Following reports today, and a Downing Street petition, that the Pope’s trip to the UK is expected to cost the Vatican and the UK tax payer in excess of £20million, easyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, has offered to help reduce travel costs and fly the Pope from Rome to the UK and back for free.

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline has revealed the results of an independent survey that proves that easyJet provides companies with significant savings on short-haul travel, and demonstrates that on the majority of journeys easyJet was found to save over £100 per return trip.

EasyJet has managed to post strong revenue growth, despite its schedules being severely disrupted over the past month due to the big winter freeze. The budget carrier cited higher load factors, a hike in non-UK passengers and greater capacity for contributing to double-digit revenue growth over the past quarter.

Temperatures lower than Alaska continue to plunge the UK into Christmas travel gridlock, with scores of flights from airports across the country cancelled, as well as mayhem on the roads and trains due to snow and ice.

Easyjet’s chief executive is to quit the airline in June after four years to “seek new challenges”. Andy Harrison will stay in post for the next six months to give the budget airline time to find a replacement,

easyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, has today launched an online check-in facility for passengers with hold baggage. The airline has allowed passengers travelling with hand baggage to check in online for some time, but now passengers with hold baggage also have the opportunity to do so.