Anyone flown with easyjet recently? Bloody hilarious!

[QOD]

oh my god, I have never seen anything like it before it was HYSTERICAL!

They have speedy boarders (additional £12 a head), then SA (special assistance - prams/disabled) and then groups A & B

NO seat allocation!

Honest, it was like a race, on the way out, they did call for people with children of 10 and under so dd & I got on fine & obviously sat together, on the way home..........
we were group A, we got up to queue and it was like a mass evacuation of the airport.... people were running to the front, we did get to the front of group A ( as we were there ages before anyone else) but people were shouting and threatening to lamp each other for pushing etc.......
then we got onto buses to go out to the plane........... well, that was hilarious, these 2 men who had almost had a fight were firstish on the bus, but of course, last off! When the bus doors opened, people literally ran for the plane, my mum (bless her - 60 & super fit) was off like a whippet so dd & I hung back and were able to witness it all.........
we were halfway up the steps when the bus containing group B opened it's doors, 2 people FELL OVER and again, just running! Pushing old ladies & kids out of the way .......
WHY are easyjet the only airline who don;t allocate seats on checking in? Does it save them money? it didn't take any less time for US to check in, same fussing & questions etc.

We heard some hilarious comments, as we watched the speedy boarders ascend the steps, some wag shouted out ......... "ready ....... set........."
someone else shouted
"last one on the planes an idiot"
this one was a tad racist/innapropriate but sorry, was pretty funny....
"thank god you lot ain't German, I ain't got me towel..."
I have never witnessed people so agressive! The thing that pees me off is that my dd is 10, no way on this earth is she sitting without me, but seriously, if I were seated away from dh or infact from my mum when we go to NYC next month, it wouldnt BOTHER bother me - I would rather sit with them but you know....... it should all be about families being able to be together.
We flew home from mainland spain a couple of years ago and all 3 kids were dotted round the plane as they had allocated us 3 adults with the extra leg room seats (we are all 5ft and really didnt care!) we refused to sit down, the hostesses were crap, and we had to ask peole to move, it was simple really, we offered a row of 3 adults the extra leg room, then sat 1 adult and the then 4 and 7 yr olds with them, allowing initially for the 13 yr old to sit alone but diagonal to me. Another family then reshuffled to allow us to be together - their reason? Because they had been in a non fatal plane crash whilst dotted round the aircraft!
But no single childless couple would do ANYTHING to help.
ANyway, i went on and on then didnt I?
My real point being that we won't EVER fly easyjet again (unless forced) because, hilarious though it was, it was CRAP!

. At least you saw the funny side. I have never flown easy jet and never will. Even if that means we don't go abroad for years.

Yes I would never fly easyjet. Spent a night in Luton airport once when they refused to let me on the last flight with 40 mins to spare, even though it was the bus that had been delayed. Can't believe people still do. And there is evidence those kind of airlines are much less safe in the air.

We try not to fly anymore if we can help it anyway, with any airline. Cheap air travel is going to be a thing of the past fairly soon, the environmental impact is shocking.

Easyjet has always been like this, I find it the most stressful airline to fly with because of it. They do it because apparently it is quicker to board the plane if there are no seat allocations. I quite like a window seat so I do tend to be one of the ones doing a funny fast walk to get to the plane! We now have a DS so we automatically get in the SA group but it is amazing when they call the groups people in groups A/B/C all just come to the front and then when they are refused to board just yet they get all gobby and just hang around at the boarding desk so you can't get through. We just flew back from Madrid on Friday and they have it right in that airport, they actually put you in the queue depending on your boarding card letter...although it doesn't stop the people within those queues sneaking up the side. My DP is usually the one saying loudly "you won't get home any quicker than us you know even if you push further up the queue!"

Hilarious!
But, being cheap and cheerful means so is the service.

I think if you have kids you are legally entitled to sit together (or else staffv obliged to sit with them if under certain age).

I don't get rush for planes generallly. Why spend a minute longer on board than you have to?
Also, can't say it would kill me to sit apart for an hour from dh, much as I love him.

Glad you saw the funny side

Ryanair is worse that Easyjet for this, IMO. But as you say people get SO het up and competitive.

Must add that as a single flyer I have often offered to move seats so that families can sit together, and have seen others do the same.

We flew very recently with them - first time and last! It was exactly as you described. DH and I referred to it as being like Harrods Sale .

It was the non-allocation of seats that surprised me. However, if you are not bothered about possibly not sitting with the people with which you are travelling, then I agree with Moondog - cheap and cheeful air travel!

Ryanair is worse has they have no SA group, so if youhave small kids tough. Yes it is cheaper as they don't have to have expensive computer systems to allocate the seats.

You get what you pays for.

I'll fly Easyjet, and so far have found it reasonably pleasant, but do always pay for speedy boarding. Would never ever ever ever ever fly Ryanair; would rather walk and swim.

Just wait until you have teenagers. I remember one flight to Antigua when kmy teenage daughter tried (not on Easyjet) to ensure she was as far apart from the rest of the family as possible.

Was looking at easyjet flights last night. My lot don't really mind who they are near if it's just a few hours but I did ask a boy to swap in the summer as we were on an 8 hour flight and he seemed to be alone. Then saw his family were across the aisle but they were happy he could move to the row behind so 4 of us were near each other.

I think the first post in this thread says more about the other passengers than the airline actually.

ha ha!! we used to fly ryanair a lot when my dad lived in france. dh would tag along at the back of the crowd with dd in his arms while i'd race to get the seats.

i used pity the poor souls who weren't used to travelling this way who'd innocently watch aghast as everyone who knew what was what would get 'on your marks' as soon as they reached the gate.

I take it this was your first time, QOD...

Tbh, I've flown loads of times with Easyjet. yes speedy boarding's ridiculous (especially at some airports when all it means is you get on the bus first) but I don't actually think the no seat allocation thing is a problem.

Ryanair, on the other hand....

read this, very funny

Btw they don't allocate seats because it's a way of cutting costs. They have been doing it for more than 10 years now so it's hardly news. And they're not the only ones doing it.

In fact, I can remember when BA used to do it on Shuttle flights

[gimmer]

I am flying with ryan air in a few weeks to get home (UK) for Xmas and new year.

Luckily, i am flying alone so it wont be too tense... i hope.

Again though, this airline also have no seat numbers which just baffle me as things would be so much easier and more orderly but hey ho!!

Also,they seem to charge for every little thing on top!!
I persionally think that when you book and pay for a flight you should have your luggage included in that fee, not having to pay extra.

i have now also heard that they are going to start charging a pound or a euro to use the toilet... i have only heard this but to be honest, it wouldent supprise me as they charge for everything else ... grrrrrrrr

Did you see on the internet news the other day that thre is talk of removing the back 10 rows and making standing only areas?
Surely it's a joke?

I had this with DD on a Ryanair flight. We were last 2 on the plane and she was only 7, we were seated opposite sides of the plane.

I was not happy but nobody would move and air stewardess refused to help.

Hell, Easyjet are like HRH's Private Jet compared to Lyingair.

We can't fly with Easy jet. We did once and it was a bloody nightmare.
They were supposed to do special needs boarding but as everyone crowds around the boarding gate I could not get DS2 through without causing him huge distress. Their SN boarding is clearly only meant for physical disability - although I felt very sorry for the wheelchair users trying to get anyone near the gate.
I now don't fly with anyone who will not let us book our seats in advance. It is just not worth it to even try

Mostly fly on Easy Jet, never had a problemas such. The boarding can be a bit hectic but once inside the plane, the stewards and hostessesalways ask passengers if they can move if they see that it helps a large family to all sit together (passenger do not always accept to move but in a vast majority they do).

I think the state of the toilet, wherever you go depend on the users not on the company. Even if the toilets have been cleened 5 minutes before you get in, if the last person before you has an "accident" there will be urine everywhere.

We're flying EasyJet to spain next summer - they were the only ones I could afford.

I daresay people will offer to move if they're faced with a choice of my unattended 2yo sitting next to them, or offering me their seat.

If I can't get a seat next to the 5yo I shall start loudly advising him what to do when he starts feeling sick.

Actually I quite like the idea of sitting my boys next to some unsuspecting businessmen, and going and sitting by myself at the back. Nice peaceful journey for me ...

Perhaps it's just the Brits?
I fly EJ and RY about once a year from Poland to the UK and there is no problem with orderly queuing, people with small children are let into the queue (despite RY not even offering priority to lone travellers with small children without the surcharge - EJ at least do that).
I was on RY for the first time ever last week, alone with both DDs (4 and 6) and 3 pieces of handluggage and we had no problem. The service was average, but nothing worse. One of the air stewardesses in particular was lovely to the girls.

But alas, to me the cheap airlines are the difference between getting back to the UK to see family or not (and helping my kids to keep their English up), as I cannot afford to fly full price with 2 kids. They also enable my Mum to come and see us.
I am aware of the drawbacks, environmental and other (I now try to fly handluggage only, for instance, though I do pay the environmental charge), but life is different for us now we have small children. No more 27-hr coach journeys across the continent (ah the nostalgia...).

Oh God. Having sworn blind many times never to fly Ryanair again I have booked DS and I with them from Manchester to Dublin in Jan. Purely because the flight goes at the same time as DH's flight back to Budapest so none of us are hanging around the airport for 3 hours. I am going to regret it aren't I? In fact I am regretting it.

DS is 8 and I am NOT sitting apart from him. So I will be standing up refusing to sit until they sort it out if necessary.

I have SUCH a short fuse. It will be murder. I hate Michael O'bloodyLeary.

Fruitful .... i like your style hehehe