Low-fare airlines

With reference to the letter by Gillian Plant (April 6), may I first say that MIA has already stated that luggage handling is the responsibility of the handling agent as Britishjet.com personnel do not have any contact whatsoever with luggage.

Ms Plant accused me of nuisance and appalling attitude as I simply referred to IATA rules, which clearly lay down that passengers must not pack valuables in luggage; this means that it's a worldwide problem and not something that happens only in Malta. Does she perhaps expect me to change IATA rules?

Well I can assure Ms Plant that 99 per cent of my customers (mostly British) do not share her opinion. This is evidenced by the fact that I broke several records attributed to customer satisfaction and my success is credited to the hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers many of whom used my companies for more than 60 times.

Last year Britishjet.com carried more passengers than the two largest tour operators altogether to Malta. It doubled the number of passengers on the previous year, and for summer 2006 some flights are already sold out.

In addition we are already selling summer 2007 without even advertising either on the brochure or the website. So the proof of the pudding is in the eating and my customers are my best certificate.

Thus, I have no intention to pack up and go home as that will only please my competitors and upset my customers, especially those for whom I have made travel affordable for the first time.

Perhaps Ms Plant is confusing Haji-Ioannou Stelios with someone else when she says he was serving meals to passengers as Easyjet and all low-cost airlines do not serve meals.

If Mr Stelios was seen serving meals on an "airline" with about 300 flights a day, and she believes that this was not a stunt for cameras, than I feel very sorry for Ms Plant and would let readers reach their own conclusions.

I believe it will only be a stunt were I to go and ask passengers in the presence of the crew and, of course, other passengers what they think about the service of the airline. If I do that, I would end up with passengers arguing among them and this would have a negative impact.

Britishjet.com carries out a professional survey by giving out a questionnaire to all holiday-makers, and sometimes also during the flight, asking them what they thought of the airline and other services during their holidays and, because confidentiality is respected, this will ensure a genuine and realistic result.

She said Mr Stelios cares what his customers think; maybe she is suggesting that Britishjet.com should stop serving hot meals and instead imitate Easyjet and sell sandwiches.

Britishjet.com is a low fare airline; unlike all other low-cost airlines our passengers board the aircraft in an orderly manner with a boarding card and a seat number like all national airlines. She may perhaps think it is more customer friendly to board by opening the gate and let the passengers race to the aircraft to occupy the best seats, just like a farmer does to his goats and sheep when he opens his gates. If Ms Plant is suggesting that this is the kind of customer care I should practise, then her definition of customer care is different to what I have learned. It appears I need to have some lessons from Ms Plant so then she won't accuse me of nuisance and an appalling attitude.

Having said that, I admire Mr Stelios and Michael O'Leary of Ryanair as they have made air travel affordable to every one in Europe. Like myself, they had to fight the same competitors who unsuccessfully did everything in their power to drive out of business.