largest city on the Adriatic coast, ideal for a relaxing city break or as a base for exploring the picturesque Croatian province of Dalmatia.
Olbia is the perfect gateway for exploring the paradise of Sardinia, with its white sands, everlasting sunshine, fascinating archaeological sites and monuments.
Nice is the cosmopolitan and sophisticated capital of the Cote d’Azur with urban elegance and Mediterranean charm, it is famed for its shopping and café culture. The Promenade des Anglais is always buzzing as people stroll along the seafront admiring the views out to the Baie des Anges. At the heart of French Riviera, Nice is also a great base for exploring the nearby glamorous resorts of Monaco and Cannes.
Faro is the capital of the Algarve, as well as it being a gateway to the popular Portuguese holiday and golfing resorts, the city is a thriving commercial centre with a historic old town, still surrounded by its Roman walls.
Pisa: Located in Western Tuscany, Pisa is known throughout the world for its famous Leaning Tower, but there is so much more to Pisa than just this striking landmark. It is a perfect city break destination or starting point for exploring the regions of Tuscany and the beautiful renaissance city of Florence.
Enjoy Corfu At Its Best...
Located in the beautiful resort village of Dassia, Artemis Apartments are ideal for both couples and families. These modern apartments and studios are situated in a beautiful garden setting with an on-site swimming pool. Family owned and operated, every attention is paid to detail to ensure each guest an enjoyable stay. Make Artemis Apartments your holiday home whilst visiting Corfu.
Greek Easter Celebration
Every year Corfu draws visitors from every part of Greece, as well as from all around Europe, for its famous Easter Celebration. Artemis Apartments makes an excellent base to enjoy the festivities of Easter week. Book your accommodation at Artemis early.
Special Offer Corfu Greek Easter - April/May 2008
1 thru 20 April: 30 euros
Greek Easter - 20 thru 30 April: 45 euros
May: 35 euros
Prices are per apartment; contact directly by email
for more details and/or booking
EASYJET COME – EASYJET GO?
by Steve Williams
EASYJET – love them or hate them, they are one of the largest low-fare airlines in Europe operating domestic and international scheduled services on 387 routes between 104 European and north African airports
EasyJet has seen rapid expansion since its establishment in 1995, having grown through a combination of acquisitions and base openings fuelled by consumer demand for low-cost air travel. The airline now operates 137 aircraft from 17 bases across Europe and has shown a five-fold increase in passenger numbers in six years
EasyJet's early marketing strategy was based on 'making flying as affordable as a pair of jeans' and urged travellers to 'cut out the travel agent'. Its early advertising consisted of little more than the airline's telephone booking number painted in bright orange on the side of its aircraft.
EasyJet’s slogan is 'Come on, let's fly!', a reflection on the airline's cheeky, cheap and cheerful image. EasyJet has previously styled itself as 'the web's favourite airline', a play on the British Airways slogan 'the world's favourite airline'. This was chosen as EasyJet had sold a higher proportion of seats through its website, easyJet.com, than any other airline
The latest acquisition is GB Airways, and full integration is expected in late 2008. The deal will significantly expand EasyJet's operations from the U.K. to existing destinations across Africa and Europe, including the Greek islands.
EasyJet borrows its business model from American air carrier Southwest and adapted this model for the European market through further cost-cutting measures such as not
selling connecting flights or providing complimentary snacks on board. The key points of this business model are high aircraft utilisation, quick turnaround times, charging for extras (such as priority boarding, hold baggage and food) and keeping operating costs low.
When easyJet launched its internet policy, bookings made in this way were priced more cheaply than bookings made over the telephone, to reflect reduced call centre costs. Aircraft were repainted with the web address and within a year over 50% of bookings were made using the web site. By April 2004 the figure had jumped to 98%. Now, flights can only be booked over the Internet except during the 2 weeks immediately prior to the flight when telephone booking is also available.
EasyJet does not provide complimentary meals or beverages on board its flights. Passengers may purchase items on board from the 'easyJetshop'. These may include sandwiches, pizza slices, chocolate, snacks, hot drinks, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks. Onboard sales are an important part of the airline's ancillary revenue. EasyJet also sells gifts such as fragrances, cosmetics and EasyJet branded items onboard, as well as tickets for airport transfer services.
EasyJet does not provide in-flight entertainment in order to keep aircraft weight and costs to a minimum. Passengers may travel with portable entertainment devices for use in-flight. EasyJet provides an in-flight magazine, published monthly, containing articles of interest and destination guides for its customers.
So where does Corfu figure in easyJet’s expansion plans and can we sensibly look forward to a regular service to and from the UK? No statements have been made on this issue by the company and clearly, easyJet has a great many opportunities for expansion in its area of operation – Corfu being only one.
For many years, speculation on the island about a regular summer and winter services has been rife and much of this has been fuelled by optimism and the fact that easJet’s charismatic founder is from Cyprus. The acquisition of GB Airways and its routes has opened up a brief opportunity for visitors to, and residents from, Corfu to show the company that a regular service to the island is profitable. It may be our one and only chance to prove to easyJet that we, in preference to some other destination, deserve a slice of their ambitious plans.
Already, there are rumblings from the regions that easyJet is only flying from London Gatwick and that visitors from Scotland, or the north of England are once again left out in the cold. We should try to understand that easyJet may only be coming to Corfu for six months because of their obligations under the GB acquisition and that, in the first instance, we should try to secure this one route by supporting them.
They do have plans to expand other UK hubs and of great interest to European visitors is that easyJet have announced that they will be significantly expanding their operations in the north-west of England by opening a base at Manchester Airport. Let’s first prove that a schedule from Gatwick is justified and then maybe we can ask them to include other airports. One thing is certain, if easyJet fly to Corfu with half-empty planes, there will be no service from anywhere in 2009.
Don’t forget that the Gatwick service is due to start one month earlier than charter flights to the island. It would seem that the earlier that bookings are made, the cheaper they are. In the event of overall bookings being down, prices may also fall without notice and bargains can be found throughout the year by monitoring their website on a regular basis. Check it out on eayJet.com.
Gatwick Map
