Jet2.com
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| Founded | October 2002 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 12 February 2003 | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 34 | ||||||
| Destinations | 54 | ||||||
| Parent company | Dart Group PLC | ||||||
| Headquarters | Leeds/Bradford Airport, (UK) | ||||||
| Key people | Philip Meeson (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | www.jet2.com | ||||||
Jet2.com Limited is a British low-cost airline based on the grounds of Leeds/Bradford Airport, England. It operates services from seven UK hubs to 49 European destinations; the airline also offers contract charter services. Its main base and headquarters is at Leeds Bradford Airport,[1] with smaller bases at Manchester, Belfast International, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Newcastle and East Midlands.
The airline carried around 3 million passengers during 2009.
The company holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.[2] While the airline is primarily a low cost carrier, it does have some freight operations.
History
Jet2 Limited is a subsidiary of the Dart Group PLC, an aviation services and distribution group. The airline began operating commercial aircraft in 1978 under the name Channel Express (Air Services), initially as a freight operator and then from 2001 operating both freight and passenger charter services using Boeing aircraft to international destinations on mainly short and medium haul flights.
In 2003 the Channel Express established the Jet2.com brand from Leeds Bradford International Airport and essentially started winding-down its Channel Express brand. The company grew from Leeds Bradford Airport with its first flight from Leeds Bradford to Amsterdam, which operated twice daily rotation with two Boeing 737-300 aircraft. New destinations including Alicante, Barcelona, Bergamo, Malaga, Nice and Palma were added in the following months. Faro and Prague were also added by the end of the year.
In December 2004 a second base was opened at Manchester Airport with the airline operating from terminal 1.
In 2005 Jet2.com opened a base at Newcastle. Later in the year the company acquired two Boeing 757-200 aircraft, enabling it to fly medium-long haul destinations as well as carrying more passengers on popular existing routes. The Boeing 757 aircraft only operate on routes from Leeds/Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle airports. These aircraft helped the company to open two more bases, which were Blackpool and Edinburgh.
In 2006 the company relocated from Bournemouth to Leeds and was renamed Jet2 Limited.[3] Following the rebranding Jet2.com continued to operate the same contract charter and freight flights that had been operated under the Channel Express name. Since the relocation, Jet2.com have been based in offices in Yeadon adjacent to Leeds Bradford Airport.
Since 2006 the airline has acquired further Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft, all previously owned by other airlines, and have opened a base at Belfast International Airport. A new base will open at East Midlands Airport in spring 2010.[4]
Unlike other low-cost carriers, Jet2 tickets can be booked via travel agents[5] as well as over the internet and by telephone. The airline carried 600,000 passengers in 2003, its first year of operation, and 3.8 million passengers on over 34,000 flights in 2007. The Dart Group also has a division, Jet2holidays.com, offering package holidays which combine hotel accommodation and transfers with Jet2 flights. During November and December 2008 the airline operated four direct flights from Leeds Bradford to Newark Liberty International Airport using Boeing 757-200 aircraft, with a series of flights also planned to operate to Newark from both Leeds Bradford and Newcastle during December 2010.[6]
In November 2008 Jet2 changed its slogan from "The North's Low Cost Airline" to "Friendly Low Fares". This preceded the announcement of opening a hub at East Midlands Airport, the first of the airlines outside of the North of England and Scotland. On 20 May as the base opened Jet2.com announced a number of new routes for summer 2011.
Jet2 operates some mail flights under contract for Royal Mail with QC aircraft overnight, during the day these aircraft are used for carrying passengers alongside the rest of the fleet.
Advertising
Unlike many low cost carriers, Jet2.com have engaged in television advertising. In 2008 the main television advertising was localised to the area in which it was advertised, painting home life to be dull, showing drab British scenes coupling them with slogans such as "Another giddy weekend in Gipton" and "Another carboot in Cas". In 2009 advertising showed passengers in holiday dress dancing from a Jet2.com aircraft to the tune of Viva España. Jet2.com also hire billboards in their focus cities including the permanent hiring of many billboards in the vicinity of their main hub, Leeds Bradford Airport.
Jet2 advertised the weather for ITV, taking over from bmiBaby, but has now stopped advertising it. It is now sponsored by Plusnet
Further to their advertising campaign, Jet2.com are the principal sponsor of Leeds Carnegie RUFC and are also a shirt sponsor (although not the main one) for the Leeds Rhinos. Jet2 are also suppliers of tickets for competitions held at the games.
Jet2.com also advertise their flights, as well as that of products and services of third parties in their in-house magazine, Jet Away, which also features articles on Jet2.com destinations and the purchase of property abroad.
Statistics
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Destinations
Livery
The aircraft are painted in silver with the company's logo displayed on the fuselage. The tails are red, advertising either the Jet2 logo or the website. Some aircraft still remain with the old style tail, which is silver. The Boeing 757's that are equipped with winglets display "Jet2.com" on the winglets Aircraft are currently being branded with the new "Friendly Low Fares" slogan above cabin windows.[11]
When the company leased planes they were painted in a hybrid livery.
The majority of the fleet are named after one of Jet2's destinations, the name is shown on the side of the nose. The most well known of these are "Yorkshire" and "Manchester" as these titles are displayed large on the fuselages.
Jet2.com have one Boeing 737-300F freighter aircraft which is still in the Channel Express livery.
Jet2.com advertise their destinations on the overhead lockers inside their aircraft. The trim inside the aircraft varies depending on the age of the aircraft, all the 757 have new white and red leather seats fitted and the 737's are soon to follow when they have their maintenance done.[12]
Private charter
Jet2.com have one Boeing 737-300 aircraft configured in a business class configuration based at London Stansted Airport which is available for private charter.[13]
Fleet
The Jet2 fleet consists of the following aircraft (at 8 July 2010):[14][15]
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 | 17 | 148 |
| Boeing 737-300F | 1 | None |
| Boeing 737-300QC | 6 | 148 |
| Boeing 757-200 | 10 | 229 |
| Total | 34 |
As of August 2010, the Jet2 average fleet age is 22.3 years.[16]
Head office
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The airline has its head office on the grounds of Leeds/Bradford Airport, Yeadon, City of Leeds, England. As of 2006 the facility was under construction, meant to accommodate pilots, cabin crew, and "behind the scenes" employees.[17]
References
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. pp. 97–98.
- ^ Operating Licence
- ^ Companies House - English Company 02739537
- ^ BBC - New airline routes promise jobs
- ^ TTG - Jet2 now on Galileo
- ^ Jet2.com To Offer Shopaholics A Bite Of The Big Apple This Christmas!
- ^ Number of passengers including both domestic and international.
- ^ Number of flights represents total flights during that year.
- ^ Load factor represents number of seat-km used as a proportion of number of seat-km available.
- ^ "UK Airline Statistics | Data | Economic Regulation". Caa.co.uk. 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
- ^ "jet2.com 757-200 with new Friendly Low Fares branding on Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
- ^ http://www.jet2charters.com/gallery/68/our-fleet.aspx
- ^ http://www.jet2charters.com/aircraft/boeing-737-300---business-class.aspx
- ^ Jet2 Fleet - CAA Database Registered to Dart Group
- ^ Jet2 Fleet - CAA Database Registered to Jet2
- ^ Jet2.com Fleet Age
- ^ "Jet2.com builds on its foundations at Leeds Bradford - literally!" Jet2. 6 February 2006. Retrieved on 19 June 2010.
External links
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