Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Flip

Original poster

Is easyjet crap for travelling with babies?

18 replies

noheroicsplease · 23/03/2011 11:11

Exactly that...wearily trying to find flights to Portugal from Gatwick that can beat Easyjet's prices - but can't by a long way. Travelling first time with pfb and don't want a nightmare!

Thoughts?

OP posts:

mousymouse · 23/03/2011 11:13

I travel regulary with 2 small dc and easyjet and I find them to be the best of the cheap airlines.
you will be fine!

kingfix · 23/03/2011 11:16

Easyjet's a million times better than Ryanair

upahill · 23/03/2011 11:17

I never had a problem when they were younger tbh. I used them about 3 or 4 times a year then.

Nefret · 24/03/2011 10:46

I have travelled with Easyjet a few times and have found them very good. We will probably use them again this year.

ChristinedePizan · 24/03/2011 10:48

They were fine with me too - priority boarding (they let me board at the same time as the people who'd paid extra) and I could take the pushchair to the gate (although it was at baggage claim at the other end so take a sling)

Willabywallaby · 24/03/2011 23:54

I second kingfix.

tulpe · 25/03/2011 16:13

Easyjet is fine when you have little ones, as they let you board first along with priority booking passengers. But iirc that only extends up to 5 years.

We now have to join the scrum for all remaining seats with a 10 and 7 year old in tow.

Agree with taking a sling for arrival. You will be able to take your pushchair to the gate but it won't appear again until you get to baggage reclaim.

upahill · 25/03/2011 16:16

The other year coming I was queing to board a flight from Geneva when the call went out on Easyjet for famlies with children to go to the front of the queue.

I thought that's odd but Ok and got to the front and boarded before everyone else.

No one said a word but my lads were nearly 14 and 10 at the time. We don't bother if we get split up normally.

I didn't realise they meant 'young' children

goodname · 04/04/2011 14:31

Easyjet are great for travelling with children, priority boarding buggy to gate and I got it as we came off the plane at the other end too. Also you can take two baby items for free (buggy, travel cot or car seat). AIr hostesses were great also and noone minded I took the changing bag as extra hand luggage. Only downside was extra charge for luggage and no affordable way tp purchase extra bag for baby. Also queing system in airport on way home was awful. Lyon is prob worst airport I have ever flown out of.

NorbertDentressangle · 04/04/2011 14:37

No experience with Easyjet but like others have said just avoid Ryanair.

MmeLindt · 04/04/2011 14:38

I used to travel regularly with Ryanair, later with Easyjet and have never had a problem. Even with Ryanair.

AmandaNov10 · 04/04/2011 16:12

Ive booked my holiday with Ryanair, first time with pfb, what are the horror stories! Please tell me what to avoid! We've paid extra for 20K each of hold baggage and booked a car seat and a travel cot into the hold too - all sounds good? Can you take the pushchair to the gate? If so is it any size/weight of pushchair? I have a concord, it can fold down as one, but is quite heavy and big.

Any tips/advice very welcome!!

Thanks

NorbertDentressangle · 04/04/2011 19:47

Amanda have you paid extra for the priority boarding? If so you should be OK seat-wise if you want to sit together. Its still a bit of a scrum though.

The check-in for all their flights seem to go from the same desks too so that involved huge queues and delays ie. whereas you usually check-in at Gate 10 for flight XYZ, with Ryanair you will find that Gate 10 and Gate 11 will be for every RyanAir flight that day.

Very strict on weights and sizes of baggage too- even after you've been through check-in and jumped through hoops they still pull people over as they are about to board the plane to check their bag size!

The planes have so little legroom its unbelievable. The one we were on didn't even have that handy net-fabric pocket on the back of the seat in front so there was nowhere to put your book/bottle of water/kids toys/snacks etc other than on your lap.

Food and drink (and all the other crap like electronic cigarettes)they try to sell you is expensive and crap but I guess thats the same for most budget airlines.

You just get the impression that all they care about is meeting their target of arriving on time -you even get to hear a really tacky fanfare when the plane lands if its on time but (to finish on a positive) they do have the best track record of that amongst the budget airlines!

fedupwithdeployment · 04/04/2011 20:31

Easy jet have been fine when I have flown (alone) with 2 small DCs.. Don't pay for priority boarding. They let you on first, and even when I managed to get on last, people shuffled around eventually and we all sat together.

You get hand luggage for all paying passengers. But they are v strict. This week I flew (alone) and had to squash handbag into v small suitcase...no exceptions. If it didn't fit it would have cost £40.

NoseyNooNoo · 12/04/2011 21:14

So can each of the children have a bag each - so a family 4 takes 4 items of hand luggage on?

MmeSurvivedLent · 12/04/2011 21:29

Amanda
How old is your baby? If you could manage with a sling, or baby born then I would do that. You can take a pushchair to the foot of the steps of the plane normally (depends on the airport) and leave it just before you get on the plane.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 12/04/2011 21:33

Have flown several times with Easyjet and DD, now 15 months. DH has managed two journeys with her by himself so they must be ok

babyjames · 12/04/2011 21:48

was just going to post about this as we are a party of three couples with a child under two each flying with easyjet to Cyprus this June. I am already having nightmares about it! Our Son will be 15months so any tips welcome! Thanks to many of these posts I now wont pay the priority boarding I was going to phone up and change our booking for!

Flip