Maiden EasyJet flight and hence the maiden Trip Report!

[prash]

Dear SQTalkers,

Enjoyed many of the Trip Reports on this space and thought I must do one soon. My first EasyJet flight (LTN-AMS) presented the opportunity to do so. Did snap a couple of shots for it. It is my first so hope you like it and welcome any ideas on how it could be better.

I've got a second that I want to write about. Just did LHR-IAD. Hope to get through the first and then this one

cheers

[prash]

sorry guys. actually started writing already. shld not take long but i'm having a problem with uploading pictures.

i see the link to add pics but must provide a URL or sth. FT guide to pics says insert the site that you're hosting ** pics.

sorry if this is noob but what if i just want to upload from a drive?

thanks

[Singapore Sling]

sorry if this is noob but what if i just want to upload from a drive?

thanks

You can`t. There is a post about posting pictures here. http://www.sqtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=303

[prash]

ah thanks. the guide here is better.

finished up most of the writing.

hope to put up soon!

[prash]

Flight: EZY 2161 (LTN-AMS)
Date: 01 June 10
ETD: 1515
ETA:1725

So yes I was naturally quite excited about trying EasyJet which has fast become a very successful model AFAIK in Europe for both leisure and business.

Got the East Midlands Train from London St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway where there is a 10 min shuttle bus ride to the Airport. A 1 month anytime return ticket on the 16-25 railcard is £13.45 (which also includes the shuttle bus which you otherwise have to pay £1 for each way!) I realised on the return that being entitled to take East Midlands is a bonus over First Capital Connect so all the better!

Anyhow, so I got to the Airport and since I had done online-check in and only had hand baggage, proceeded straight to Departures. And...then, I saw the biggest Security Queue of my life. I would have taken a picture but....can you? Without showing the machines and officers and all....Hint: It was the start of half-term holidays. It all made sense after that! 45 mins to clear security-check and then I found myself in the Departures Area where you wait until you gate is reflected on the screens.



The gate number for your flight is only reflected about 40 mins prior so we wait in a common departure lounge. Luckily it was not as crowded as the security area was. I wondered where all the people went but maybe the area was bigger than I thought or I was just early and the whole lot were rushing for their flights. I had got there early as was not familiar with Luton but maybe with a security check that long it was probably a wise move. Did see at least 1 person lose his cool especially when after a long while, they opened up a new counter. He had a fair point….was pretty clear that it should have been there from the start.

Our flight was delayed by 10-15 mins I think but because 2 elderly passengers were delayed in boarding. Well, you sympathise because if we find the entire process tiresome, what more for them…





EasyJet does not assign seats but you pay £6 each way for speedy boarding if you want. I was good without it. Notably, there are really only a few choice seats on the plane i.e. at the front so I noticed that if you were at the back of the speedy boarding line, it was as good as not having paid for the privilege. The boarding is such a rush….I think this is where Tiger Airways and other Asian budget airlines have got it right. I think seat assignments are required. Of course those who want to exercise further choice like an emergency exit seat should have to pay for them within the budget airline concept.

I can see how a quick turnaround is possible. AFAIK the crew don’t get on the plane very long before us but they managed to prepare the aircraft for on-time departure but for the 2 passengers who were late. A job well done in that regard.

The outbound was on a Boeing 737-800 I think…the inbound (which I did not write a separate report about) was definitely on a A319 aircraft. Somehow I think the former’s cabin baggage space was smaller than the latter or maybe I was just more conscious of packing without the outer compartments protruding out when returning. The bag barely fit on the outbound.

There are 3 crew members namely 1 male and 2 female crew members. Although it is a no frills service, they do sell snacks and beverages on board. If they endeavour to do this, then the 3 of them seemingly can’t manage the job especially if more than the average number decide they want to make purchases. On the outbound, that was indeed the case and I found myself getting my soup within 5 mins of the start of descent and being told to put my tray table up as I was finishing the soup. The guy next to me had barely got through it so he had to leave it for later.



The crew are quite decent especially the male crew member who was serving our end. As mentioned however, as it is a short flight and a no frills service, it is a bit hard to judge this part. For me though on a budget service, obviously stellar service is not the primary concern and this crew did do their job. What would be intolerable would be if they treated their passengers in an inferior manner on the premise of operating a budget service, which I have found to be almost nearly the case in the past.

The priority therefore is to get to the destination safe and sound and at the right price. I could only confirm this trip 2 weeks prior and so the cost of a return ticket at £72 was a good bargain I feel. Of course, it is really only worth if you travel without checked baggage. At £18 advance payment for this or double that at the airport itself, I find it to be quite pricey….and a good shot at some revenue. I used to think that Asian carriers like Tiger charging for luggage was just too bad but the charge for 20 Kgs on Tiger I believe, is much less.



For me, seat pitch was fine (as from the trademark SQFG photo☺) but I am only 5’ 8’’. There was a passenger who found it quite tight and said something rude to the crew member about it. I suppose it is quite well known that budget airlines do maximise the space on the plane so if you want comfort, you should exercise the choice and perhaps fly another airline, full-service or not, that has better seat pitch.

You would have seen the Tomato soup that I got for £2.20. In my opinion, one of the more value things on the menu. Sandwiches and hot food costs in the range of the £3-4. One thing that comes to mind as regards good value if comparing with other Asian budget airlines is the famous Nasi Lemak of Air Asia that has done its rounds on different threads of SQTalk.

I’m not sure how busy an airport AMS actually is but when I got there, I cleared immigration and was outside the airport within 20-25 mins which probably beats any other European Airport or maybe I was just lucky. It’s also really good that the train station is literally directly below Schipol Airport and the standard train is only 20 mins to Amsterdam Centraal (4.90 Euro I think and much cheaper than a similar service in the form of the HEX from LHR) or 30 mins to Den Haag Centraal (7.60 Euro) where I was headed.

[FN-GM]

Hi,

They do not fly the 737-800, you would be on the 737-700. They are getting rid of these aircraft this year.

[prash]

yes my bad then. i was not too sure of it at any rate. thanks for that.

[prash]

further thoughts

when i do blog, i normally do include some of my own opinions as well. so as with the trip report, i did reflect on the overall experience which is maybe not the conventional trip report style?

thought i'll just put it up anyway...all my 2 cents of course so pls take everything with a pinch of salt. cheers

------------

The return flight to Luton a week later, as mentioned, was on the A319. Was much less packed so I took a window seat and the middle seat was unoccupied. I noticed that security check at AMS is not as stringent as the UK so maybe that’s how the discrepancy over Christmas occurred? Maybe it’s better to be safe than sorry.

You know you are back in the UK when you spend a lifetime at Immigration. I would think a similar number of EasyJet flights would have arrived before/after us at AMS when I got there a week ago as we parked next to a few planes. The thing with the UK Border Agency I feel is that they could focus their efforts a little better. This year I’ve been in/out of the UK quite a bit and this time at Luton despite having everything in order, the officer was examining my record like I might have been coming to the UK for the first time. I can therefore see how such backlog and delay is created if everyone is subject to the same level of scrutiny at immigration. Just my two cents.

When I returned to Heathrow yesterday from the USA, I noticed a sign that said among other things that persons with the UK entry visa like I have as I am a student here, will be subjected to the fingerprinting that I had to undergo at Luton when returning from AMS. I thought I should mention this in the same vein as the above experience at Luton. We do undergo a stringent examination process upon our first arrival into the UK i.e. Sep 09 for me following which I have found with the exception of Luton that entry/exit has been very smooth. Indeed, yesterday at T5 I was off the plane at around 1040 and on the tube at around 1115. Granted that probably T5 has less passenger numbers and also that I had tried to get to immigration as fast as possible, I think it is not a foregone conclusion after all that Heathrow is hell for travellers. Again all my own opinions on the subject which I hope is more constructive than the blanket criticism of the BAA and the UK Border Agency.

Overall, I think EasyJet is a decent product. It certainly has attracted a good number of business travellers, more so in light of BA’s recent problems. It is a far more developed product in terms of routes and stuff than its compatriots in Asia simply because it has been around for a longer time. Also Europe is more inter-connected than Asia is due to the infrastructure of the EU. This also means that flying within Europe also has a greater business element to it than in South-east Asia. This key difference means that the budget carriers based in Europe/Asia cater to different needs. Indeed overly quick growth could be unsustainable. I think Asian budget carriers do a fine job for the market they serve. Probably the most apt phrase here is different strokes for different folks.

However, for a flight time of 40 mins, I calculated that by the time I reached home in North London, I had spent 6 hrs on the move. Left my hotel in Den Haag at 450 PM for the 745 PM flight and reached home at 1040 PM (Dutch Time). If there were a direct train service to Holland, I should probably opt for it as my experience with the Eurostar to Paris showed that such rail journeys are much quicker overall. Rail can get you to the heart of the major cities in Europe so barring lack of availability; I’m not sure why one would want to fly London-Paris (unless you want to try the AF A380 but even then it’s too short to savour anything).

Yet along with the school of thought that high speed rail is the way to go, there are others such as Willie Walsh (no surprises there) who maintain that for the vast majority of continental Europe, short-haul flights are really the only feasible way to manage a day round-trip. With sometimes the total amt of time for rail and air being the same, probably there is the psychological edge in favour of flying that makes one think that it is faster? Probably because of my excitement at being a virgin Easyjet flyer, I didn’t feel the 6 hrs until the end….I still maintain that I look forward to every flight and so enjoyed every bit of it.

Also my first TATL flight was only a 2 days away….intend to do one on that flight too. Maybe, I’ve left writing such reports too late to remember every single detail that I might have wanted to include but I hope you like it all the same and welcome your comments.

Cheers guys….

[hsf]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[SQflyergirl]

Just what I needed. Haven't flown on U2 for 10 years, but I've got a leg on them coming soon Thanks for sharing.

[9V-SIA]

I enjoyed this TR.

Reminds me why I have to pay more when I fly. I'm 6 feet.

Thanks for sharing.

[prash]

Thanks guys

My pleasure. hope to write more soon