PDA

View Full Version : slEAZYJET


MungoP
14th Sep 2006, 05:22
Just wondering... does anyone else out there loath flying with EasyJet as much as me ? I've tried it twice thinking maybe I was just unlucky the first time and discovered that once is enough and twice is just massochism. From the internet only booking system onwards it's the most uncomfortable experience in aviation short of a wing falling off or finding yourself sitting next to a 300 lb fellow traveller who's a stranger to deodorant, which you probably will be.
Both times on booking, the price quoted was increased after moving to the 'book this flight' page... probably on the principle that anyone having got that far would rather continue than start all over again elsewhere... the prices are not cheap unless you lead the sort of life that allows you to book months ahead... The cattle drive that gets you on board is only marginally less excrutiating than the vaudeville performance that the male flight attendants feel obliged to put on in the mistaken belief that camping it up is part of the job description and that the audience is made up of gerriatric retards on their way to a home for the under-utilized.....
To my great horror I found this week that I may have to resort to them again as BA were booked solid... only to discover one of aviations best kept secrets.... another major airline ( won't say which as someone will accuse me of being the CEO ) can fly me back to London at 70 Euros less... and... better still it's to LHR.... better still they won't have the nerve to try and charge me 5 eur for a small can of beer AND even better... it's not bl**dy slEAZYJET... so.. don't just sit and suffer... look around...

NoJoke
14th Sep 2006, 05:28
Well ya payz ya money, ya takes ya chance. With the price of air travel now the great unwashed is everywhere. As for the CC, the camp chaps are out and about. I remember travelling to New York with BA on a night flight when one tried to 'tuck me in'. I respectfully declined!!!!!!!!! Go first class next time. Sounds like you deserve it. :O

bladewashout
14th Sep 2006, 07:31
You're not alone, I live 10 miles from Luton but after numerous of bad experiences, we don't fly easyjet any more: life's too short.

The savings aren't usually massive (compared to a timely BA booking) and the reduction in quality of life isn't worth the saving.

But if cost is the only consideration to a passenger, it's their call!

BW

Splat
14th Sep 2006, 07:42
BW

Seconded

Splat

172driver
14th Sep 2006, 09:27
If you think SLEAZY is bad, try Ryanair :E !

10secondsurvey
14th Sep 2006, 10:04
I remember travelling to New York with BA on a night flight when one tried to 'tuck me in'. I respectfully declined!!!!!!!!! :O


Yo really should get with the programme. Just because a CC member seemed (in your eyes) to be 'camp' (whatever that means), I'm sure he wasn't about to do anything untoward. BA staff in my experience are usually pretty professional.

Bit of an outdated backward attitude methinks.

MungoP
14th Sep 2006, 10:17
Quick update... just checked in for my flight from NICE to LHR by my preferred choice... was 5+ Kgs overweight ( luggage not me ).... handluggage was slightly bigger than that normally allowed ( I'm going to the middle east for 3 months )... no problems... no extra charges, not even a raised eyebrow... Nothing like the performance experienced with EJ where I was refused access with a standard airline handluggage bag because it did'n't fit their silly little frame and had to go unlocked into the hold... with an extra charge of course...:*

Big Tudor
14th Sep 2006, 10:37
Beg to differ Mungo. I've just booked EZY to Ams next week for £100 'cos BA wanted £350! That's a hell of a lot of excess baggage I can take.

And BTW, if your hand luggage didn't fit their 'silly little frame' then it ain't standard airline hand luggage. EZY use the same size frames as BA & everybody else. IMHO the size of hand luggage being allowed on carriers like BA is getting ridiculous, some people are taking the p!ss. :hmm:

GANNET FAN
14th Sep 2006, 11:19
MungoP, how I agree with you, in every aspect of your post. I really dislike Sleezy. However if on business I need to get in and out of Mallorca in a day, no-one else does it and as someone else has remarked, you pays yer money, yer takes yer choice. Just clench yer teeth, and get it over with as soon as poss.

Skylion
14th Sep 2006, 11:54
My experiences seem to differ from the above. Yes, the boarding process is a bit of a scrum but their cabin service has always been fast and efficient, their checkin usually easy and certainly better than most LHR experiences, their choice of airports around London is good and their domestics are excellent. In Europe they often use the same handling agents as BA and others, the main difference being that Easy's punctuality and baggage delivery at the other end is usually better. Staff attitudes seem to be consistently good and often cheerfully informal while still professional. Price-wise Easy and other low costs have opened up the opportunity for air travel to vast numbers of people for whom it was previously out of reach. Their provincial and domestic networks knock the socks off BA .They have never claimed to offer a Rolls Royce service although often they beat those who do. If they can get their crew numbers better sorted and avoid this summers "planned cancellations", they will have removed their main downside.Seat selection would be nice too.

Paranoid Parrot
14th Sep 2006, 12:37
I would say that Merchant Venturer's post is the most balanced and sensible so far. :ok:

Curious Pax
14th Sep 2006, 14:41
I'm with Skylion on this. Probably not travelled as much with them as some, but it's always worked for me - having a young kid helps relieve the boarding scrum aspect of course.

goshdarnit
14th Sep 2006, 14:51
quote - "I would say that Merchant Venturer's post is the most balanced and sensible so far."

Merchant Venturer - watch yourself, you'll be banned if you carry on like that

apaddyinuk
14th Sep 2006, 16:01
I cant believe poeple here still compare LOCO airlines to Full service airlines! Sorry but your booking a totally different experience when you book a loco to a full service. No point complaining about them!!!

Brian H
14th Sep 2006, 17:37
My wife and I both fly regularly with EZY from NCL, and have always had good service at good prices. The route we use the most is NCL-STN, about 7/8 times a year. As we are retired we can book well in advance, and two of us can fly to STN to visit family in Essex for less than the cost of one of us by rail. For what we pay EZY I feel we get excellent value for money.

eviljames
14th Sep 2006, 17:59
I'm very interested in finding out as much as possible about the spate of cancellations that Easyjet have had this summer.

Is there anywhere on the web that I can find out what flights were cancelled?

eviljames
14th Sep 2006, 18:22
A recent news item is on the BBC regarding this;

see here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2182650.stm



I did see this, but it was published in August 2002.

I don't fancy my chances in obtaining any current info direct from easyJet, plus if I phoned them my bill would be higher that than number of cancellations! :)

nivsy
14th Sep 2006, 19:38
I think the main point is low cost operators at least operate from the provinces and on a daily basis to the destinations that many pax want. The like of BA do not unless you fly from LHR,LGW,MAN or BHX. While i have used many low cost and so called full service airlines I really dont see much of a difference - or perhaps I am oblivious to it now - seat allocation being maybe the only exception - however the likes of Flyglobespan etc all offer that anyhow. BA did not even have any blankets or pillows on the evening jaunt down to Budapest the other week, a non interested crew and I was not particularly happy about who i was sitting beside - but hey you pay your money and you take your choice as posted earlier! Might as well have gone EasyJet at a much cheaper price.

Final 3 Greens
14th Sep 2006, 20:08
Paddy

You said I cant believe poeple here still compare LOCO airlines to Full service airlines! Sorry but your booking a totally different experience when you book a loco to a full service. No point complaining about them!!!

Unless booking business class, I wonder just how different that experience is these days?

Look at EZY t&cs regarding disruption and tell me what you think of those.

Having sasid that, it seems to me that most airlines go through phases of canx and its very annoying to the pax when they are caught in it.

birdonthewire
14th Sep 2006, 22:43
Honey, you get what you pay for.

If you want to get from A to B relatively cheaply, cfly with a LCC.

If you want pillows and blankets, complimentary drinks and a representative in the terminal handing out sympathy during delays, backup aeroplanes (make that backup crew, if it's easyJet) to come rescue you if it all goes wrong, fly mainline carriers. These extras all cost money and you only get so much for £40 a ticket.

Final 3 Greens
14th Sep 2006, 23:34
birdonawire

I don't think that you really understand what you are talking about.

The market is a little more complex than you suggest.

Very often there is little "rea"l difference in fares between the locos and the discounted economy cabin of the legacy airlines. (Slim Slag please note that I am backing Globalier's view here and accept that the difference may be statistically significant, but 35% of b*gger all is.....)

There are reasons for choosing one or the other, but they are not as you suggest.

For example, easyJet offer a very good disruption approach, but they don't fly from Heathrow and cannot offer interline connections. So which is the most important point? That will vary from traveller to traveller.

Sometimes people pay more to fly on a loco because they can travel from a more convenient location.

Then again some locos such as Air Berlin can look and feel very similar to a legacy carrier.

Each to their own and for their own reasons, but it isn't about pillows and sympathy.

172driver
15th Sep 2006, 07:26
Final3 with you on that. I even have to fly Ryan (yes, really) quite often, as my job means I sometimes have to go to places other airlines don't reach... frankly, on a say, London - Pescara run, would you rather go direct in a couple of hours or transit through Rome, spending about 6 hours getting there ? Choice of airline is really - at least for me - largely dictated by the task at hand. Horses for courses, really.

slim_slag
15th Sep 2006, 07:55
(Slim Slag please note that I am backing Globalier's view here and accept that the difference may be statistically significant, but 35% of b*gger all is.....)Ouch, my ears.

So call up the higher priced airline and ask them to price match. If, as you say, the difference is b*gger all and these higher priced airlines are so much better at customer service, there should be no reason why they shouldn't match. Let me know how you get on.

firemac
15th Sep 2006, 10:45
Personally, I cannot stand the LoCo's, especially Ryannair, and avoid them at all costs (no pun intended!).

I accept that they do serve a purpose however in that they increase the pressure on the legacy carriers to keep fares reasonably affordable. Without EZY & FRyemair, no doubt the BA's & VA's of the world would get away with murder, fare-wise.

SXB
15th Sep 2006, 12:04
Posted by Slim Slag

Quote:
Originally Posted by Final 3 Greens http://www.pprune.org/forums/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2849951#post2849951)
(Slim Slag please note that I am backing Globalier's view here and accept that the difference may be statistically significant, but 35% of b*gger all is.....)

Ouch, my ears.

So call up the higher priced airline and ask them to price match. If, as you say, the difference is b*gger all and these higher priced airlines are so much better at customer service, there should be no reason why they shouldn't match. Let me know how you get on.
Not only are the legacy often close to the loco fares there are also occasions when they are cheaper.

I'm travelling from Bale to London for xmas (23/12 - 29/12) with the family and I just booked BA BSL-LHR for €131 per person. I looked on the Easy website and they were offering BSL-LTN for a low of €112, though on closer inspection both the outward and inward journeys are at extremely unsociable times, if you book Easy for daytime flights the costs rockets to €166. Now, obviously I'm not going to wake up my kids at 3.00am to catch flight so I'll take BA and also save myself €140 in the process (saving of €35 per person over Easy daytime flights)

Many of the Locos do have hidden disadvantages, especially concerning the times of a lot of their flights, personally I don't like getting up in the middle of the night to catch a flight which might save me €20 or so.

nivsy
15th Sep 2006, 12:09
Birdonthewire should note in my post it was British Airways that did not supply even a pillow or blanket because they did not have any!

I have also booked 23rd Dec - Malaga -Glasgow with Easy Jet. Price? £25 ONE WAY. The BA fare is not worth even commenting about - via Gatwick naturally.


Nivsy

Final 3 Greens
15th Sep 2006, 15:12
Slim

So call up the higher priced airline and ask them to price match.

Why waste time and your phone bill chasing 35% of b*gger all? Just choose the best fit option and book it.

eviljames
15th Sep 2006, 20:31
My friends and I travel the Glasgow > London > Basel route via two easyJet flights and have never had any real problems.
I like the fact that we avoid the landing holding queues that you suffer at Heathrow so often and the prices are cheaper that any other can offer.

My only gripe with the easyMob is over a single cancellation from LPL to BFS we suffered on 1st of September this year.

The flight was cancelled 15 minutes before departure for "operational reasons" - we were told the crew were over hours - but then we saw the plane that was at our gate filled up for the Paris flight!
So it was a night in a hotel and over via FlyBe the next day for us!

The return journey was via EirAir (we did make it to the correct airport thanks!) on behalf of easyJet which made me wonder just how short can easyJet be staffwise at the moment?
From reading other posts there does seem to be an issue thsi summer -

Any easyJet folk out there want to let us know what's going on?

Ediboy
18th Sep 2006, 21:32
All i can say was that i used to use the stn-edi route all the time when Gofly.com had it but as soon it went orange i tried them twice ,to my utter disgust.
I prefer the lhr - edi route now.

But its a reall shame Go has well an truley Gone !!!!!

breagh01
26th Sep 2006, 05:36
Ah I like Globespan. I have flown a lot with them and certainly did not enjoy Ryanair to Ireland or indeed Easyjet to anywhere. Good luck FGS and I enjoy the fact you are Scottish too. oh and the new injection of lovely lasses will shake the rep of Flygayspan. lol (umbarella is now up)

slim_slag
26th Sep 2006, 08:14
Was pricing a trip recently (will not bore you all with details of a single data point that proves nothing) and caught sight of new Easyjet policy. They will let you standby on an earlier flight free of charge and if you miss your flight will let you on the next one for a fixed fee of £35. Aimed at business travellers but will benefit all. That is something I don't believe their main UK competitors offer. So good for Easyjet.

Doors to Automatic
26th Sep 2006, 08:47
Easyjet could become a much better airline overnight if they went to allocated seating. They could even charge a couple of quid for reserving seats online.

It never ceases to amaze me why they have never done this particularly as their cattle-boarding procedure is never followed at non-UK stations. :ugh:

tart1
26th Sep 2006, 09:34
Easyjet could become a much better airline overnight if they went to allocated seating. They could even charge a couple of quid for reserving seats online.
What a good idea. The unseemly fight over unallocated seating seems to be the aspect of easyjet which most people hate.

The reason they won't do it is simple - boarding takes much longer when seats are allocated. If people are in a rush to get onboard and secure the seat they prefer, it speeds things up no end! :hmm:

Doors to Automatic
26th Sep 2006, 10:35
If people are in a rush to get onboard and secure the seat they prefer, it speeds things up no end! :hmm:

I think that is a myth. If people know where they are sitting they sit down a lot quicker rather than faffing around trying to decide which seat to take and conflicting with each other in the aisle.

breagh01
26th Sep 2006, 17:10
True and I suppose that if they had shorter turnaround times then passengers would have a wee bit more time to relax, get their seats and have enjoy the experience. Unfortunately in this day and age. these kites don't make any money on the deck so thats why they are flying them to bits.
Ryanair also have quick TR. as for FGS, I shall give an example for tomorrow.
EDI - 'KD - out 06:00 back 13:20 from ALC then 40 minutes later out again. 'KT in at 11:30 out at 12:15 45 mins there and then 'RA in away all day hopping from NCE to MJV then back to NCE and home but meanwhile averaging 30 - 40 mins TR. sorry starting to babble now and this probably doesn't have any relevance for that I appologise. anyway FGS rock :D

Globaliser
26th Sep 2006, 17:12
I think that is a myth. If people know where they are sitting they sit down a lot quicker rather than faffing around trying to decide which seat to take and conflicting with each other in the aisle.IIRC, WN has been experimenting to see what happens, and allocated seating does take longer.(will not bore you all with details of a single data point that proves nothing)Does "single data point" mean hat for this trip you had to travel on a specific day out and a specific day back? ;)

tart1
26th Sep 2006, 17:30
IIRC, WN has been experimenting to see what happens, and allocated seating does take longer.
It is bound to IMVHO. People haven't got as much incentive to hurry to the gate and out to the aircraft.

Also, one's bum on a seat secures it for oneself, so one doesn't tend to meander around slowly looking for somewhere to sit if there are no seats allocated. I have flown Ryanair once and easyjet once and I was amazed by how quickly everyone gets in and sits down, compared to other flights with allocated seating.

To get back to the original subject matter, I have promised myself never to fly on this sort of flight again as I hate the menacing atmosphere in the queues at the gate and the undignified race for the aircraft and the elbowing out of the way which goes on inside. As has already been said, it is not always cheaper anyway ... but I would gladly pay more to avoid unallocated seating. :)

nivsy
27th Sep 2006, 16:36
With some carriers and locations, it does not matter at all if you have an allocated seat or not. In fact even when they say they are boarding first from say row 16 onwards on medium haul aircraft - no one really pays attention. Take Iberia - I have just had 4 sectors with them AGP-MAD-MUC-MAD-AGP. At Madrid last night they were queing to board before the staff were at the gate!!!:ugh: This happens at Malaga a lot with Iberia - mind you its not as if the staff with this airline are up to much in dealing with boarding.

So while I also dont really like Easy Jets free for all - I guess my point is - even with seat allocation - boarding is a nause!


Nivsy