Easy flying - and you might even hear bagpipes! (easyJet)

Member Name: dmandrew

Product:	easyJet
Date:	24/08/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good value tickets

Disadvantages: Unsatisfactory system for allocating seats

I have used Easy Jet on a few occasions and always been pleased with the service. It's straightforward to use the website to make a booking, and there are some excellent deals available. Just recently, we went from Bristol to Toulouse and paid only £40 each way, for example. You can change your booking without too much trouble, but it will cost you around £10 to do so. If you are able to be flexible about when you travel and can plan ahead, then you can get to the south of France for under £20.

A slight niggle is that you pay extra for taking any luggage in the hold - £8 per bag per journey was the amount we paid - but it simply meant that two of us shared a suitcase instead of putting two bags down there, so that was probably no bad thing. If you are going for a very short trip, you could easily avoid this charge by taking all that you need as hand luggage, which, amazingly, has no weight limit - just the normal limit on size.

One thing that I don't like very much about Easy Jet is their system for how you get your seats, which seems to appeal to the worst in human nature. You get a slight advantage from checking in as early as you can in that you are allocated to Group A or B. Group A people get to board the plane first. If you want to get right to the front of the queue, then you can pay a premium of between £2.50 and £7.50 to become a Speedy Boarder. Other than this, then if you are travelling with young children, then you also can board early. Thereafter, it's an undignified scrum, and everyone gets up to mob round the departure gate despite being asked not to do so. I would prefer to see the system used by some other airlines, such as Norwegian.no, where you check in and choose your seat at a little terminal at the airport, thus preventing any pushing and shoving.

The planes are fine. Easy Jet is a budget airline, so you don't get a lot of space, but as long as you are not too tall, that is not a problem. The staff on all the flights I have been on have been helpful, competent and courteous. As it is a budget airline, then they try to make some money back from selling refreshments at high prices. I am always surprised that people buy these, but they do, even for a 90 minute flight when you could easily wait until getting to your destination. A Mars Bar for £1 strikes me as a rip-off!

The flights go pleasantly enough, and occasionally there is a little treat. On the way back from Toulouse, we were told that we would have a live performance from one of the passengers, who was a bagpipe player. We duly did, and it went down really well. the flight left on time and got in about 20 minutes early as well. We have had no problems with luggage on any flights.

Overall, I can definitely recommend Easy Jet, although the seat scrum is not a plus.

Summary: Generally a well run airline