‘New York flights are a success’

6:29pm Wednesday 10th December 2008

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The success of an inaugural transatlantic flight from Leeds Bradford Airport to New York has led the Yeadon-based tour operator to consider extending the service.

With the final trip of Jet2holidays.com’s packages to New York leaving today the company has announced plans for its potential extension, while other long-haul destinations may also be in the pipeline.

If the plans go ahead the news will be a boost to the region and a reward for its travellers’ loyalty – which saw 880 seats sold out across the four separate trips during November and December.

Richard Bodin, managing director at Jet2holidays.com, said: “The success of the inaugural flights has been fantastic, as even though people are currently monitoring what they spend, New York still seems to have captured people’s imaginations.

“The majority of our bookings were for people looking to benefit from New York’s unrivalled draw as number one choice for Christmas shopping, whilst the convenience of travelling from their doorstep was also appealing for many.”

As part of the package the tour operator linked with premium retail outlets, such as Macy’s and Woodbury Common, to offer discount deals. Mr Bodin said: “We wanted to use our position as the first holiday company in the region to offer these superb packages and drive demand for this amazing city and are now considering similar trips for next year.

“Not only that, as we know there is a demand in the region for more adventurous destinations, we are in the process of looking at other options that will allow people to experience a whole new range of activities and destinations.”

Earlier this week the owners of the budget airline announced half-year profits had almost doubled, thanks to growth in new routes and increased passengers numbers on each flight. And in November Jet2.com announced a service from Leeds Bradford Airport to Albert-Picardie in France to enable people to visit World War 1 battlefield For booking visit jet2holidays.com or contact 0800 408 5599.