The holiday season is in full swing and the man in charge of mapping out many travellers’ destinations for summer fun and relaxation in the sun is David Neill.

David is general manager for planning and industrial affairs with low cost airline Jet2.

He is used to travelling, dividing his time between his home in Glasgow and Guiseley, his base during the week while working at Leeds-Bradford Airport, where he and his team are responsible for researching new destinations, planning routes and adjusting schedules.

With 45 destinations – Spain being the most popular – David and his team are in the middle of a hectic summer, despite the credit crunch.

Contrary to reports of holidaymakers staying closer to home to escape the cost of trips abroad created by poor exchange rates, David says travellers are still jetting off, with destinations such as Turkey proving popular for those seeking better returns on their spending.

“There are destinations which are more in favour this summer; places like Turkey are seeing the benefit because the exchange rate is much better,” he says.

Turkey is one of the 23 new routes the company has introduced this summer, but David is already looking ahead at new routes to develop next year.

An interest in aviation led David to make it his career 20 years ago. He only joined Jet2 in June last year, but had previously worked for Loganair and British Regional airlines, which became part of BA in 2001.

“I have always been involved in developing network roles, planning for the future and deciding where we fly in future,” he says.

“We are looking at new destinations, how we perform on existing routes and adjusting schedules.”

David, who graduated from Strathclyde University with a technology and business studies degree, followed his uncle into aviation. He says the advantages of the profession are the opportunity to travel.

Although the bulk of his work is office-based, he does get to travel to destinations for research purposes.

“If we are looking at somewhere new, we will go and visit,” he says. “You cannot beat some on the ground, real-life experience.”

David says checking out options such as travel, accommodation and cost enables the company to decide whether it’s a destination holidaymakers want to go to now or in future.

His favourite holiday destinations are South America and South Africa. Being a lover of the outdoors, he appreciates wildlife and beautiful scenery, so walking holidays with a mix of cultural sites are his perfect destination, along with skiing.

He doesn’t travel as much as he used to, but says he never tires of it.

“There are always new things and new destinations. It doesn’t matter how long you do it; it’s always exciting,” says David.

That excitement comes from being involved in transporting holidaymakers to a break in the sun and the fascination of aviation.

“It is a good industry to join. Everyone gets the bug!” he says. “Every time you watch an aircraft take off, you still get a little bit of ‘how does it do that?’.”

David loves the variety of his job.

He says: “What I like is actually being involved in shaping where the company is going in the future, rather than being in a reactive sort of job. The job I do has a real influence on what we are doing in two or three years.

“It is a very fast-moving industry so anyone coming in has to be really flexible, be prepared to adapt and have an interest in travel.”

For more information about an aviation career, go to jet2.com/jobs.