EasyJet's Speedy Boarding

[Andyvon]

How does this Speedy Boarding work exactly?

My wife and I have just spent 10 days in Krakow. We travelled with EasyJet and it was the first time we have done so. We usually travel on scheduled flights but we travelled with EasyJet as the service was very convenient (from our local airport at 1pm).

The experience was traumatic and stressful. We paid extra for Speedy Boarding to enable us to board the plane first in a fairly relaxed manner. When we checked-in, the girl told us to make sure we got to the front of the queue at the gate and not get stranded at the back. When the flight was called, there was a rush of passengers pushing and shoving to get to the gate. We followed on and when we got to the end of the queue we started to ask if we could pass through. We were met with a great number of glares and snarls and comments such as "It's Speedy Boarding - not speedy check-in". Many people were quite unpleasant and they seemed as miserable and morose as they do on the TV programme. However, we did insist and it was just as well as the woman at the gate was calling Speedy Boarding and we wouldn't have heard at the back. It was much the same on the way back last week.

When I asked a regular EasyJet passenger if this was all a common thing he replied "Yes - but it's cheap!" Well, we aren't that hard up and we're happy to pay a lot more to be relaxed and treated with a bit of respect.

Is this par for the course? Did we do something wrong and it is in fact easier to board ahead of the mad crush? If not then we won't bother with EasyJet again, but that will be a nuisance when some of their flights are so convenient.

[jno]

I wouldn't bother with speedy boarding; chances are you'll take a bus across the tarmac to the plane and so be boarding at the same time as half the other passengers. You get what you pay for; EasyJet and other no-frills airlines are cheap but lacking a lot of little creature comforts. The staff are often too overworked to be polite.

[dot.hawkes]

there is getting to be a distinct lack of customer care on airlines, last night we were 4 hours late departing and so MyTravel offered full paying passengers either a bottle of water or a coffee and croissant. No food if u had water as water was the same price as a coffee.croissant option, and any children that were on a free place only got juice, they were not allowed anything free to eat!!!!!!!!! you should have seent he outraged mums with small children in the queue!!!
oh and i asked for a blanket as the cabin was freezing, apparently they don't give out blankets on short haul flights, which must mean it isn't how high you go that makes it cld, it is how far you go, is that right?

[jno]

dot, it's just how high they turn their air conditioning on. If they turn it on too warm people nod off and then aren't awake to buy duty-frees. Also if you sit next to a window it's a little nippier and next to a door can be really quite chilly. Temperature outside is going to be minus a gazillion however high you are. Hope Turkey was ok apart from that.

[Thrasher1504]

I have never bothered with Speedy Boarding.

Easyjet do sometimes call out for passengers to board in groups but, as per previous threader, the staff are overworked and copuld not care less.

The only thing good about easy jet is the price. Customer service does not exist.

[Andyvon]

Thanks everyone.

I don't think we'll bother with EasyJet again. You definitely get what you pay for but the flight was so convenient. We could leave the car at my father's and get a lift and the plane left at 1pm - a great time.

It was so stressful though - and the two of us didn't have too much go wrong. On the outward flight they boarded four families with little children last rather than first. People who were being asked to move so families could sit together were snarling at the attendants and refusing. We had a young mother having to sit next to us for the flight while her two youngsters were in the middle of the plane with their father! They were all distressed.

By the way Thrasher. On the return flight we did travel out on the same bus, although my wife managed to nab the front seats in the cabin. That was lucky!

Nope. Next time we will pay the extra and go with another airline to be treated decently.

[almcd007]

Can I just say - i've travelled with easyjet hundreds of times (I'm not exagerating) with and without my wife and two children - I've never been treated as badly as I have with BA or Thomson Fly. Nowadays with the "budgets" It's got to a stage where you have to know what's going on to get good seats, turn up early so you are on an early call, be alert and listen to the calls and watch the boarding gate. It's like a trategic operation !! Like Thomson Fly let you book your seat which is well worth the cost if you have family this way you will sit together and you dont need to turn up at 5am for a 1pm flight to get to the front of the queue !

Flying is a different kettle of fish with the "budgets" but the convenience and price difference wins the arguments hands down every time.

[maggs1703]

i must be the only one to compliment easy jet i have used them on 3 occasions and my husband is disabled for him speedy boarding works much better than assisted boarding and we have never had aproblem as there are normally 2 q's 1 fro speedy boarding and 1 for normal passengers and the speedy boarding q always goes first out of the no frills airlines we have found easy jet to be the best

[Andyvon]

Yes, thanks as well you two.

I'm not sure from what you say almc whether we can pre-book seats with EasyJet in the same way as with ThomsonFly. If so, then we would certainly consider that as the flights are convenient and problems happened to other people rather than to us at the time.

I take your points that you have been happy with the service. Like lots of things, maybe it boils down to luck or bad luck for individuals at the time. EasyJet have many regular customers so the service can't be that bad.

Thank you for your comments as they were a great help. I wasn't sure if we had fully understood the Speedy Boarding procedure at the time. We are always prepared to give things a fair crack so we will probably give EasyJet another go at some time now we know what to expect.

[mightywease]

We have flown with Easyjet a number of times - Krakow included - and boarding does always stress me, however, i wouldn't pay for speedy boarding as I am not sure if it is worth the extra cost, given that by choosing a budget airline wa are attempting to keep costs down.

However on the Easyjet flights I've been on there has been a very strick boarding protocol of families with small children and speedy boarders first, followed by groups A, B, and C. Certainly on our recent trip to Tallinn they were very insistent on this point, checking people's boarding group as you went through the gate.

Not to say though that there isn't a lot of jostling for position. I'd advise that if you do use speedy boarding again get yourself to the front of the crowd as soon as you can and stake your claim!

[Andyvon]

Thanks mightyweasel,

I'm interested you found that that EasyJet strictly enforce the groups. They didn't on our flights and the families boarded last and got in a right mess. The attendants were really getting stick. Much of it seems to be luck on the day.

We didn't travel with EasyJet as it was cheap but because the flight time was so convenient and it was from our local airport. We could then leave the car at home and get a lift. The other airlines went from other airports and we would have had to park for a week.
Speedy Boarding was either 10 or 20 pounds extra each way (I can't remember exactly) which we don't mind paying. My wife and I only travel as a reward to ourselves on the money we save from stopping smoking five years ago. That means we aren't too fussed about that amount (2 days smoking!). We only travel for pleasure and for that reason we are happy to pay extra for reasonable service to arrive fairly relaxed. We certainly don't need to be pushed and jostled.

I wasn't sure if we had done something wrong with the Speedy Boarding but at least we understand how it all works now. I think EasyJet have their advantages on routes and times and many people like you are obviously happy with them. We will use them again when convenient and now we know what to expect.

We have also be thinking about Tallinn. Is it as lovely as it appears? I think we'll go now and give EasyJet another go.

Thanks for your help and advice.

[mightywease]

Tallinn is a fantastic city and I would highly recommend it - a lot to see and do especially if you choose to go in June, July and August when the days are longer and the access to outdoor pursuits is greater. It is busy at those times but not to the detriment of enjoying what the city has to offer.

However we've also been in winter and though cold and a few sites being closed it was so very, very quiet that we felt like we had the city to ourselves.

Do go, it's a great city and if you liked Krakow (we've been there five times and are planning another trip next month) I'm sure you'll like Tallinn

[mightywease]

If you 've get a moment I've written about our visits to Tallinn on Virtual Tourist - here's the link

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/629e6/648b 4/

[laineybutton]

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Laineybutton