Easyjet Europe boss Thomas Haagensen on prices, new destinations and expansion in Switzerland: “Half of our airfares are less than 60 francs”

Blick: How did Mr. Haagensen manage to get out of the Easyjet Covid crisis?
Thomas Haagensen: Very good. I can say that the good passenger numbers reported by Basel and Geneva airports are mainly due to the increasing demand in Easyjet.

Travelers not worried about rising prices?
Inflation has certainly increased price sensitivity. However, we know from numerous studies and studies that the Swiss do not save on vacation trips. Slightly higher prices for a flight are accepted by the market. But many customers are turning to cheaper airlines like us.

Are the prices also higher with your low cost airline?
It’s easy, yes. However, I would say that around 50 percent of our airfares are still under 60 francs in our global network. The price increases are in the price range of several cups of coffee in major European cities. One thing is also clear: You’ll get better prices if you book earlier.

Also do you have more flights?
Yes. We will take delivery of three new Airbus A320 aircraft from October. Two of them will be stationed in Geneva and one in Basel. This brings our fleet size in Switzerland to 28 aircraft. We had the same number before the pandemic. We can say that we have completely overcome the pandemic.

Will the number of employees increase again as a result?
Yes, we are recruiting 142 people. 25 cabin crew in Basel, 32 pilots in Geneva and 85 cabin crew.

All airlines are looking for staff. Can’t this be a problem?
Not at all, we have zero recruitment issues and are literally flooded with applications. By the way, we also work with cantonal employment agencies. We offer local contracts with good conditions and operate only in European traffic, which means our employees always sleep at home. This is much appreciated.

What about the Zurich location?
Our strategy in Switzerland remains unchanged. He says we want to get stronger in Geneva and Basel. For us, Zurich is primarily a destination for travelers from our 28 locations in Europe. Therefore, our investments primarily go to Basel and Geneva, where we offer a total of 150 travel destinations.

One more thing about the current summer: What are the most popular destinations for Swiss?
Classics, namely Greece, Spain and Italy. We’ve recently expanded our offer there. Portugal and Tunisia are also doing well. Meanwhile, our main market in the UK is also developing well despite Brexit. We are opening a new base there, in Birmingham.

What about all new targets?
New winter destinations from Basel are Funchal in Portugal and Hammamet in Tunisia.

They are also launching their own travel portal called “Easyjet Holiday”. What do you need to know?
It will soon be possible to book package tours to 70 destinations in Europe from Geneva, Basel and Zurich airports. We have our own and therefore advantageous contracts with 4000 hotels, as well as customer money protection. Offers are available from this summer for departures from 2024. We expect a lot from this.