Aircraft landing at the airport

Airline easyJet has announced a year-long preferred partnership with Europe-based Hillgate Travel that will see MPs, peers and Houses of Parliament staff benefit from negotiated fares with the carrier. According to easyJet, “The deal will deliver low cost flexible fares to MPs as well as provide support for MPs’ constituency and Commons Select Committees’ travel arrangements.”

The agreement which kicked off on September 1 covers domestic travel on the easyJet network and is open to some members of the Cabinet. Fares are handled via a direct connect from the content aggregator Travelfusion rather than through Hillgate’s GDS Sabre.

Carolyn McCall, chief executive of easyJet, commented: “We believe this new arrangement will increase the options available to MPs and peers in the drive to provide easy and affordable travel at less expense to the taxpayer.  The Houses of Parliament deal differs from the deal the airline signed last October with the British Ministry of Defence as it is based on easyJet’s Flexi Fares, which give passengers the ability to change their ticket in a window from one week before the original flight date to three weeks after.