Flash sale travel site launches in UK

US flash sale website jesetter.com has launched in the UK today with deals specifically aimed at the British market.

The members-only site claims to offer travellers savings of 30% to 50% on luxury trips worldwide. Offers will be emailed to members twice a week but, like Groupon, the discounts will only be available for a limited period, usually five days to a week.

Jetsetter already has 50,000 UK members who were using the US site, and others will be invited to join by its travel partners, said Jetsetter founder and chief executive Drew Patterson.

Ultimately, the site will offer everything from city breaks to worldwide excursions to trips of a lifetime, he said. Suppliers already offer deals include Windstar Cruises, Wild Frontiers, Orient-Express and a range of upmarket hotels.

Initially, it will offer 10 to 15 sales a week tailored to the UK market and Patterson said that, unlike other flash sale sites, Jetsetter will allow customers to check availability so they won't find the dates their preferred dates are blocked out when they come to book.

"We have a full-blown inventory so consumer will know which dates will be available before they buy, so they won't be disappointed," said Patterson. He said suppliers were happy to make discounts available through Jetsetter as they were selling rooms that would otherwise remain empty.

The UK is Jetsetter's first site outside the US. "The UK is a very robust travel market, and we were already we get 10% of traffic coming from outside the US and the UK was our biggest source of customers," added Patterson. "It seemed like our formula was resonating with some Brits already."

By Linsey McNeill