Airline targets domestic market with new routes from Liverpool and Manchester

Budget airline easyJet has launched domestic routes from Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport, aimed at the staycation market following the impact on international travel by the pandemic

The carrier has announced two new routes from Manchester to Edinburgh and Aberdeen. It is also flying from Liverpool to Bournemouth.

In addition, the airline has added more than 40,000 additional seats to existing routes from Belfast to Manchester.

Flights from Manchester to Aberdeen and Edinburgh take off on July 9, operating four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays with fares starting from £22.99 for Aberdeen, and from £30.99 for Edinburgh.

The new service from Liverpool to Bournemouth, which sees fares starting from £22.99, will take off from July 10, operating twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The airline says its flights will provide those in the North West of England with convenient connectivity to the South and more opportunity to reconnect with friends and family or book a long-awaited break and explore more of the UK this summer.

Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK country manager, said: “We know our customers can’t wait to be reunited with friends and family or have more opportunity to explore the UK so these new routes should prove popular and will further strengthen our domestic network providing customers with even more choice.

“We also know it is important to our customers to be reunited with loved ones overseas so we continue to urge the UK Government to add more countries to the green list – which can be done safely – to make this possible.”

Karen Smart, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “We welcome easyJet’s announcement of these two new routes, in addition to the expansion of the airline’s Belfast service.

“This will enhance the choice on offer for passengers, is great for connectivity between Manchester and the rest of the UK, and in time, will also give travellers in Scotland and Northern Ireland improved access to onward connections from Manchester to hundreds of destinations internationally.”

Paul Winfield, Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s director of aviation development, said: “We know many of the region’s travellers are having to look closer to home this year for a summer break, so this link to Bournemouth for the first time by easyJet will give passengers a fast and convenient way to travel to the beautiful south coast and areas such as Dorset, and the New Forest.”

To provide ease of mind due to the nature of swift policy changes affecting the travel market at the moment, the carrier said all customers booking flights with it will benefit from flexible booking policies under its ‘Protection Promise’ which means that customers can book now with confidence that if their plans change, so can their booking. All customers will also be able to change their flights this summer without a change fee, at any time up to two hours before departure, or request a voucher providing more last-minute flexibility.

The airline has a number of biological safety measures in place onboard in line with guidance from the relevant authorities. This includes daily enhanced cabin disinfection effective in protecting against coronavirus for at least 24 hours and mandatory mask wearing for customers and crew. All easyJet aircraft are already fitted with HEPA filters, similar to those used in hospitals, which filter 99.97% of airborne contaminants in the cabin, including viruses and bacteria.

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