If a budget airline makes it more affordable for people to travel, isn’t that a good thing for economic activity? Not so much, says Greg Dawson, director of communications for Travelodge Hotels Ltd, a large hotel chain which serves the UK, Ireland, and Spain, and is a £675 million investment for Dubai International Capital. Businessweek.com and The Guardian UK have reported that Dawson gave evidence on the travel sector of the UK economy, on January 29, before members of the UK Parliament. An “uncorrected transcript of evidence,” on the UK Parliament website, records Dawson as saying that discount airlines such as Dublin-based Ryanair and UK-based EasyJet are creating a deficit of domestic travelers in the UK. According to the transcript, Travelodge Hotels Ltd CEO Grant Hearn has said that for every two foreign visitors coming into the UK, five British nationals are going the other way.

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