Queue Jumping The Easy Way

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,109

Queue Jump The Easy Way!
The Post

Budget airline easyJet today said passengers had given a lukewarm reaction to a scheme that lets passengers pay extra to board their aircraft first.

The carrier said there had been a “mixed response” to the concept, which it has been testing at Luton airport during the last week.

EasyJet has been allowing up to 10 passengers on each of its flights from Luton to jump the queue for a £10 (€14.50) fee.

The airline, which runs a sit-anywhere policy on its flights, claimed the scheme would benefit passengers wanting more legroom or the choice of a seat in a particular part of the aircraft.

A spokeswoman said it was too early to say whether it would roll the idea out to other airports after the trial, which ends today.

“There’s been a mixed response because passengers were not aware of it in advance and it was only something that they were told about at check-in,” she said.

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,877

Why would you want to board the aircraft first? Any additional minute inside that aluminium-and-polyester tube will only make your trombosis worse. I'd rather be bored in the airport terminal than inside the airplane.

Last in, first out.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,109

To get the best legroom seats as it says in the article. I would consider paying that for any flight over 2 hrs. Not a lot for a bit more comfort ?

Member for

19 years 7 months

Posts: 862

Why would you want to board the aircraft first? Any additional minute inside that aluminium-and-polyester tube will only make your trombosis worse. I'd rather be bored in the airport terminal than inside the airplane.

Last in, first out.

Well if you're in first or tenth, you get a good seat, thus more movement and no blood clot.

It's cheaper than most charter companies.

DME

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,342

Yeh, but of course if you add £20 onto your flight (or more with some of the charter carriers) then you may be getting into the realsm of paying British Airways prices, at which point you should just book with BA, where you get free food/drink, and then check-in the night before on the internet and pick your seats!!

I'm really not a fan of this theory of paying for extra legroom seats. If the airlines want to save them for people 6'5" and over then fair enough, I can understand that, but to profit out of it....well its almost getting into discrimination terittory so we won't go there!!!! All I can say is Ryanair knows what happens when they discriminate...see all news reports boaut Ryanair paying out compensation regarding wheelchair users!!!

Member for

19 years 10 months

Posts: 1,338

To get the best legroom seats as it says in the article. I would consider paying that for any flight over 2 hrs. Not a lot for a bit more comfort ?

The best legroom is normally reserved for special needs
passengers on easyjet.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,342

The best legroom is normally reserved for special needs
passengers on easyjet.

When I've been on EZY this hasn't always been the case, I have battled my way to overwing exit seats etc, although I have seen disabled pax on the front rows, but assuming a limted number of special needs pax then EZY still probably have upto 10 seats available on each flight.

Member for

20 years 10 months

Posts: 9,401

Surely the exit rows shouldnt be reserved for people with special needs ? What if they needed to get out quickly or operate the doors in an emergency ?

Meaning no offence whatsoever to people with special needs BTW.

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 867

More then anything i think its just another way for EZY to make more money, could see FR adopt this soon.

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 325

To comply with safety regualtions all emergency exit seats must be occuppied by Able Bodied Passengers that could assisst the cabin crew in the unlikeley event of an emergency.
This means that a disabled passenger, an obese passenger, an elderly passenger or someone under 14 cannot sit within these seats.
There are prefferred seating locations on aircraft for disabled passengers. On flights with unassigned seating, these passengers would be boarde first anyway to allow them to get settled on board and for the crew to go over the safety brief with them.

Member for

20 years 10 months

Posts: 9,401

Thought so, thanks for confirming, just after what Joe said, put some doubt in my mind.

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 325

No probs.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,342

[QUOTE=N5552.0W00425.9]To comply with safety regualtions all emergency exit seats must be occuppied by Able Bodied Passengers that could assisst the cabin crew in the unlikeley event of an emergency.
This means that a disabled passenger, an obese passenger, an elderly passenger or someone under 14 cannot sit within these seats.
QUOTE]

This is very true, but annoyingly very rarely have I seen an airline check the capability of passengers sat in these seats. Some airlines are supposed to give passengers in such locations a briefing on how to operate these, do we see this...NO. Certainly when I flew with EZY and took an overwing exit, any decision to allow me to continue sitting there must have been made as a flash decision by someone walking past, now that is fair enough as I'm in my 20s and 6'1" so probably look very capable...BUT I have certainly seen enough people sitting in these seats that I would be worried about!

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 284

My immediate thought to this idea was the same as rdc1000's, in that the extra fee will put the fare up to or above the full service competition. However of course, not all of EZY's routes have full service competition and it is on these routes where some travellers may feel they are 'forced' fly on a low-cost airline and therefore be willing to pay more for extra comfort.

Member for

20 years 2 months

Posts: 2,495

I cant see many people forking that amount of money to board first. People who would generally want to sit together would be familys with young kids but they board first anyway. Couples travelling together might avail of this but that seems quite expensive.
What about airports where they use a handling agent and there are noe easyjet staff present?
I think they should offer a seat selection feature on there website and charge an extra £1 or £2 and then more people would do it. Sometimes less can meen more.

Member for

20 years 1 month

Posts: 4,255

Not worth £10!!! If you want the best seats, turn up 2 hrs before departure! Simple as that!

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 10,625

I turned up 3 hours before check in opened officialy. I was still boarding number 65!