EasyJet exceeds my expectations: Comment by Jeremy Skidmore
I recently went to Chamonix on one of the new ski packages being offered by easyJet.
This operation has received bad publicity in the trade press because it does not protect holidaymakers’ money in the event of a failure.
Customers have a contract with easyJet and with the accommodation provider, uptoyou.com. In the event of the airline failing, customers will not get a refund and will still have to honour their contract to take the accommodation in resort.
Even though the failure of easyJet seems highly unlikely, this is an anomaly in the law which needs to be sorted out. Not least, it is unfair on rival ski operators who have paid to be fully bonded.
However, this issue is unlikely to put off easyJet’s ski customers, who are growing rapidly.
The reason for success is, of course, partly down to price. But it is also because easyJet, unlike traditional operators which have claimed they are selling a dream, actually exceed expectations.
Holidaymakers expect easyJet flights to be pretty basic. The reality is that they are clean, efficient and as safe as any other airline’s trips.
Customers also expect to just be given ski accommodation and told to get on with it. After all, a no-frills airline will offer no-frills packages won’t it?
The packages offered by uptoyou.com are actually of a high standard. Customers are taken by minibus to different parts of the resort and can request pick-up and drop-off times.
The result is that people get more than they expect and come back for more.
With easyJet claiming to take up to half a million skiers away per year, the potential for this operation to take a huge chunk of the tour operators’ market is very real.
That’s surely a lesson for big operators which consistently promise the earth and fail to deliver.
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