EasyJet is the leading low-cost airline in Europe. The airline was founded by Stelios Haji-Ioannou and the family remains the main shareholder. Check out other separate EasyGroup companies such as EasyInternetCafe, easyCar.com, EasyMoney and EasyValue. There are no "cross-shareholdings" between EasyJet and these other EasyGroup companies. EasyJet operates independently of other airlines, although some "cross-marketing" agreements exist. EasyJet is a low-cost airline officially known as EasyJet Airline Company PLC. The company is based at London Luton Airport. It operates frequent scheduled services for leisure and business passengers and serves more than 200 routes between more than 60 European airports. The London Stock Exchange-listed company and easyGroup only own a minority stake. EasyJet and its rival Ryanair, based in the Republic of Ireland, are by far the largest low-cost airlines in Europe, and the rivalry between them is intense and sometimes vituperative (especially on Ryanair's plane). side by its high-profile CEO Michael O'Leary). The two companies have slightly different strategies. EasyJet flies mainly to major airports while Ryanair uses many more secondary airports to reduce costs. EasyJet focuses more on attracting business and leisure travelers, although all of its planes have single-class cabins. Ryanair makes much of the fact that EasyJet's average fares are higher and its average punctuality is consistently lower. This is mainly due to the different range of airports used and the fact that Ryanair regularly schedules flights that take thirty minutes longer than necessary. As of September 2005, Ryanair carries more passengers, but EasyJet has a higher turnover, leading both to declare themselves "Europe's number one low-cost airline". EasyJet's vision for the future is built on developing its strength as the largest low-cost airline in Europe. Total turnover in 2002 was over £500 million, an increase on the previous year of almost £200 million. EasyJet's main competitor is Ryanair, which was Europe's largest low-cost airline before EasyJet acquired Go Fly. In early 2003, however, Ryanair bought one of the smallest companies on the market, Buzz. Now there is discussion about which company is now the largest. Both have a similar number of routes; EasyJet carries more passengers (20 million); Ryanair is worth three times the stock market value of EasyJet. Technology plays a key role in the success of any business and EasyJet is constantly improving the technology network.• Using the Internet to reduce distribution costs EasyJet was one of the first airlines to seize the Internet opportunity when it sold its first headquarters online in April 1998.