Easy-Jet
 

We are thinking of using Easy Jet to get from Paris to Barcelona for a cruise.This is for May 2005

Any comments concerning this airline? I do know that the luggage is limited, but we are not concerned about that.

Thank you,
Mary

Easyjet was one of the first of the no-frills airlines, and is vastly popular for one reason. Price. You can get some spectularly cheap deals.

But no frills does mean no frills. You won't get a seat allocation, so make sure you get to the airport early. You'll have to pay daft prices for food or drink on the flight, so bring your own. And to keep costs down they have very short turn-around times on the tarmac, which means even minor delays can cause repercussions in terms of losing your take-off slot and getting even more delayed.

But as long as you're not cutting it too fine to meet your cruise, this shouldn't cause problems. Factor in some extra time in case there are any delays.

You'll get cheaper prices the earlier you book, so book now.

They appear to be as rock solid as many of Europe's myriad "non-flagship" airlines (indeed, perhaps considerably mre so than two-thirds of the airlines in the US - - and likewise better than some of the "flagship" airlines like Alitalia).

But airlines are continuously on the rocks in this century (and last - - remember TWA? and a half dozen others?)

The low-cost wonder VolareWeb seemed to keel over unexpectedly just recently, amid accounting irregularity and/or scandal.

Monitor this board and/or www.whichbudget.com - - you'll note that www.vueling.com (much newer, and thus, perhaps less secure than EasyJet) also serves the route. That should help, though it may add pressures to keep prices unrealistically low - - always a recipe for not being able to stay in business.

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers
Floyds Knobs, Indiana

I've flown with them several times, and haven't had any problems.

Just pay close attention to the time they tell you to be at the airport. They are extremely strict, and if you show up even 1 minute late, it's very unlikely you will get on your flight.

Thank you for your replies. We are allowing ourselves a three day pre-cruise in Barcelona so time is not a critical issue if the flight is delayed.

Another question: Any suggestions for a nice, but not costly hotel near Orley airport? We will be in Paris a few days, and would most likely spend the last night near the airport so that we will be there in plenty of time for the 10:30 flight and not have to worry about traffic from downtown Paris.

Mary

For a hotel, check the options at http://www.accorhotel.com .

Note that some hotels in the 14th might work out nicely too. The Air France bus to Orly leaves from in front of Gare Montparnasse very frequently.

I would aim to be at check-in about 2.5 hours in advance, although check-in doesn't normally start until exactly two hours in advance of the flight.

EasyJet is very similar to the US' Southwest Airlines..similar business model and operations practices, no assigned seats, cheap fares, no on-board food service other than what you pay additional for.

In terms of stability...have you heard Southwest whining about possible bankruptcy??? and I doubt you'll hear this from EasyJet either.

You say you are not concerned about the 44# of baggage allowed per person? That's good but you can, if necessary pay the excess charge if you go over the limit.

Have you actually checked any of the other airlines that fly this route..because of the competition they may even match the fares.

To all who have replied:

This is great information. yes, we know that we might have to pay some overweight, but the fares that we have been quoted are at least $600. Overweight would not be much.

We had looked at accor and will check out the 14th area so that we can use the buses. That was a great piece of info and we have use accor before and they were fine for the few nights stay in Scotland and we had considered accor but were not sure in what area to stay.We have been to Paris before so there are some things we would not do and others that we will so the location to central things is not as important as the first time.

I really like this board as it if full of great info.

Mary

Marytutor, we stayed at Le Meridien Montparnasse right across the street from where the buses pick up, either for CDG or Orly. Very convenient. But that was through Priceline so much cheaper than usual rates. Another hotel that looks nice and is adjacent to the bus pickup is Bleu Marine -
https://www.envergure.fr/bleumarinefr.html

There are a whole bunch of other hotels within a couple blocks.

I booked with Easy Jet last year for a trip from Bratislava to Paris and back. The booking was easy although the airfare was higher than I had thought it would be- this was because I had booked a few weeks before our trip. If I would have booked a few months back I would have been able to take advantage of the bargain airfare. I will say that the cabin felt a bit tight but since the flight was quick it was tolerable. They do give out glasses of water- sparkling or non-sparkling! The flight crew was very nice- we flew Czech Air to Prague the week before and it was the crew and flight from hell.

Had two good experiences with them. Excellent value for money. You will find that the add on 'admin' fees on the on line booking system are sometimes equal to or greater than the actual fare. I seem to recall that they charge you and additional 5euros when you use your cc (which you have to).

You don't need to be there 2.5 hours beforehand--1 hour is fine. And like the other poster said, they don't even open the desk until 2 hours before flight time, so there's no point getting there that early.

We hit traffic coming from downtown Paris, and the only reason we made our flight was because our cab driver was insane. But, sorry, I don't have specific ideas on hotels, except to say that staying near the airport is a good idea.

Easyjet does have a credit card charge, but it is in pounds, not euros. But I've found the vast majority of European airlines add a CC fee.

I'd never recommend only arriving one hour in advance, because sometimes your transport is delayed and sometimes the lines are long. If you get there at the start of the line, you also get a choice of better seats (because you're boarded with an earlier group). Most travel disasters I've read about with low-budget airlines involve not getting to the airport in time.

Rex:
Is Floyds Knobs near Salt Lick?

Floyds Knobs is well over two hours from Salt Lick or Paint Lick or Mays Lick or Big Bone Lick (State Park) - - all of which are located in Kentucky.

Slightly closer is Gnaw Bone (Indiana).

And as Donald Trump knows well, I'm sure, it is closer to French Lick (Indiana) than to any of the aforementioned.

Well, I guess I'm just a moron, because I've flown with easyjet about 20 times now, and I've always gotten to the airport 1 hour before take-off without a problem.

And who in the world cares where they sit for a short flight like Paris to Barcelona?

Sorry Rex - i was really thinking of French Link and came out Salt Lick - i guess a lot of licks down in hill country. Of course French Lick only known to me beacuse of Larry Bird.

Mary-

When are you going on your trip? My sisters and I are going on the RCC on the 28th of May. We were planning to do the same thing but would be there during the french open and decided against it. So we deicded to do Barcelona thurs-sat until the cruise.
Let me know......

We are on the May 15 Celebrity Millennium. I guess that we get to Vencice on the day that you leave Barcelona.


Mary

I flew EasyJet in December from Madrid to London. Fares are often not quite as good as Ryan Air, but the destinations are usually a bit better in terms of popularity.

Do not be afraid to fly with them. The service is very good. I actually had better service with them and Ryan Air from London to Barcelona than I did on Iberia from Barcelona to Madrid.

I arrived at the airport not quite 2 hours ahead of time and walked right up no problem. There was no wait. I would personally want to leave a bit more time than an hour (maybe 1.5 hours) just in case something happens; better to be safe than miss the flight.

Godo luck, and enjoy Barcelona. There are some amazing architectural sights.