2011 News - Flights - Millions of Brits in need of a break

04 09 2011

 
September 2011

Millions of Brits in need of a break
• Half of workers take less than 30 minutes for lunch breaks
• 3.2 million* never go on holiday

More than 15 million* hard-pressed workers in Britain entitled to a lunch break (58%) take 30 minutes or less for their lunch break, with 1.5 million* taking just ten minutes or less before rushing back to work, new research has revealed.

The survey was commissioned by Monarch Airlines for the launch of its new Happy Hour service, which offers customers the chance to book heavily discounted flights between the hours of 12.00pm - 2.00pm every day.

Although 3.2 million* Brits (11%) never go on holiday, of those that do Monarch found that 18-34-year-olds are more likely to go abroad (73% abroad vs. 67% Britain) whilst more 35-year-olds and over would rather stay in Britain (71% Britain vs. 66% abroad).

The research found that during the lunch break, working women are twice as likely to spend most of their time indulging themselves in online or retail therapy (6% vs. 3%) compared to men who would rather spend that time doing some form of exercise (5% vs. 2%).

Monarch’s new Happy Hour service encourages the public to use their lunchtimes to book a well-deserved break and save money at the same time.

Kevin George, Managing Director of Monarch said: “It is important for people to be able to get away and relax to recharge their batteries and our special offer flights will give them the opportunity to do that. The Happy Hour service offers flights from as little as £18.99 and is timed around people’s lunch breaks so we hope the UK’s workforce take a little more time for lunch to start planning their well deserved holidays.”
Monarch Airlines understands its customers have differing needs and wants when travelling and believes customers should not be restricted by a predetermined service.  Monarch customers are therefore encouraged to define their own style of travel and blur the airline class distinctions.

For further information on Monarch’s Happy Hour service, please visit: http://www.monarch.co.uk/offers/flights/happy-hour

ENDS
Notes to editors
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2011 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 12th - 15th August 2011.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
* Population figures are based on the Labour Force Survey of people in work in March to May 2011. All statistics and calculations are available upon request.

About Monarch
Monarch, the scheduled leisure airline, operates flights to Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece and new routes to Egypt from Birmingham, London Gatwick, London Luton and Manchester airports. In addition to year-round low fares, Monarch also offers a bespoke “build your own class of travel” range of products and services both on the ground and inflight.  All customers are allocated a seat at check-in but for those wishing to select where in the cabin they sit to ensure that families and groups are seated together, seats can be pre-booked from £4.99 per one-way flight.  For customers looking for added comfort, extra legroom seats are also available offering up to six inches of extra space from only £9.99.

Customers travelling on scheduled flights can also avoid booking charges by paying for their flights using a debit card or for a fixed £10 fee, can pay by credit card – regardless of the value of the transaction or the number of people travelling.

They can also take advantage of online check-in, which is available between 18 days and four and a half hours prior to departure. With a great range of tasty hot and cold meals that can be pre-booked or purchased onboard, flying with Monarch really couldn’t be simpler.

In addition to flights, Monarch also now offers a huge range of great value holidays, accommodation options, car hire and travel insurance.