Leisure airline and hotels operator Jet2.com has been accused of ‘playing dirty’ by threatening legal action against a rival company which it claims is usurping its brand.

In a ‘David and Goliath’ battle, airline Jet2.com and its sister company Jet2 holidays, based at Leeds-Bradford International Airport, are trying to prevent a new low-cost airline using the name jetXtra.com. The operator is planning to start flights from Humberside Airport to Majorca and Malaga from June.

In a solicitor’s letter, Yeadon-based Jet2, headed by chairman Philip Meeson, has accused jetXtra of ‘passing off’ – which refers to a trader selling goods and services using another company’s name – saying the new company’s brand name could mislead or confuse Jet2 customers and affect its business.

See Thursday's T&A for the full story