• The "Levis Index": In 1995, a flight to Edinburgh cost the same as a pair of Levis 501s (£29). Today, the jeans are £100, but the flight is just £27.

  • Defying Inflation: While housing (+154%) and food (+59%) costs have soared, easyJet fares have dropped by over 50% in real terms.

  • The "easyJet Effect": Efficiency and fleet modernization have kept travel accessible, saving UK consumers millions annually.

The 30-Year Price Shift: A Tale of Two Economies

If you lived in the UK in 1995, a pint of lager cost £1.60, a first-class stamp was 25p, and a pair of Levis jeans cost about £32. That same year, a bright orange airline launched with a simple promise: flights for the price of a pair of jeans.

Thirty years later, the cost of living has transformed. The price of housing, food, and entertainment has skyrocketed. Yet, in a rare economic anomaly, the cost of air travel has not just stayed flat—it has plummeted.

Data released for easyJet’s 30th anniversary reveals a stark contrast between the soaring cost of everyday goods and the falling price of the "easyJet generation" of travel.

The Data: How Flight Prices Beat Inflation (1995 vs. 2025)

The following table illustrates the "real term" price change of everyday British staples compared to easyJet flight routes. While most goods have seen double- or triple-digit inflation, flight prices have decreased.

Item / Route

1995 Price

1995 Price (in Real Terms)*

2025 Price

% Change (Real Price)

First Class Stamp

£0.25

£0.50

£1.65

📈 +231%

Glastonbury Ticket

£65.00

£129.00

£360.00

📈 +178%

Average UK House

£51,529

£102,675

£260,826

📈 +154%

Levis Jeans

£32.00

£63.76

£100.00

📈 +57%

Pint of Lager

£1.60

£3.19

£4.43

📈 +39%

Luton to Barcelona

£29.00

£56.00

£26.00

📉 -53%

Luton to Glasgow

£29.00

£58.00

£26.00

📉 -55%

Luton to Nice

£29.00

£56.00

£30.00

📉 -47%

This is a summary view, view the total data within The easyJet Effect report

*> Note: "Real Terms" adjusts historical prices for inflation to show what the 1995 cost would feel like in 2025 money.

Why Have Flight Prices Dropped While Everything Else Rose?

While the cost of a Big Mac has risen 55% in real terms (from £1.74 to £5.39), easyJet has managed to lower fares through a relentless focus on efficiency. This phenomenon, dubbed "The easyJet Effect," is driven by three key factors:

  1. Economies of Scale: Launching with just a handful of routes, the airline now flies over 100 million customers annually across Europe.

  2. Modern Fleet Investment: A multi-billion pound investment in Airbus NEO aircraft has improved fuel efficiency by 13-30%, reducing the cost per seat.

  3. Digital-First Efficiency: By challenging the status quo of legacy carriers and moving to direct digital booking early, easyJet removed the "middleman" costs that plagued travel in the 90s.

The Human Impact: Democratising the Skies

This deflation in price has fundamentally changed British culture. In a recent survey of 2,000 adults, 94% agreed that family holidays to Europe are easier now than when they were children.

"We famously launched offering tickets for the price of a pair of Levis jeans – and today our prices are considerably lower than those jeans and even lower in real terms than in 1995."

— Kenton Jarvis, CEO

For the average UK resident, this means the world has effectively become smaller. A trip to Nice or Malaga is no longer a luxury reserved for the wealthy but an accessible option for students, families, and small business owners alike.

Read The easyJet Effect report

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Have flight prices gone up or down since the 1990s?

A: When adjusted for inflation, flight prices on low-cost carriers like easyJet have dropped significantly. For example, a flight from Luton to Glasgow is 55% cheaper in real terms today than it was in 1995.

Q: Why are flights cheaper than trains or other goods?

A: Airlines like easyJet use a "low-cost model" that maximizes aircraft utilization and fuel efficiency. Unlike rail infrastructure which has high fixed maintenance costs passed to the passenger, airlines have been able to reduce operating costs through modern aircraft technology (like the Airbus NEO) and digital efficiency.

Q: What is the "easyJet Effect"?

A: The "easyJet Effect" refers to the socio-economic impact of democratising travel. By lowering fares, the airline has enabled over 1.2 billion passengers to travel, contributing £21 billion in Gross Value Add (GVA) to the UK economy annually and supporting over 243,000 jobs.