Easyjet or British Airways? Need advice please....

[Earlybird]

DD and I are due to visit friends on the continent in about 6 weeks time. Both British Airways and Easyjet fly to our destination, and I've got quotes from each. Easyjet is cheaper by a bit, but the British Airways fare is very reasonable.

Anyone have any thoughts about which to choose? Cost is not the clear decider, so thought I'd ask for people's advice based on good/bad experiences. Thanks.

With easyjet you get to board first if you have young children, and choose your seats. BA is good if you are a silver or gold card member, but otherwise fairly rubbish these days (unless you're travelling in club).

Check the luggage allowance with both - is it the same?

I would always choose BA over Easyjet if the cost is similar. Usually BA have more flights a day to the location so if one is cancelled you can still get there

DD is 5.8, so probably not young enough to warrant boarding early on Easyjet. My days of British Airways Gold status are long past, and as budget is a consideration, we won't be in Club Class.

I've never flown Easyjet, so have no experience of it, but for some reason have the impression that BA is 'better'. Maybe I'm thinking back to my executive past, which probably now is inaccurate, and isn't relevant in this case anyway....

I live in Switzerland and regularly travel by plane back to the UK. I would 10000% go for BA, we dont have any special membership but have always been allowed to board first (you can always ask to make sure when you get to the gate). For me the fact that they have lots more flights and are more generous with vouchers etc for delayed/cancelled flights really make the difference. I have flown Easyjet once, flight was cancelled and I was left in the airport with a 6 month old for four hours until the next flight with no vouchers or anywhere to go.
Similar situation with BA-allowed to use a lounge and give £10 in vouchers for 1 hour delay.
They are also more likely to bounce you up to business class for free if you ask after a problem (happened twice so far :D).

Hmmm - good suggestions about considering luggage allowance, and possibility of other flights if there is a delay/cancellation.

Anyone else?

Presumably the airports used and flight times are equally convenient?

Since we moved to Berlin we have used Easyjet alot as we can fly twice to the UK for the same price as the other airlines we used from south Germany.
I have a 7 and 8 year old and we always go on board first, so your dd would definately get you on before everyone else. Their whole standard is just as good as KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa flights I have taken in the past, except there are no free drinks or food but you can still buy refreshments on board if you need. I haven't experienced more delays or longer waiting times either.

You do at least get food , of sorts , on BA. We flew with them this summer shorthaul and Easyjet weren't much cheaper.

Yes but the last shorthaul flights I went on with kids - we got a roll with salmon and cream cheese and the kids just threw theirs at me and complained that they were hungry - I think it was a city hopper type flight, Easy Jet is fine by me because you know beforehand to pack a snack for the kids atleast!

Do EasyJet charge for checked-in baggage now, or is that just RyanAir? Worth bearing in mind when comparing cost.

I would go with BA definitely.

Another vote for British airways. We travelled with DS on BA recently and they were very good and due to the large luggage allowance we didn't need to worry about how much baggage we had.

Mind you due to previous pre mummy life we still had access to the lounge and it was lunchtime so my memory is probably rose tinted by the number of free sandwiches I managed to scoff, oh and all the business people scuttling away lest our baby, crime of crimes, should make a noise.

Easy Jet allow 1 piece of hand baggage and 20 Kilo luggage , over 20 you pay per kilo something like a fiver. As we always travel together (that is me and 2 dc) we have enough allowance to carry all our stuff and plenty of shopping bought back home!

Easyjet are fine if all goes well if there isn't a problem but if anything goes wrong it's a nightmare. My husband's young (french) cousins flew over for 2 weeks earlier this year unaccompanied , booked tickets as unaccompained and came here alone. On the way home easyjet said it was against there policies for two minors to fly as there wsas no insurance and would have to be accompained. They were taken of the plane and we having arrived home had to drive the hour back to airport. My husband had to fly with them back (they even wanted us to pay for the seat at the expensive on the day price! but we simply said we didnt have money so weren't paying and they believed us). So it was agreed that he would fly there stay on plane and come back immediatly as he had just flown long haul and was ill and exhausted. He arrived in France gets taken off the plane and told he return home the following day! Eventually after much discussion he got a (much) later flifght the same day.

We've had no problems with easyjet. we always get boarded first along with other families. Children need to be with their families, so get first choice of seats. We are flying with them next week and have had an email to say each passenger is allowed to check in one bag. After that there is a charge per bag AFAIR.

Thanks to all for your feedback. Think I will go with BA, even though it's more costly. This is a long awaited/much anticipated long weekend break, and I don't want to risk the "nightmare if it goes wrong" scenario many have described with Easyjet. I'll be £50 poorer for that decision, but hopefully the peace of mind will go some way toward compensating.

I think BA are fab! IME of travelling with them, parents and children always get called to board first. On a recent flight with BA, our flight was delayed by 1 hour which, unless we made up the time in the air, we'd miss our connecting flight from London Gatwick to Manchester and we did, and our flight we was supposed to be on was the last flight of the day but we needn't of bothered as BA were brilliant. They called a premier inn and put us up for the night with £15 each to spend on dinner, which we could take up to our room with us. The price of the meals were reasonable and for our £15 we had a hot chocolate with cream on, huge portion of burger and chips and huge profiteroles for dessert. That night was better than the whole holiday! Proper luxury and I'll forever love BA for that

My sister is Cabin Crew for Easyjet and have to say that delays and cancellationsa re rarely their fault.
but because they are short haul they will get bumped out the ay in order to allow the long haulf flights to stay on schedule.

It isn't because they are short haul its because they are a low cost carrier, they pay less in fees to the airports.
Ba are a full service carrier and as such pay more to guarantee their slots.

Also as a full service carrier they have agreements in place with other airlines so can get you onto other carriers in an emergency, or give you airport hotels. Things you don't get with low cost carriers. You get what you pay for!

I'd choose BA. I've flown with them the last few times - one time was during the catering strike & we were delayed overnight & put in a lovely hotel & got dinner thrown in too.

LO doesn't mind the food too much. We just had cooked breakfasts on our last flight or sandwiches.