EasyJet bookings fall because of Iran war as boss warns of air fare rises
The boss of easyJet has said the war in the Middle East has started to hit flight bookings, while the soaring price of oil would probably mean a rise in air fares by the end of the summer.The chief executive, Kenton Jarvis, said that while the airline had hedged much of its fuel into next year, avoiding soaring kerosene prices, it was “unavoidable” that some of the costs would be passed on in fares.He said forward bookings for summer had started to slow.With their proximity to the conflict, flights to Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt had been hit by the biggest drop in bookings, Jarvis said, and passengers had instead turned to the “usual suspects” of Spain, Greece and Portugal, which were “holding up pretty firmly”.He said: “We have seen a drop in bookings.
If it’s the same as the Ukraine crisis or after the Hamas attacks on Israel, that tends to lasts about six weeks, until, terrible though it is, the news is off the front pages.”Tui, Europe’s biggest holiday operator, said earlier this month that demand had risen for holidays in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cape Verde this summer as customers opted for “familiar, easy‑to‑reach locations”.EasyJet’s hedges meant it was paying $700 (£520) a tonne for jet fuel but current spot prices had reached $1,850, Jarvis said, and it was likely that fares would rise by the end of peak season.“Luckily most European airlines are extremely well hedged,” he said.“You can still get a price of $1,000 in six months – the view of the markets is that fuel comes down in price.
But the reality is that prices will start feeding in to the consumer over the back end of summer.”Jarvis was speaking at Newcastle airport, where easyJet has reopened a base, with three stationed aircraft, that it closed down in 2020 when Covid struck.He said the base would bring 140 jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers, and would support more than 1,000 new jobs in the wider north-east, as well as flying up to 800,000 holidaymakers out of Newcastle this summer.The region’s mayor, Kim McGuinness, said she hoped that the new flights would also lure more visitors into the area, too.She said the airport was “not just where holidays begin”, adding: “Tourism is a key part of my growth plans for the region and why I’m pleased to welcome easyJet’s investment back into our region, and the strength in our region’s tourism that it represents.
”The new routes are mainly to southern Europe and Mediterranean destinations but also Turkey and Egypt,Jarvis said the airline might look to reallocate capacity if the war continued,EasyJet will continue daily flights to Bristol but not operate to London,Campaigners have urged airlines to curb domestic flights where a train alternative exists,The chief commercial officer of easyJet, Sophie Dekkers, said: “If the train journey is two-and-a-half hours or less, we don’t operate a flight.
” Newcastle to Bristol by train typically takes about five hours.The airline, however, said it expected to curb emissions with lighter seats.It has switched supplier for future Airbus plane deliveries to a British company, Norfolk-based Mirus Aircraft Seating, which manufactures products that weigh about 20% less than its current seats.
US high school student Cooper Lutkenhaus wins 800m to become youngest ever indoor world champion
US teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus made history on Sunday when he won gold in the 800m to becomes the youngest ever champion at the world indoor athletics championship.The 17-year-old, who took time off from his classes at Northwest High School in Texas to compete at the championships, won gold with a time of 1min 44.24sec, 0.14 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Eliott Crestan. Mohamed Attaoui of Spain won bronze
GB strike golden treble at world indoors with Hodgkinson, Hunter Bell and Caudery
Amid a gold rush for the ages, one image became instantly seared on the mind: Georgia Hunter Bell, Molly Caudery and Keely Hodgkinson jumping in pure delirium, before screaming in delight as they revelled in surely the greatest night for British athletics since the London 2012 Olympics.You could hear them high in the stands in Torun. And, one hopes, even louder in homes up and down the land. For across 29 enthralling minutes they delivered echoes of Super Saturday with three brilliant world indoor championship gold medals one after another. Bang
Chessum makes Tigers purr on return from England duty as Bristol fall short
Swapping the bright Saturday night lights of the Stade de France for the rusty old Crumbie Stand can be a real mental challenge. There is certainly less demand for foie gras in Aylestone but for certain people nothing beats a constant diet of rugby. England’s Ollie Chessum did occasionally look a tad weary during another selfless 80-minute shift but a vital 33-19 Leicester win made all those hard yards worthwhile.The result not only hoists the Tigers into third place in the Prem table but Gabriel Hamer-Webb’s spectacular last-gasp try earned what could prove a key extra point when the playoff maths are totted up. Bristol, who had been pressing for a couple of bonus points of their own, were ultimately left empty-handed and down in fifth place after a game that was never less than intense and absorbing
Giants’ Cam Skattebo says his denial of CTE and asthma were part of a ‘tasteless joke’
New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo has apologized for saying that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and asthma are “fake”, insisting that his comments were not meant to be taken seriously.In an appearance on the Bring the Juice podcast, the 24-year-old was asked whether he believes CTE – a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma – is real. Skattebo called the condition an “excuse”, before making a similar claim about asthma.“Yeah, asthma’s fake too,” Skattebo said, adding that people should “just breathe air”.After receiving widespread backlash for his comments, Skattebo offered a retraction on social media
Bereft Bombers poke, prod and point fingers against Port. What were they even trying to do? | Jonathan Horn
Heading into the season, Essendon released a mini-documentary called “Spend a day with Brad Scott”. To be honest, it didn’t really present as the most riveting 24 hours. Most of it took place in a classroom type setting, with the coaches and players endeavouring to bed down a team defence. They sat with their notepads and biros, nodding and jotting and giving every impression that they were taking it all in. Clearly this was something that needed to be taught, that needed to be learned, and that needed to be swiftly implemented
Arozarena sorry after expletive-laced comments about Mariners teammate Raleigh at WBC
Randy Arozarena says he has apologized to his Seattle Mariners teammate Cal Raleigh after an incident at this month’s World Baseball Classic.Arozarena was representing Mexico against Raleigh’s USA when the teams met at the WBC on 9 March. Raleigh ignored Arozarena’s offer of a handshake during an at-bat, a move that angered the outfielder. In a later interview, Arozarena said Raleigh could “fuck off” and “go to hell.” Raleigh downplayed the incident, saying “we’re good friends and we’ll continue to be good friends”
Starmer says ‘every lever’ will be explored to ease rising costs of living from Iran conflict
Idris Elba-backed firm Huel bought by Danone in €1bn deal
iPhone 17e review: Apple upgrades its cheapest new smartphone
Campaign groups rail against Palantir, but the UK contracts keep coming
Hull FC turn tide and tame Leeds before era-defining moment for Super League
Resilient Korda stuns Alcaraz in Miami Open after almost letting advantage slip