Tony Blair rejects EasyJet to fly Ryanair

by Sylvia Westall,, Brand Republic 14-Aug-01, 08:10

LONDON - EasyJet has lost out to Ryanair in the battle for who will fly the prime minister Tony Blair on his summer vacation.

The low-cost airline had previously thought the prime minister was to fly with it.

EasyJet even went so far to claim in an advertisement that the PM had chosen to fly with it. "Even Tony Blair got a bargain this summer," the EasyJet slogan claimed.

However, the prime minister seems to have got a bargain flight to France with EasyJet's main competitor, and he claims that he had never intended to fly with anyone else. It is the first time the Blair family will use a low-cost airline.

EasyJet could not confirm that the prime minister had rejected the airline because the ticket purchase would be anonymous.

EasyJet said it would be "disappointed" to lose Tony Blair as its customer and that it had been "delighted with the publicity" he had brought the airline. EasyJet had enjoyed weeks of free publicity over the summer and mentions in the national press.

The prime minister had been criticised for using the Royal Air Force to take his family on previous holidays. Downing Street said that they decided to fly with a budget airline because "it was convenient".