EASY Jet routes from Southend Airport can now be booked alongside hotels in a package deal which bosses hope will "shake up the sector".

The budget airline has launched a new arm which will allow passengers to book accommodation at the same time as their flights from 11 UK airports.

It will include 62 flights to 22 holiday destinations a week from Southend airport.

All holiday bookings will include 23kg hold baggage per person.

It will be the first time easyJet is directly contracting hotels, which will be broken down into categories such as ‘luxury’, ‘adult’, ‘family’ and ‘undiscovered’.

Garry Wilson, chief executive of Easy Jet holidays, said: “We know the way people travel is continuously evolving; we know customers want flexibility on when and how they holiday; we know they want to be able to easily pick a hotel to suit their needs and we know they want a hassle-free booking process.

"We’re really excited to help meet these needs with the launch of our new modern and relevant holidays business.”

For more information, go to www.easyjet.com/en/holidays.