Brits refuse to give up their summer sun

In the height of a recession Brits have revealed that they would rather go without life’s little luxuries than give up their annual summer holiday.

In a national survey conducted by low-fare airline, easyJet, 88 per cent of people said they would forego their morning take-away coffee and 72 per cent would cut back on nights out with friends when asked what they would sacrifice to fund their holiday if they were feeling the pinch of the credit crunch.

More than two thirds (70 per cent) of the people surveyed said they would take a packed lunch to work instead of buying lunch each day and 63 per cent confirmed they would curb their love of clothes shopping. Additionally, more than half (52 per cent) admitted to moving to supermarket own brands to make the pennies stretch further.

68 per cent of those questioned confirmed they would not be giving up their annual summer holiday in 2009. 40 per cent confirmed they had already booked a holiday and 28 per cent said they would be looking for a last minute bargain.

Paul Simmons, easyJet's UK general manager, said: “People are definitely assessing their spending habits and looking at ways to make their pennies go further in 2009.

“The survey demonstrates that people are cutting back on everyday ‘luxuries’ to ensure they can still fund their annual summer holiday.”

Following high demand for affordable flights easyJet has announced it is launching six new Greek routes this summer with new flights from Manchester, Bristol and Gatwick to the likes of Athens, Santorini, Corfu and Crete.