EasyJet View On Free Seating

[Seat62K]

According to the easyJet website, "To take the hassle out of boarding we operate a free seating policy".
Some mistake, surely. Shouldn't that read to add hassle?
I laughed so much I almost choked on my cornflakes this morning!
What do others think? I know the topic has been discussed at length on this forum, but I was galled by easyJet's audacious attempt to put a positive "spin" on this policy.
(To see the full text click on "5 things you didn't know about us", then on "more reasons to fly with us".)

[boardingpass]

Things like that are written by copywriters, not easyJet managers. Marketing is about talking about things positively, in a supposedly relevant way to customers. Isn't there already a super long thread on this topic somewhere written ad nauseam?

[ZFT]

Paxed on 2 EastJet sectors this week. Boarding was no worse than any other flight with pre assigned seats.

Really can't see what all the fuss is about.

One big advantage of EasyJet is their enforced single bag policy. I had no difficulty in stowing my carry on.

[eastern wiseguy]

I generally find easyjet a positive experience...but LOATH the scrum and hanging around in lines.....Jet2 have it right imho...allocate the seat at checkin.

[CornishFlyer]

Yawn. If you know that this has been discussed at length on the forum, the purpose of initiating ANOTHER thread on it is surely a total waste of time. Everyone knows why easyJet do it (along with other airlines) and if you are the more organised type of person that gets to the gate early then you get to sit where you like, not next to someone that needs 2 seats. If you decide to fanny about in the terminal then board late then that's not the airline's fault. If you want to sit behind the wing then you can. If you want to sit towards the back, you can. Hence why easyJet say it is for your convenience-you can choose where to sit. If other people rush around and act like idiots in a scrum, that's their choice, just let them run to the plane-there are 26 rows to choose from, you sit will almost surely be the same as the rest of them-even the overwing seats are of minimal extra leg room. Now come on, lets just close the subject before it turns out the same as all the other threds of this subject. You're never going to please all the people all the time

[skydriller]

Everyone knows why easyJet do it (along with other airlines) and if you are the more organised type of person that gets to the gate early then you get to sit where you like, not next to someone that needs 2 seats.

Actually, I dont understand why they do it. I understand that internet booking and internet check-in is faster and cheaper for the airline. How can adding a seat number/letter to a boarding card cost more money? :confused:

Genuine question, SD.

[CornishFlyer]

Well, it would cost money as they don't currently have the software to be able to organise it but also it is meant to encourage people to get to the gate quickly and not hang about in the terminal. Take a search thru the other threads and have a look at the reasoning but it's meant to be quicker so shortening the already long check-in process and speed up boarding so that you don't have to board people in sections of the a/c ie boarding the pax at the rear first, then those in the centre with the front section boarding last. Everyone can just board at once so there are many reasons ;)

[jettesen]

it totally bewilders me why people get so het up about seats on a plane. Allocated or not, there are enough seats for everyone. Where else do you get allocated seats? trains/boats/busses/cinemas etc they dont allocate and they dont have any problems. I have wokrd both allocated and non allocated and believe me non allocated is much faster!! The reasons being that you have everyone at the gate on time due to the fact they all want to sit together. Not waiting on missing pax shopping or in macdonalds!! Easyjet close the gate 10 mins before departure, and if you are not there, you dont get on , most airportsa are very strict about this, after all you are at the airport for a reason ( to catch a flight) not for a day trip!!!

Also easyjet tend to use front and rear steps in lots of destinations, and to have allocated seats with both doors open, creates MAYHEM with people sitting at the front get on at the back, then pax cant pass in the aisles etc, doubles boarding time.

[BladePilot]

hi boardingpass,
It was written by the easy managers I was there when it was!;)

Haven't seen the other threads yet I'll go search for them now, boy the anticipation is toooo much:)

[boardingpass]

wow blade, I AM impressed that such a literary masterpiece came from managers! With managers as smart as that, there's hope for us all then!

[UniFoxOs]

ZFT:- One big advantage of EasyJet is their enforced single bag policy. I had no difficulty in stowing my carry on.

Can't agree with that, just flown EJ to/from Istanbul, very difficult to find stowage near seat outbound, and on the inbound sector FAs were asking for large bags to be volunteered for stowage with the checked baggage.

Unfortunately the "single bag policy" is enforced at LTN by the security check only admitting one bag per pax, then completely negated by the opportunity to purchase bags of duty-free etc. after that, and at SAW there is no enforcement at all.

Cheers
UFO
PS completely in agreement with the view that no seat allocation speeds boarding, it's considerably faster.