To boycott Easyjet because of its stupid "Speedy Boarders" system

[wishingchair]

I just hate it so much. The only people who really NEED to be located together are families with small children and obviously other people with carers. Yet you can pay an extra £5-10 and that allows you to get on the plane first, in front of all of these people. Last time I checked there was no limit on how many speedy boarders there were on the flight (although they did say they were going to limit it). So in theory you could have everyone other than you and your kids able to get on the stinking plane before you leaving you scattered all over the place.

And why do the speedy boarders turn into such twats ... like the fact they've shelled out an extra fiver gives them the right to shove you and your baby out of the way because "we're speedy boarders, we get on first, in front of families and everyone" as some bitch-dog-from-hell shouted at me once in the queue.

I'm just sick of easyjet and their staff that treat you like plebs (one actually 'showed me the hand' at check in once) and the fecking speedy boarders.

OK so I know this is a dull AIBU compared to most but I just wanted to vent. I HATE THEM!!!!!

YABU. A lot of airlimes do speedy boarding.
We often use Easy Jet and have not had any problems.

It's so that the responsibility of seat organising rests on the passengers heads, not the check in staff. Makes check in quicker, (and simpler so they can employ less intelligent folk for lower pay), gives them more money for old rope, whilst giving folk the impression they are gaining something.

I'd not fly EasyJet or Ryanair for those reasons. Sometimes, cheap flights are far more costly in many more ways than financial. You can get reasonable priced flights from Monarch and a much better service all around. Some things just arent worth the short cut - particularly when children are involved.

not assigning seats also makes boarding the plane faster.

plus passengers are likely to be on time or early for boarding so reducing the likelihood of missing the take off slot. missing the take off slot due to late passengers is a prime reason for delays and on-costs for airlines apparently.

I cant see the problem, if you are worried just pay extra for the speedy boarding. We fly with whoever is cheaper, you can get delays with any airline, its just potluck really.

really, easyjet have done this too?

ryanair do it and it winds me up. though in the event that I have to board last with the kids I had planned to wait for everyone to sit down, and then loudly announce that a 3 yr old boy who really wanted his mum needed someone to sit next to, were there any volunteers.

It depends on the day. We flew easyjet recently and it was fab. They put a few speedy board types on first then us with baby. Then everyone else. At the gate people let us through and didn't push it was fine.

On the way back was businessman heading home time. It was a bloody nightmare. Everyone stood at the desk and pushed as if their life depended on it whether they had speedy or not. One bloke walked straight through and had to be hauled back by staff, he didn't show his boarding pass or anything just shouldered everyone out of the way and barged through. We had been told we would get priority but couldn't get through the crowd. I got separated from DH and nearly dropped the baby down the stairs. It was awful.

Next time I would not stress and if there was a horrible bargy queue, I would wait and board last. I'm sure people would move to let a family sit together, and if not, it's only a short flight. Might be different with older children though being split up. I can't imagine they'd seriously expect a 3 year old or suchlike to sit by themselves though.

The gist was though that paying extra for speedyboarding won't always mean you can get to the front. It depends on the other passengers on the day so you may as well save your money.

I flew from Liverpool recently and had been given easyboarder status free as my DH works in the industry and I thought we were going to be lynched walking through the crowd at the gate . Have to say that there were loads of seats on the flight empty though , so other than sitting there on the tarmac for an extra 10 minutes whilst we waited for everyone else to board I coulnt really see any real benefit .

I flew to Milan and back with Easyjet. They included me and the dcs with the Speedyboarders on both legs.

I agree with amidaiwish that the good thing about no assigned seats is that there was no messing: everyone charged on the plane, sat down, and we took off.

You get what you pay for. If you want the guarantee of sitting with your family, then pay for another airline. You wouldn't stay in a Travelodge and then bleat about the lack of room service, spa, bellboy etc.

"I coulnt really see any real benefit "

there isn't that much unless you are particularly tall and want the extra leg room.
as someone who doesn't mind (i prefer it but don't tell the OH) sitting on their own when they travel (as long as i snag an aisle seat) i am always amazed at the crush to get on a flight and then the absolute drama that arises if someone can't manage to sit their whole party together.

DH and I (no DC) flew with Ryanair recently and it was bizarre. We only took hand luggage and did online check-in so saved quite a lot of money. Then we got priority boarding over the people who had paid to check in at the airport. How does that work?

it's an incentive to book in on-line because they want to everyone to book in that way.
if the majority of people book in on-line they need less in airport staff,save a few pennies on paper and a lot on administration as that is now passed on to the airport security thus saving them money.

I was once on an Easyjet flight and me and dd were put on seperate rows (dd was 4), the woman next to my dd tried to swap with me but as dd was quite happy I politely declined and had a very pleasnt child free flight reading the paper

that poor woman.i'd go nuts if they tried to put me beside someones kid without the parent.
luckily i have a system for keeping kids away from me on flights.

Go on tell

Actually, is really a fiver? Or is that each way? I'm flying from Newcastle to Alicante via Easyjet in OCtober, and the Speedy Boarding would cost us £26 - but does include speedy check in as well. We're travelling with a baby who will be 10 months old, certainly when I've flown before they have always boarded disabled passengers and people with babes in arms first. Is this no longer the case?

The Speedy boarding (or priority boarding for families) is a load of rubbish in many airports Easyjet flies to, it just means you get on the bus first but then you're the last off the bus and on the plane, especially if you have to hand in a buggy.

I'm not too fussed where we sit, as long as I get an aisle seat, which is often the case. If there are no seats for me and DD to sit together then usually the hostess makes someone move, so I've never had any problem.

To be honest, I'm not hugely fussed about where we sit, but would like DH and I to be sat together as we'll be taking turns having ds in our laps. Don't think I'll bother...

I hate it too and wouldn't fly Easyjet except for the fact that since they bought out BA's GB Airways routes, they're sometimes the only carrier so no choice. That article in the Times sums it up - there are some dreadful people who always push to the front and have an obsession with getting on first and are probably always like that; and then there are perfectly reasonable people who become like that just because they've gone and paid for Speedy Boarder status.

There is some weird system of prioritisation besides Speedy Boarding though. I've flown with them twice recently (not through choice) - once with dd and another time I only had hand luggage and both times I had an 'A' printed on my boarding card and was called up after the SBs and before the majority who, for whatever, reason did not have an 'A'. Maybe someone from Easyjet will come along and enlighten us.

The only positive I can find is that flights do get away on time and you don't have people boarding 20 minutes after scheduled take-off with bags of shopping.

Just got back from Malaga with easy jet and tried speedy boarders for the first time. The advantages were a much shorter Q at check in (this came into its own on the way back as we were very late having got lost in a mlaaga industrial estate)! And a better chance of all being able to stick together on the plane. All passengers went on the same bus to the plane though on outward journey so it didn't help a lot there. If nearly everyone goes for this option though it would be no advantage at all, I suppose it is easy money for the airline really.
In general though we have always found easy jet good,new planes, clean (fairly) comfortable & on time. Unlike ThompsonFly which had really clapped out seats. We rarely have much choice anyway tho, all those who do must live in the London area.

Bouncingturtle, I flew Easyjet less than a month ago and they still give priority to familes. You will be ok without paying extra.

we flew easyjet out to faro last year from luton and they gave priority to families without speedy boarding, 3 weeks later flying back from ibiza they said absolutely not at the gate when we tried to go first with child we had to buy speedy boarding so i went apopletic at them (was very late) and they let us go first onto er a bus, marvellous us and HOW many other people all jostling together, total joke, i even wrote to them telling them they were thieving bastards!

I'm worried now - flying easyjet next week. I didn't notice any speedy boarding thing when I booked - do you get it then or can you get it chen you check-in. They surely wouldn't separate a 2 year old from its parents? Wouldn't that be illegal anyway?

at luton you have to go to a seperate desk to buy it which always has a massive queue, when you book on the internet its on the bit where it confirms the price of the flight then tries to get you to buy insurance and charges for the bags etc. easyjetus gittus maximus. on another note ryanair £25 to check a bag in, duplicitus gits, course your flights are really cheap, i wonder how you get the money back?

Flying with easyjet this summer; no mention of Speedy Boarders on booking form. There will be 7 of us - 4 adults, 3 children. We shall just have to go for it and get on asap I guess!

I found Easyjet perfectly adequate when I flew with them to Faro. It was pretty easy to get a seat. Although I suppose we got in the queue quite early. The people on there didn't seem much worse than those on the BA flight to Majorca I was on a year earlier.

You can get split up on other airlines. Last summer my DD (8) & I were allocated seats in different rows on a flight back from the USA. They did put us together but we lost our places in premium economy in the process & then she slept the whole way back anyway!

TBH I'd be more worried about the plane being delayed etc. There's usually nice helpful people who will help you out if you don't get seats together.