On the UP (jet2.com)

Member Name: andycris3107

Product:	jet2.com
Date:	27/09/04 (1645 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Service, Cost, Professionalism

Disadvantages: Small network, English language only

Whatever your views on low cost airlines, one thing is for certain; they're here to stay.

With so many changes in the industry over the past 2 years, with the merging of airlines,
others going bankrupt and new players springing up all over the place, it's no wonder that when Jet2 came onto the scene in 2003 many in the industry gave a loud tut and shook their heads in disbielief. How on earth could a small airline with just 2 aircraft make a profit selling tickets for next to nothing and basing themselves in Leeds of all places? And yet almost 2 years down the road and this is exactly what they've done.

Sure they are no Easyjet or Ryanair. That takes time, yet the service they have built up over these two years is certainly making waves in the industry.

By sheer good fortune I became one of the passengers on the airlines' inaugral flight from Barcelona to Belfast this weekend, and was quite excited to see how this little player would compare to the big boys.

There was initially a little confusion at check-in as the airlines' chosen service company in Barcelona - Euro Handling - weren't entirely sure of the airlines procedures and policies. That being dealt with we checked in with no fuss, and were handed a boarding card with seat number. Yes you heard right, a seat number. This fact alone singles the airline out among it's rivals as it negates the need to fight to the death for the best seats.

Michael O'leary of Ryanair fame enjoys nothing more than to explain in great detail how the lack of allocated seating on Ryanair flights reduces boarding time and aids departures (as well as saving the airline wads of cash). In a rare display of collaboration Stelios of Easyjet mirrors this theory. Yet it is somewhat strange that the airline that has been considdered the best no frills airilne of them all - GO - was unique in its allocating of seats. In her book 'Go - An Airline Adventure' Barbara Casani explains that allocated seating brings more prestige to an airline without significantly increasing costs, and more prestige means more bums on seats, and ironically people are willing to pay a little bit more to avoid the stress that unallocated seating casuses. In a final test before launch GO produced a time and motion study which showed no significant difference in boarding times with allocated seating.

Jet2 seem to have taken this on board, and it could very possibly become the deciding factor for potential customers.

It has to be said that my flight was not overcrowded. There were probably a mere 50 of us on the Boeing 737 300 series. The boarding as you would imagine was painless and we were allowed to board with extra hand luggage to avoid having to check in any bags.

On board things are relatively normal. Despite the age of the aircraft the grey leather seats were all new and spotlessly clean, though I did find the seatback pockets useless for anything other than the emergency card. Sorry I am one of those who uses the pocket as a drinks holder, magazine holder, and everything else holder. In this case the card, and perhaps a single magazine is all they could hold.

The formalities were clear and professionally carried out, though the safety demonstration was carried out in English only, resulting in several fellow passengers needing to translate to the Spanish first timers for whom safety demonstrations are not the norm.

During the flight the crew passed through the cabin at least 2 times in order to sell the usual pricey snacks, drinks, and perfumes etc. It was however pleasing to see that toward the end of the flight all unsold sandwiches were sold off at half price; the airline receives fresh sandwiches for every flight. Great to know their food is fresh, not so great if you have just purchased a sandwich at double the price 2 minutes earlier.

Though we left Barcelona on time we were a little late arriving, however baggage handling at Belfast was super quick. While we did not have any check-in bags some of those who did still emerged from the airport before we did.

It was somewhat busier on the return leg yet the service was just as impecible and the flight departed and arrived on schedule. All in all a very pleasant trip.

If there were a downside to all of this it could only be the company's size and the relatively small network. Although they are expanding at a cautious pace customers are still somewhat limited. Certainly if you don't hail from Belfast or the north of England you are less than likely to use their services, which is a shame as it may be worth going a few miles out of your way for a much better travel experience.

Your'e not as likely to find your 99p specials on Jet2, but you will find some very competitive and amazingly clear prices. Whereas on the competition seeking that ellusive special deal can leave you foaming at the mouth, Jet2 have introduced the low fare finder that does exactly as it says. Choose your route and your departure month and it will tell you when is the cheapest time to fly.

Jet2 appear to be attempting to carry on where GO left off, as the budget airline of the middle classes. A little extra make a big difference, and as long as the competition don't cotton on they have a good chance of fighting with the big boys. My final hope is that as the airline matures it's network will become more comprehensive without the quality going down.

Next time you fancy a weekend away give them a look, I hope you'll be nicely surprised.

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