EasyJet in talks to extend holiday season in Greece
EasyJet is in talks with Greek tourist chiefs to persuade resorts to open earlier and close later so that it can offer flights to the islands from March until November.
Currently, many restaurants and hotels in holiday resorts in Greece don’t open until May and shut down at the end of September.
EasyJet’s UK regional director Sophie Dekkers told Bloomberg the airline is trying to persuade them to stay open until the end of October from next year.
The airline is looking for places to add capacity during the winter due to the forced suspension of flights to Tunisia after the Foreign Office warned against all but essential travel to the destination following an attack on tourists in Sousse, in which 38 people including 30 British holidaymakers were killed.
Dekkers admitted in an interview that the airline was cautious about adding more capacity to other countries in North Africa, including Egypt, due to unrest.
She said the airline would like to fly to extend the season to Greece, but said it was a chicken-and-egg situation. "We can’t fly people there if there aren’t hotels or restaurants open, but they’re not going to open unless we’re bringing people in," she told Bloomberg.
An easyJet spokesperson told TravelMole: "We know there is demand from our customers to fly to Greece for more of the year and so if we are able to increase number of flights we offer this will not only benefit both our customers but also the economy and tourism industry in the destinations we serve."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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