EasyJet holidays launched its new Luxury Collection late last year, with the first packages due to depart in April 2026, but to be frank, CEO Garry Wilson seems a little bemused by how successful it has been to date.
Speaking at a media reception to celebrate the airline’s 30th anniversary, he admitted easyJet holidays had come up with the idea of a luxury holiday offering mainly as a talking point.
“We thought it would get us access to publications that wouldn’t normally feature easyJet holidays,” he said. “But sales have exceeded our expectations, they’ve been in the high hundreds every week.”
To date, the average booking value of a Luxury Collection package is £3,000. The biggest booking scored so far was £97,000 for a group of 13, though easyJet holidays declined to reveal any further details.
Luxury Collection combines easyJet flights with the top hotels in destinations on its network, such as the late Winston Churchill’s favourite haunt La Mamounia in Marrkakech.
Since the launch, Garry said other luxury properties have been clamouring to be included.
“Their customers are arriving on easyJet flights anyway,” said Garry. “When we spoke to the Four Seasons in Sharm, they told us most of their customers fly with easyJet.”
That might be true, but it could be a challenge for easyJet holidays to convince agents that it can offer clients who typically stay in these high-end properties the sort of personalised, top-notch service they expect.
While some agents told Indulge parent company Travel Gossip that the new upmarket collection was a great addition to easyJet’s portfolio, especially those selling ‘affordable luxury’, some were sceptical about its service delivery.
Garry insisted the operator has addressed these concerns by creating dedicated support on the ground for Luxury Collection customers. “We have got a 24/7 calls centre and we’ve trained a number of customer service staff to be specialists in luxury,” he said. “We can really hand-hold those customers if they need it.”
He’s also confident that the size of easyJet holidays, which carries three million customers a year, will ensure it receives great customer service from hotels.
“We know we can pick up the phone and they will respond if there is a problem,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether easyJet holidays can compete with independent luxury operators in terms of personalised service, but where Garry believes it does have an advantage is on price.
“We don’t need to make a big margin on these holidays, so our prices are good. I think [agents] have looked at resorts like Ikos and looked at our package prices compared to our competitors and seen that it makes sense to book with us.”
An obvious potential barrier to attracting upscale customers is that easyJet holidays’ bright orange branding screams ‘value’ – much like Sainsbury’s Basics range – not high-end luxury.
The branding has been toned down on the Luxury Collection, which uses a softer orange on black, but a company spokesperson confirmed to Travel Gossip that it has no plans to introduce completely new branding. Whether agents can convince their highest-spending clients to book with a brand known for its value offering remains to be seen.
