Jet2 slashes winter flights affecting thousands of UK holidaymakers

Around 1,000 flights will be scrapped (Picture: Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Jet2 is making considerable changes to its flight schedule over the coming months, with 200,000 seats due to be axed for the winter season.

The airline has blamed the cutbacks on a ‘difficult market’, but hopes to ‘maintain attractive pricing’ despite dropping its ticket availability from 5.8million to 5.6million.

Based on Jet2’s most commonly-used plane – the Boeing 737-800, which has 189 seats per aircraft – this could equate to over 1,000 flights being cancelled over the coming months.

However, this still marks an increase of 9% on the carrier’s winter 2024/2025 passenger numbers.

‘Although we are currently operating in a difficult market, we have a proven business model, a loyal customer base, a flexible approach to capacity management and of course our multi award-winning customer service,’ commented Jet2 chief executive, Steve Heapy.

‘We believe that these factors provide the foundation for a solid financial result this year and for further profitable growth in the years to come.’

The airline blamed cutbacks on a ‘difficult market’ (Picture: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

While exact routes set to be scrapped haven’t yet been confirmed – and it’s not yet known whether those who have already booked will be impacted – Jet2 currently serves more than 75 destinations across Europe and North Africa, including Majorca, Tenerife, Rome, Budapest, Istanbul and Marrakech.

The airline recently revealed it’d be expanding its ski programme for next year, with 180,000 new seats available to eight airports in the French, Austrian, Swiss and Italian Alps, as well as the Tyrolean Mountains. 

It also announced new flights to popular spots in Greece, Croatia, the Canary Islands and mainland Spain.

But this has come alongside others getting the chop — like back in March, when Jet2 dropped routes from Manchester and Birmingham to Salerno in Italy due to insufficient bookings.

Affected customers were informed and given the option to rebook on a different flight or receive a refund, with a spokesperson saying: ‘As a successful business, we are continually reviewing our flying programme and will make adjustments where required.

‘This gives us the ability to add flights and holidays in response to demand, and very occasionally we may withdraw flights too.’

Jet2 isn’t the only airline doing this either. Ryanair is cutting one million seats to and from Spain this winter – 400,000 in the popular Canary Islands – in response to what it describes as a ‘shameless’ fee increase by national airport operator, Aena.

The budget carrier announced the move following Aena’s plans to up airline fees by 6.6% from 2026. But it didn’t go well with the Spanish firm’s CEO Maurici Lucena, who accused Ryanair of ‘self-righteousness’, ‘rudeness’, ‘blackmail’ and greed.

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