Jet2holidays.com is cutting the amount holidaymakers have to place as a deposit by two-thirds, from £150 to £50 per booking.
The Northern tour operator says the practice, adopted by many tour operators, is effectively a money loan from customer to the holiday company.
It says its move is designed to make it more competitive in the travel market.
General manager Mandy Round said: “We understand how expensive Christmas can be for families which can make January booking prohibitively expensive for some.
“With our new low deposit rate we’re allowing families who, in the past, may have missed out on the bargains, the chance to join the January and February rush for holiday bookings.
“We have removed the complicated process of initial deposits and second-level payments meaning if, for some reason the customer has to cancel, they only lose the single fee of £50.
“We are also getting rid of the rather odd tactic of requesting second-level deposits prior to departure. This is extremely common within the industry, but we believe this ‘loan’ from customer to holiday company is unnecessary and out-of-date and we are calling on all tour operators to match our move.”
Jet2.com serves 36 European destinations from Leeds Bradford; 24 from Manchester; 16 from Newcastle; seven from Blackpool; 14 from Belfast International; and eight from Edinburgh.
By Bev Fearis
