Over the coming weeks BBT will be catching up with some of the winners from the 2014 Business Travel Awards to highlight their stories and find out how the win has affected their business.
In the fourth instalment of this mini-series BBT speaks to Easyjet about winning Best Short-Haul Airline and how it affected their business.
What did winning the award for Best Short-Haul Airline mean to your team/ company?
We are pleased to have been awarded Best Short-Haul Airline 2014. This is seen as a strong achievement by the Easyjet team and further validation that we are doing things right. Our 44% growth in business passengers in the last four years gives us a good idea that we are listening effectively to our customers and to be recognised by the business travel industry in this way gives us a further endorsement of our strong progress to date.
Has winning the award had any positive benefits for your company – both internally and externally? If so what have those benefits been?
Most importantly, winning the award has helped to challenge traditional perceptions of Easyjet as a ‘low cost’ carrier and we are proud to have beaten traditional ‘legacy carriers’ to the award for the best short haul airline.
Since the win what has Easyjet been up to?
We have been busy expanding our route network across Europe, opening bases in Hamburg and Naples and promoting our business fares throughout the market. This has helped us to attract more new corporate customers who want to make savings on their travel budgets without compromising the excellent service their travellers receive.
What's in the pipeline for Easyjet for 2015?
You can expect to see further development of the B2B market from us and more engagement through client events. The next event we are planning is in conjunction with Gatwick airport and ACTE and it will take place on 12th June.
What did you enjoy most about the awards evening? (Apart from winning of course)
At Easyjet we are committed to getting as much face to face feedback as possible on how we are doing and the awards evening was a fantastic chance to network and listen to others that operate within the travel sector.
Why should organisations and teams enter the awards? And why should they attend the ceremony?
The awards not only provide the chance to recognise the key industry players who are making positive contributions to the sector but they are hugely worthwhile networking events to learn more from travel specialists and keep abreast of new developments shaping the industry. The awards also mark a positive start to the year and Easyjet remains excited for the future.
www.businesstravelawards.com
www.easyjet.com
What the judges said: The judges liked Easyjet’s proactive engagement with the corporate market, representing a change in approach. They were impressed with its extensive short-haul route network, its young fleet, the introduction of new flexi-fares and its much-improved punctuality record.
How to enter the 2015 Business Travel Awards
The deadline for awards entries is Monday September 8. To view categories and criteria visit www.businesstravelawrds.com. For the latest updates on the event, follow the Business Travel Awards on Twitter at @BBTAwards