i have booked on easyjet to fly london to madrid, anybody used them or know anything good/bad ?
i am aware there is no drinks etc

thank you in advance p.s. i will be in Madrid from the 5th oct till 11th oct...i miss out on the party ...unfortunately

Wazza

We flew easyJet from Liverpool in May this year. It was great. On time, or actually delayed by 20 minutes, but we were kept informed. Friendly staff. Clean plane, which felt calm with no trolleys up and down the ailes. Generally, just a fuss-free quick cheap way to get where you want to go.

Drinks I seem to remember where about £1 each (coffee, chocolate, tea etc.), we took our own food, and didn't buy any alchoholic drinks, but I seem to remember that they weren't very expensive.

If you want to choose where to sit, make sure you arrive first at check in. I seem to remember, that they let the first 30 checked in on board first (you get a plastic returnable boarding card which is numbered according to the order you checked in.), and this gives you plenty of scope to sit where you prefer.

Hope you have a successful trip.

Jo-Anne

[This message has been edited by Jo-Anne (edited 09-17-2000).]

Wazza,

I guess you are of the many people who don't fully trust on this airline. Even though they offer extremely cheap prices (such as 4500 pesetas Madrid - London one way including taxes), people seem to think they are going to fly on an old plane who is going to crash before it lands.

You don't have to worry about their planes. In fact, they are the airline with the youngest fleet in the world. Their oldest planes are only 5 years old. Could you tell me of an airline having newer planes than this?.

Why are they so cheap?. Well, here are a few reasons:


[*] They cut off costs by booking through the internet (75% of the tickets and the rest by phone). They don't work with travel agencies so they don't have to pay commissions.


[*] They don't give meals or drinks on board (though you can buy them). This also save money.


[*] They don't even have tickets, so they also save on paper, printers...


[*] Easyjet chairman, it's a millionaire, so he can do excentric things with his money.

You will find other airlines working the same as Easyjet: Go, Virgin Express, Ryanair... I wish there were more cheap airlines (Debonair used to be in the business but they went bankrupt last year).

And now, my personal review:

I flew with Easyjet from London (Luton) to Madrid and, as Jo-Anne said, it was great. The flight was on time and cheaper than any other airline.

Note that Thames Link offer discount for Easyjet passengers tranfer from central London to Luton. Check out the information here .

Enjoy your Easyjet flight,

Antonio

PS: Madrid airport is not big enough for the number of flights it gets. Therefore, there are usually delays in many flights. So, your Easyjet flight may be delayed but so it could be any other airline flight.

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The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

[This message has been edited by Antonio (edited 09-19-2000).]

many thanks Jo-ann and Antonio for your reply, i will go ahead and book my other trips with easyjet to Athens and Switzerland as well.


ever grateful Wazza

Wazza,

I forgot to tell you that Easyjet fares rise as people book their tickets. That is, if a flight is heavily booked for some reason, you won't find a good deal. In fact, you may even pay more than in any other airline. The key is to book in advances.

Also note that in the event of prices going down (due to cancellations, I guess) you can get a refund.

Although I am an Easyjet fan, I have to admit that sometimes they don't offer the best fares, specially if you don't a long time in advance.

Regards,

Antonio

------------------
The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

Another great thing about EasyJet is that for some reason there never seems to be a queue at check-in. Before they started flying to Spain I always took chartered flights from Manchester or Gatwick, and the queues (both ways) would be enormous (especially to Malaga). It's unreal - you pay rock-bottom prices for a scheduled flight (go when you want, come back when you want), and there are no queues! EasyJet is a dream come true.

El Boqueron,

The reason why there is no queues/lines at check-in it's very understandable. With Easyjet the sooner you check in the better seat you will get.

The system works as follow: the first person who check-in, get a plastic card with the number 1 on it, the second with the number 2 and so on. When you arrive at the plane, the person with the number 1 is the first who chooses where he wants to seat.

When I flew with them last year, I got the number 5 so that I was able to seet just in the first row. I think the front part of the plane is where business class is in planes.

Eddie, is at the front the best place to choose in a Boeing 737-300?. If not, please tell us which seat you'd choose in a plane.

Regards,

Antonio

------------------
The best tips from your favourite hostal in Madrid.
Hostal Chelo at http://www.chelo.com

Don't forget that Go,( www.go-fly.com ) the British Airways budget offshoot also fly to Madrid (from London Stansted) and can also be very inexpensive. My recent flight cost £50 Inclusive, return. They do offer you the choice of a seat which is nice but it is only a 2 hr flight so all is not lost if you get stuck next to a real bore...
Also, keep an eye on sites like www.expedia.co.uk for offers from the regular airlines that fly to Madrid such as Britis Airways, British Midland and Iberia, which fly from Heathrow.
Derek
[Derek, I just made your go-fly link clickable]

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 09-21-2000).]

I flew easy jet to Athens in Feb. Very cheap, punctual and courteous. In the light of this experience have booked with them again for Madrid in October. We booked early and got very reasonably priced seats, £80 return (inc all taxes.)
Congratulations Madridman, love your site. I have learned a lot about Madrid and am really looking forward to my visit.