Is EasyJet Worth Flying With For Their Cheap Tickets?

EasyJet has become a rising favourite for those wanting to travel across Europe and other surrounding areas such as Tel Aviv and Damascus. EasyJet has notably gained popularity for providing over 1,000 routes which span across 30 countries with flights departing as we speak. However, with such an inexpensive airline there are some downfalls, as they say you pay for what you get - but is easyJet an airline that should be avoided simply because they offer unmissable prices? 

When you visit the easyJet website the first thing that visitors notice will be the deals that easyJet are currently offering, in this case there’s flights for £29.99 to Belfast - one way, per person. EasyJet have even advertised Malaga for £19.99 which is dependant on two passengers flying from London Gatwick and prices are representative of a one way flight. With deals like these, which seem unbeatable, it’s no wonder that easyJet has gained such as large following with over 80 million passengers flying with the airline in 2018, according to Statista. As someone who uses easyJet frequently, it’s one of the sole reasons I’m able to travel so much for someone whose on a budget. Additionally, with over 5 major airports such as London Gatwick and London Luton supporting easyJet flights, it’s become a reliable airline to use. 

You’ve selected your £29.99 seats and even possibly a cheaper return as while doing my research I found flights from Barcelona to London Gatwick for £19.99. Too good to be true? Well if you plan to use hand luggage and have no preference as to where you sit, then it really is an incredible deal. However, if you do have hold luggage then easyJet will charge an additional fee of £18-20 for a 15-23kg bag, which is an average price for one bag per flight. If you have any sports equipment such as skis and boots as well as snowboards then you may be paying a lot more than you had hoped - £74 more for each item. It gets considerably worse for those wanting to transport large items such as bicycles and canoes as this will set you back £90, which again is per item, per flight. If you haven’t got any equipment then you can make a sigh of relief as reserving a seat only costs £5-8 for a standard seat towards the middle of the plane. For those wanting to be nearer the front then a seat may set you back £8-9 or if you want to go all out and sit right at the front of the plane then this will set you back a whopping £20 - in some cases it’s more than the ticket itself. These small charges is how easyJet makes it money as those travelling with friends and families consider the tickets to be so cheap that they can afford to reserve seats to sit next to each other. 

The easyJet website and app allows customers to have a smooth experience, with it taking less than 5 minutes in some cases to buy tickets for flights with an email confirmation shortly arriving. EasyJet are very transparent with their price breakdown as well as giving passengers more than enough information regarding their flight. EasyJet outline what time the bag drop opens as well as what time the gate closes - allowing passengers to plan their journey to the airport around this. There’s information regarding what passengers should do after booking - fill in their passport details and how to get their boarding passes, which is available to download and print 30 days before you fly. These boarding passes can either be printed or shown through the easyJet app, which is handy for our technology savvy generation as they can also be added to our online wallets. For a budget airline, easyJet really goes above and beyond for what passengers would expect, but then again easyJet wants customers to return and use their service again. 

As mentioned before, I’ve flown with easyJet lots of times before which had led me to experience mostly positive experiences but then again I’ve had some of the worst experiences with them. The positive experiences with easyJet is that the flights have left on time in most cases and enough leg room to sit comfortably for a 2-3 hour flight and even sleep on the flight. Additionally, all of the staff that easyJet employ, from the customer service team to the cabin crew, they’ve always been polite and helpful throughout my journey. Unfortunately, when I travelled to Amsterdam I was subject to a 4 hour delay to which the staff seemed to be as confused as the passengers were, with the times being pushed further and further back. Passengers were given vouchers to buy food and drink either at the airport or on the plane. However, with the flight being only 45 minutes, by the time I would’ve got my drink, it would then be time to land. Either way, it’s a hit or miss situation with some passengers experiencing as smooth of a flight as possible whereas others wouldn’t trust easyJet again after their experiences. 

It should be noted that when flying with easyJet you will not get any complimentary snacks or drinks, it is a budget airline and they need to make their money somehow - which is where the Bistro comes into play. With a meal deal costing passengers £7.50/€9.50 is quite an expensive lunch considering that in places such as Boots and WHSmith you can get a meal deal for £3-4, even at the airport. For this price you get a main, drink and a snack but recently the choices of mains has decreased and the quality followed suit too. However, as mentioned in previous posts, bring your own food to the airport or have a large meal before travelling to prevent you from feeling tempted to spend your money on food at the airport or on the plane. The Boutique from easyJet is expensive too, with even duty free prices not being low enough to make me splurge on a new fragrance or a watch that I know I don’t need. Either way, looking through the Boutique magazine does allow passengers to take their mind off flying and doubles up as reading material. It’s a clever sales pitch, as easyJet state that passengers can only carry hand luggage only, which then in turn only allows passengers to carry a limit of 100ml per item of liquids. If you bought a perfume that exceeded these 100ml limits then you may be faced with throwing your purchase away or having to pay extra to put your luggage under the plane - that purchase doesn’t seem so cheap now does it? 

If you want to fly with easyJet, which is known to be an affordable and mostly a reliable airline, then you should go ahead and book with them. Just keep in mind that you will be imposed to easyJet’s rules of hand luggage only and the mystery of where you’ll be sitting on the plane if you haven’t prebooked your seat. For those wanting a simple flight with no frills, then easyJet is the way to go - even if you want added luxury then you can splurge on a seat at the front of the plane or towards the front.