EASYJET says its starting fares today are effectively less than half the price they were when it began flying 30 years ago.
Taking inflation into account, the airline claims a 55 per cent drop since 1995.
Its lowest fares have slipped from £29 then — equal to £58 in real terms now — to £26, even as everyday prices have raced ahead.
To mark its 30th birthday, easyJet ran its first route from Luton to Glasgow with a crew of 30-year-olds.
Fred Rivett, the captain of that original flight on November 10 1995, was among the passengers.
Jamie Smart, who captained Monday’s flight, said: “What an absolute privilege to have been on board flying easyJet’s 30th anniversary flight, almost 30 years to the day since I was born.”
As part of the celebrations, the airline compared its 30-year fare fall from £29 to £26 with wider price rises since 1995.
The average pint is up from £1.60 to £4.43, a first-class stamp has soared from 25p to £1.65, and the average house price has climbed from £51,529 to £260,826.
EasyJet boss Kenton Jarvis said: “EasyJet has made it possible for millions of people to travel easily and affordably, opening up new opportunities that once felt out of reach.”
The firm has flown 1.2billion passengers.
DIAGEO’S CHIEF
FORMER Tesco boss Sir Dave Lewis has been appointed chief executive of Diageo as the Guinness and Johnnie Walker drinks giant looks to lift its flagging performance.
Sir Dave will start on January 1, replacing interim chief Nik Jhangiani — appointed after Debra Crew resigned abruptly in July.
He will leave consumer healthcare firm Haleon. Shares in Diageo jumped about eight per cent yesterday after the update.
ZIZZI IN A TIZZY
AZZURRI GROUP, the owner of Zizzi, has fallen into the red after expanding into fried chicken and facing higher wage bills.
A £2.7million operating loss for the year to June 30 follows £400,000 earnings a year earlier. The latest figure includes £1.4million launching Dave’s Hot Chicken in the UK.
Staff costs were £7million higher after the National Insurance rise. But the restaurant operator said it was still opening new sites.
