Easyjet seating

[Local Variation]

Witnessed an interesting event on an EZY flight last month.

A 'speedy boarding' couple on board at departure were asked pretty sternly by cabin crew to make way for a young mum on her own with two her toddlers.

A full flight and lack of 3 seats together for the late arriving mum meant she was up and down the aisle like an unconvinced bride. In the end and to prevent an advised 2 hour delay , the speedy boarding couple were removed from their seats, split up and sent elsewhere to the joy of the waiting mum. I even heard the cabin crew telling the couple that they would be responsible for the delay if they didn't move.

Can see both sides of the story here, but surely allocated seats would prevent such embarressment for the airline. On the return, the daft British public were queuing at the gate for an aircraft that wasn't even their.

Why don't EZY allocate seats for all our benefit ?

[easy1]

The only way that this will happen is if pax write to andy harrison and get him to do something, as crew I would like to see allicated seating brought in, it would stop all this!!

[Getoutofmygalley]

Indeed, I would love to see it as well - however I don't think it will ever happen as those pax that purchase Speedy Boarding are providing the company with an additional revenue stream.

Also, there is the new product "easyJet Plus" which gives all easyJet Plus card holders unlimited Speedy Boarding for the year that their "plus card" covers. If allocated seating were brought in, it would negate the benefit of the "plus card".

This (http://www.pprune.org/safety-crm-qa/340740-easy-jet-seating-arrangements.html) link to a thread in the "Safety CRM and QA" forum may be of interest (and it also contains Andy Harrisons email address).

[Sark]

I was persuaded by easyJet Plus as we travel as a family frequently LGW-TFS and my wife travels on business on a regular basis sometimes with easyJet.

We have seen some benefits but perhaps not as many as we were promised but quite a few disadvantages. A lot of the downsides are due to the lack of knowledge of fellow passengers as to exactly what speedy boarding is.

A 'disabled' passenger got up out of their wheelchair at TFS recently and threatened physical violence to me and my ten year old son if we didn't stop pushing in! He and others who joined in did not accept the concept of speedy boarding. Neither did a group of 14 or so adults travelling with a child in buggy who got similarly aggressive when I tried to explain the concept of easyJet plus to them as they pushed past us at the gate.

I would pay a little bit more if it meant that we could get allocated seats to stop all this pathetic behaviour on boarding.

Flying used to be fun and a pleasure but with all of this rubbish behaviour and the added security measures I hate it!

[PAXboy]

The cost of providing and managing allocated seated means that no LCC is going to introduce it in the foreseeable future.

I agree that there is a risk of violence for those who do not understand the new system. On a recent FR, they had two separate queues for those that had paid and those that had not. In the 'had not paid' queue, people knew that they had to queue early and were standing patiently in line for 40 minutes or so after clearing passport control. So, the airline wins twice: Some pay extra and the others are racing to get on. The old system of boarding by 1-30 and 31-60 etc. has gone and it's everyone in a mad dash to the a/c.

Allocated seating means folks in the bar waiting to be chased out.

[WHBM]

Allocated seating takes longer to board as pax search for their seat numbers, sit in the wrong ones and have to move, etc. For 25-minute turnrounds with a full aircraft it becomes a source of delay. Southwest Airlines in the US did extensive research on boarding times with and without allocated seating and came to this conclusion. They get even more stick about it in the US than Easy or Ryanair do in Europe.

We don't have full allocated seating in long-distance trains or coaches, and they don't seem to run into similar complaints. I wonder why.

[Hombre]

Sorry Paxboy your assertion that a LCC will not issue allocated seats due to cost is something no one that has been flying with Flyglobespan over the last 6 years will recognise.

From day one you could get an allocated seat free of charge at check-in.

[TWADDELL]

I flew once with Easyjet and vowed never to do so again until they allocate seats. It was a disgusting stampede - sorry that's an insult to cattle! Everything else about the flight was fine, but boarding was so bad I've never been back.
They could cover any cost incurred by selling prebooked seats like Globespan.

[Johnny F@rt Pants]

It's allocated seating on Jet2 also:ok:. Seats can also be selected online for a nominal fee.

[ReallyAnnoyed]

It is not for the loss of speedy boarding revenue that allocated seating is not brought in, as that could easily be recovered by adding a premium to buy a seat in row 1 - if that is your pleasure. The problem, as already mentioned by WHBM, is the longer boarding time. Apparantly, people wander around the cabin looking for their seat according to the studies. One could hope that people will eventually get so used to flying that they know that row number 1 is at the front and row with the highest number is in the back. I won't hold my breath though.

[Getoutofmygalley]

I don't see how pax can get lost on an aircraft as small as a 737 (25 rows) or a 319 (26 rows). The simple way of overcoming this would be for the SCCM during boarding to say "Thank you, your seet is in the middle on the right, or your seat is at the back on the left" - the Number Three could easily pick up the stragglers in the centre of the cabin and direct them "No, you are seated on row 7 that is just a couple of rows behind where you are standing".

Also, with regards to pax spending longer in Duty Free - we already have the offload policy at T-10, so that should negate the issue PROVIDING that all outstations and bases adhere to this policy and strictly enforce it.

The company has got itself trapped in the corner with it's easyJetPlus product which pax are members of for a one year period. The company would have to do away with THIS revenue stream a year before allocated seated was brought in - and they will never do that.

[GwynM]

it's not so much the people getting lost, as the person in row 3 who stops to take his coat off, carefully fold it and put it in the over head locker before then deciding to take something out of his massive travel bag that only fits the permitted dimensions in a Dr Who story about multi-dimensional space. he (as it usually is) then sits down in 3D and fastens his seat belt. That is a 30 second delay to everyone behind him.

The next few people pass down to their seats without any problem, apart from the above being repeated in alternate rows.

Then the person in 3E decides to repeat the performance, so Mr 3D has to unfasten his seat belt, get up, let 3E sit down etc.

About 10 people late comes Mr 3F who likes his window seat, but has a bag that would take the combined efforts of Dr Who, Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures to sort out how it could fit into an over head locker that is now bursting to the seams. This is about a 1 minute delay while he moves everything else about 1 inch to the side to see if multidimensional space can be breached, but all to no avail. Then when he is told to put it above row 15, he has to march back against the flow causing more delays. Mr 3D, meanwhile, has got his paper out and is engrossed in a suduko puzzle, and has to find somewhere to put his pen and paper before undoing his seatbelt once again, standing so as to not give 3E enough room to get out. Another half a minute or so delay, repeated up and down the plane.

BA can afford a 1 hour turnaround, but Easyjet have managed to turn flights around in under 20 minutes, and stopping the above palaver speeds thengs up a hell of a lot.

[Final 3 Greens]

If I experienced the treatment allegedly suffered by the couple, I would sue easyJet for loss of enjoyment and breach of implied T&Cs.

A reckon a small claims court administrator would be likely to side with the pax.

easyjet have brought this situation upon themselves by the way they have set up speedy boarding and a good beasting in court would do little harm.

Equally, splitting a young family is against CAA guidelines, so I can understand the dilemma of the cabin crew, as they are victims of an ill thought out scheme.

easyJet are a good airline and allocated seating would make them excellent, IMHO.

[PAXboy]

Thanks for the info about FlyGlobeSpan and Jet2, as I have not had cause to use them.

I think the reason that folks do not complain about coaches and many trains is because that is the way that they have traditionally operated. It is the change in procedure that folks find difficult. Younger generations who have grown up with the mix of un- and allocated seating, probably think nothing of it.

The undisciplined boarding so well described by GwynM, is the same, whether there is allocated seating or not! In this forum, we have oft discussed the failure of the 'Boarding by row number' and 'Boarding by zone' that all legacy carriers used to do. Whilst the announcements are usually still made they are almost totally ignored by pax who just pile towards the door and the staff have learnt that trying to send people back to wait is not a pleasant experience.

Those of us who used to hang back until our row was called :rolleyes: have learnt that if we do so - all locker space is taken up by those who have also ignored the carry bag limitations and/or bought in duty free. :ugh:

In my view, there is no answer to this. It is not going to get better and you have the simple choice of how much money and misery you wish to give/receive. I have ceased to be bothered by it and go into passive mode as it cannot be changed.

[Hombre]

There is a large difference between boarding on easy compared with GSM with its free allocated seating especially when with Children.

We only go via easy if we can't get GSM flights. Indeed I'll pay extra 10/15€ no prob if both flights are available on chosen day just to avoid the stampede on easy.

Also I have noticed no additional time delay in departure with either carrier so the principle of not allocating seats to save time seems misguided. ATC has more effect on departure time than say Mr Johnson in seat 5E.

I have absolutely no doubt that if GSM ever fly from London to europe easy would suffer greatly. In these challenging times, however, this is unlikely.

[Air Mail]

I recall that GSM used to fly from London Stansted but closed the base.

[boardingpass]

If you really feel so strongly about the boarding process, write to Andy! And tell him how much extra you would be prepared to pay for an allocated seat.

[OltonPete]

I have managed to fly all of the above this year so I have been able
to get a compare how they all operate.

However it was still difficult comparing like for like as some were city
breaks (hand luggage only) and others were holidays.

However the last was my first trip with easyjet on PMI-GVA-BHX and
the only negative point was boarding. We were in group A and all the
group B pax were blocking the gangway.

Our eldest was ill and did not want to stand and queue and I had to negotiate my way through hoping I was not barging past any group A boarders. Most were Group B and although it was very polite (both the Swiss on the PMI leg and Brits on the BHX leg) it was all a bit untidy.

However easy were good, the 319 spotless and crew excellent.

However as for on time departures only flybe were bad but they
did an aircraft swap in CDG. Baby with their allocated seating
got me to my destinations at worse on time and two flights nearly
30 early.

Both easyjet flights were 5 late but nothing to do with the
boarding.

I would like to see a mix of easy's and baby's good points and it
would be pretty close to perfect.

As for 25 minute turnaround times, looking at all the winter schedules
I think all these airlines can relax - 1 hour 25 more like it ;),

Pete

[starbag]

As cabin crew for bmi, who give everyone allocated seating, the above situation happens all the time. Families are always getting split up, especially as pax are checked in by airlines all over the world on connecting flights. So we do exactly the same thing, asking people to move to keep the family together. As pointed out it's a safety requirement to have families seated together, not just for welfare and child protection reasons, but in an evacuation, a split up family will wait until they are reunited before moving towards the exits, thus delaying the evacuation of other pax. So allocated seating does little to improve the situation I'm afraid!

[Manual Braking]

GSM did operate a morning EDI-STN a couple of yeras back - it departed 5 minutes or so before the EZY EDI-STN (both 737 a/c).

Almost a full load on the EZY, 30-40 pax on the GSM!! Needless to say it did not last long.

I have dispatched both GSM and EZY flights in the past - the boarding policies/procedures for both these 'low cost' airlines differ greatly. On GSM you had 25 minutes to board o/b pax - on EZY you have 25 minutes all in!

MB

[ViscountFan]

Norwegian Air Shuttle allocate seats, and you get a 40kg baggage allowance!

[cloud hopper]

I've flown frequently for years and have used many airlines. I find it doesn't really matter whether seats are allocated or not (although scrums are never pleasant, nor is watching grown men in their 50's sprinting to be first on board), or whether certain rows are permitted to board at staggered intervals - or any combination of the above/other methods of boarding.

Half of the problem is the space in the aisle and the fact you can't stand up in front of your seat because of the height restriction. None of that can be altered.

The rest of the problem, as I see it, is the passengers. It doesn't take much thought to organise yourself prior to boarding - take your coat off beforehand, pre-arrange your hand luggage so it's ready for stowing. Just as importantly, it doesn't take much thought to ensure you're at the right place at the right time - especially if you're in a group and seats aren't allocated.

I've never had a problem taking a bag small enough (you don't need to take the kitchen sink) to fit under the seat in front of me, and leave enough space in it to take my fleece/jacket prior to boarding. No matter what time of year it is, nobody needs a coat indoors. That means there's nothing to stow, you don't clog the aisle and you've got all you need for your journey without having to be an inconvenience to anyone else, all you need to do is locate your seat and sit down.

Generally speaking, I'm the most disorganised person ever, and I'm rarely on time for anything - so if I can manage it then it's achievable for most other people. Having said that, I've seen other passengers even more organised than I am.

The way I see it is more education for passengers and being a bit tougher on lateness and (dare I say it) general stupidity, even getting them to sit down with their bags on their laps until everyone has boarded - they can arrange their luggage at the same time as everyone else. It wouldn't hurt to educate passengers to take more responsibility for themselves, their belongings and to have a little consideration for everyone else.

Lots of flights these days don't take any longer than a bus journey, yet with a bus, you get on and you sit down. It's no more difficult than that.

I've got a far easier solution, however, just widen the aisles by a couple of feet, remove overhead lockers which ensures everyone has to sit down immediately to stash their luggage under the seat in front :ok:

I'd hate to be cabin crew, I think you do a really tough job :D I'd be throwing people off left, right and centre like an immaculately turned-out Basil Fawlty :p