Copyright birminghammail
Easyjet says starting fares today are effectively less than half the price they were when it began flying 30 years ago. Its lowest fares have slipped from £29 then — equal to £58 in real terms now — to £26. In the last year, easyJet - which flies from Birmingham - has facilitated £21 billion GVA and 243,600 jobs for the UK economy, equivalent to £300 in GVA for every UK resident. 15 million tourists flying with easyJet last year spent £9.7 billion across the UK economy with 58% of inbound passengers landing outside of London. On the anniversary of its first ever flight, easyJet ran its first route from Luton to Glasgow with a crew of 30-year-olds. READ MORE Five home improvements UK households can make to get £2,000 off energy bill Kenton Jarvis, easyJet CEO commented: “Very few companies remain as close to their roots as easyJet and now, in our 30th year, our mission remains to democratise travel – always aiming to make flying easy and affordable. “I am proud of the significant contribution that easyJet and our people’s unwavering commitment to making travel easy and affordable has had - not just for the UK economy, jobs and skills but for our society as a whole." Jarvis went on and said: "The UK is now better connected than ever, and flying is more affordable than it was 30 years ago.In short, this is the easyJet effect. “Our long heritage of highly efficient operations has not only kept fares low, but paved the way for our focus on sustainability, where we are championing innovative solutions to help lower our impact on the environment. "It is also crucial we manage this transition effectively to ensure flying never reverts back to being the preserve of only the rich. “And this focus remains at the heart of the airline which will ensure many more people can reap the social and economic benefits that travel and tourism bring over the next 30 years and beyond.”
