directline holidays rolls out unprecendented school holiday discounts in response to official figures reporting record truancy levels

Leading online travel agent, directline holidays today unveils a revolutionary new promotion to save its customers up to £75 on family holidays departing between 17 July and 29 August 2010, traditionally a time when holiday prices peak.

This offer is in addition to the existing up to £100 off all holidays booked online currently and represents a huge cost saving of £175 per family on holidays which already offer exceptional value.
The deal was created in response to last week’s official figures by the Department for Children, Schools and Famililes reporting record truancy levels in the UK. Some pupils are missing more than a term a year with pupils under eleven missing twelve per cent more days of school without permission last year than in 2007 and 2008. The full report can be viewed at: Official Government Report

directline holiday’s CEO Maria Whiteman, previously Hayes and Jarvis, commented “The last year has been difficult for UK consumers and there are few people that remain unaffected by the recession. Brits are taking children out of schools during term time because travelling off peak currently offers considerable cost savings. Some tour operators do offer free child places but if you take in to account under occupancy charges the benefit is neglible.”

“We are running this offer in a new drive to discourage absence from school by enabling families to take their Summer break during the traditional school holiday period. Whilst directline holidays offer some of the most competitively priced holidays in the industry, supply and demand can lead to a price difference in periods of peak demand. This offer gives families an excellent opportunity to book early and keep costs down.”