Ryanair vs. Easyjet
Aug 6th, 2004, 10:10 AM
#21
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It's interesting to read people talking about prices dropping.
I was due to go to a conference in Edinburgh (Herriot Watt University) in October and booked my BMI Baby ticket in March this year. It cost £69 (Cardiff to Edinburgh).
One of my colleagues decided in June that he'd like to come with me and his ticket cost £35. I e-mailed BMI Baby but did not receive a reply, so I wrote instead to the Sunday Times and they printed my complaint. The reply from BMI was - tough luck, we have added more flights on that route and you've lost out. I know the figures are small but it goes against the budget airlines policy of book early to get the best prices.
As it happens, I have since been asked to speak at a conference in Antwerp on the same day and they will refund me my Scotland flight.
I was due to go to a conference in Edinburgh (Herriot Watt University) in October and booked my BMI Baby ticket in March this year. It cost £69 (Cardiff to Edinburgh).
One of my colleagues decided in June that he'd like to come with me and his ticket cost £35. I e-mailed BMI Baby but did not receive a reply, so I wrote instead to the Sunday Times and they printed my complaint. The reply from BMI was - tough luck, we have added more flights on that route and you've lost out. I know the figures are small but it goes against the budget airlines policy of book early to get the best prices.
As it happens, I have since been asked to speak at a conference in Antwerp on the same day and they will refund me my Scotland flight.
Aug 13th, 2004, 01:42 PM
#24
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I have looked at various industry figures and note that on average Easyjet`s fares are more than 50% higher than those of Ryanair.Ryanair is also far more punctual with a consistently superior record month after month.Easyjet though does fly from the main airports as a rule but I have not always found this as convenient as it might seem.Quite often on Ryanair you can be out of the airport and in a hired car in a very short time.
Aug 14th, 2004, 12:28 AM
#25
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As has been said previously on this thread, Ryanair build in lateness into their flying time (i.e. by making flight times appear longer than they really are). So therefore it is inevitable that they will have a better "on-time" record than EasyJet.
The other criticism made this week by the UK Government (aimed directly at Ryanair) was that the advertised cheap fares were usually only for one way and the return was considerably more expensive (source of information was "The Sunday Times" travel supplement last Sunday).
The other criticism made this week by the UK Government (aimed directly at Ryanair) was that the advertised cheap fares were usually only for one way and the return was considerably more expensive (source of information was "The Sunday Times" travel supplement last Sunday).
Aug 14th, 2004, 01:17 AM
#26
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I've flown EasyJet twice and they get you from A to B safely. Nothing more. That's ok for their short flights. We had a delay once, the airport waiting area was too small and then they began preboarding even before the plane was there and we were waiting in the cold directly in front of the jet-way. It was a bit of a cluster-f&&k, if you know what I mean. But it was a weather delay, they were just overwhelmed and understaffed. My one experience with Ryanair was terrible: I got to the airport 5 min. after they closed check in. They refused to check me in, even though the incoming plane had not landed yet nor had they started boarding. I had travelled 3 hours by train to get to the airport and had figured 2 hours cushion to prevent that, but the train had delays! They simply did not want to print out another weight and balance report to show the pilot an additional pax and baggage. But I got my revenge. I paid €10 for the fare and €40 for taxes and fees. I was able to reclaim the €40 from American Express because the flight was not taken, so the taxes were not due to be paid to the respective governments... Might not work for everyone but it did for me.
Anyway, I will fly EasyJet again next month to Italy. By the way, if you are flying in/out of Germany, AirBerlin has great fares, and better service. Really good.
ciao Patrick / Düsseldorf area
Anyway, I will fly EasyJet again next month to Italy. By the way, if you are flying in/out of Germany, AirBerlin has great fares, and better service. Really good.
ciao Patrick / Düsseldorf area
Aug 14th, 2004, 02:23 AM
#27
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I have only flown Easyjet once from Paris to Barcelona and back (okay, I guess that would be twice), but I had the same experience with Easyjet that Patrick had with RyanAir.
And I *did* get to the airport with several minutes to spare, I just stood in the wrong line. The agent saw me standing in the line waiting to check-in, and when I got to the front of the line, she informed me that I could not check in there and had to walk to the back of the airport to the check-in desk. She informed me that I was standing in the *ticketing* line, not the check-in line.
Of course there was no obvious sign to that effect, and she pointed to a small placard on the counter that I could not have seen well from the back of the line and couldn't have read anyway because it was in French.
Lo and behold, when I walked back to the actual check-in area, the time was now 3 minutes past the check-in deadline and they said I had arrived too late and I would not be allowed to get on the flight -- never mind that the plane had not arrived yet and boarding would not begin for another 40 minutes! And I didn't even have luggage to check, just a small carry-on.
(Furthermore, according to my watch, it was more like one minute late at the most, but there was a clock overhead that they very helpfully pointed out to me. More than once.)
Well, of course I argued that I had arrived on time, and had been standing in line at the easyjet desk for several minutes already, and that the ticket agent had seen me waiting my turn in line with ticket in hand, but it did absolutely no good. Since that was the only flight to Barcelona that day, I had to leave the airport, head back to Paris to find a place to stay for the night, and I forfeited one night of my hotel in Barcelona and lost a full day of my trip.
The one good thing to come out of the experience was that they did allow me to take the same flight the next day. I think I was charged a small penalty, but they didn't charge me twice for the full fare. Gee thanks, easyjet.
Having said all that, I would fly easyjet again, but my advice would be to get to the airport very, very early, far in advance of the check-in deadline! Especially if you are going to an unfamiliar airport and might need some time to get your bearings and find the appropriate place to go to check in.
I still can not believe they would not let me check in three minutes after the deadline, when I had no luggage to check and the plane had not even arrived. It was the only time in my life I understood the concept of air-rage and why people might want to physically attack an airline employee.
If Ryanair has worse customer service than easyjet, then I don't think I will be flying Ryanair anytime soon.
And I *did* get to the airport with several minutes to spare, I just stood in the wrong line. The agent saw me standing in the line waiting to check-in, and when I got to the front of the line, she informed me that I could not check in there and had to walk to the back of the airport to the check-in desk. She informed me that I was standing in the *ticketing* line, not the check-in line.
Of course there was no obvious sign to that effect, and she pointed to a small placard on the counter that I could not have seen well from the back of the line and couldn't have read anyway because it was in French.
Lo and behold, when I walked back to the actual check-in area, the time was now 3 minutes past the check-in deadline and they said I had arrived too late and I would not be allowed to get on the flight -- never mind that the plane had not arrived yet and boarding would not begin for another 40 minutes! And I didn't even have luggage to check, just a small carry-on.
(Furthermore, according to my watch, it was more like one minute late at the most, but there was a clock overhead that they very helpfully pointed out to me. More than once.)
Well, of course I argued that I had arrived on time, and had been standing in line at the easyjet desk for several minutes already, and that the ticket agent had seen me waiting my turn in line with ticket in hand, but it did absolutely no good. Since that was the only flight to Barcelona that day, I had to leave the airport, head back to Paris to find a place to stay for the night, and I forfeited one night of my hotel in Barcelona and lost a full day of my trip.
The one good thing to come out of the experience was that they did allow me to take the same flight the next day. I think I was charged a small penalty, but they didn't charge me twice for the full fare. Gee thanks, easyjet.
Having said all that, I would fly easyjet again, but my advice would be to get to the airport very, very early, far in advance of the check-in deadline! Especially if you are going to an unfamiliar airport and might need some time to get your bearings and find the appropriate place to go to check in.
I still can not believe they would not let me check in three minutes after the deadline, when I had no luggage to check and the plane had not even arrived. It was the only time in my life I understood the concept of air-rage and why people might want to physically attack an airline employee.
If Ryanair has worse customer service than easyjet, then I don't think I will be flying Ryanair anytime soon.
Aug 14th, 2004, 02:57 AM
#28
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Anyone who has seen the British TV programme "Airline" will know how intransigent EasyJet are when it comes to check-in rules. 30 seconds late is too much - end of story.
A day after one particular episode of "Airline" was broadcast, the BBC showed their version - "Airport" which features Heathrow. In this episode a passenger travelling with El-AL forgot their passport and had a friend bring it in to the airport for them. Not only did El-AL extend the person's check-in time but a member of staff waited outside the terminal with the passenger to get the passport.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Personally, I would rather pay £25 return and take my chances with the budget airlines on short haul - but would still choose EasyJet over Ryanair after past experience. Having said that, I am flying to Marseille from Gatwick next Saturday and have chosen BA because they were just as competitive (£89 return including taxes) - and I get the added benefits of flying with a major airline, although they have just announced their intention to strike!!
A day after one particular episode of "Airline" was broadcast, the BBC showed their version - "Airport" which features Heathrow. In this episode a passenger travelling with El-AL forgot their passport and had a friend bring it in to the airport for them. Not only did El-AL extend the person's check-in time but a member of staff waited outside the terminal with the passenger to get the passport.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Personally, I would rather pay £25 return and take my chances with the budget airlines on short haul - but would still choose EasyJet over Ryanair after past experience. Having said that, I am flying to Marseille from Gatwick next Saturday and have chosen BA because they were just as competitive (£89 return including taxes) - and I get the added benefits of flying with a major airline, although they have just announced their intention to strike!!
Aug 14th, 2004, 03:55 AM
#29
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Here's a Plus Point for EasyJet:
I noticed there was a price decrease from what I originally paid and called the customer service hotline and now have a €15 credit on file which I can use anytime in the next 6 months. Which I am likely to do...
I noticed there was a price decrease from what I originally paid and called the customer service hotline and now have a €15 credit on file which I can use anytime in the next 6 months. Which I am likely to do...
Aug 15th, 2004, 12:40 AM
#30
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As a post script to this thread. There is a complaint in todays "Sunday Times" from a traveller on EasyJet last May. They were due to fly home from Faro to Luton, but EasyJet had filled out the insurance paper-work incorrectly and could not travel to Luton. They were taken to Stansted. When the passenger tried to claim compensation for the land journey (made at their own expence) back to Luton, they had to write twice to get a reply which told them that there would be no compensation as when they agreed to be taken to Stansted, it constituted a new contract. They had had the option of remaining in Faro and getting their flight money back. It took a complaint to the Times to get a refund! How about that for customer service?
Mind you, there is also an article written by a journalist who was told to check in as normal at Orlando this weekend. When they got there they were told that the flight had been cancelled and that no compensation was forthcoming as it was "an act of God". They could transfer them onto a flight that left in 10 days time. The other option was to go from Atlanta - getting there was at the customer's expence as the airline was not bound to give compensation. The airline? British Airways.
Mind you, there is also an article written by a journalist who was told to check in as normal at Orlando this weekend. When they got there they were told that the flight had been cancelled and that no compensation was forthcoming as it was "an act of God". They could transfer them onto a flight that left in 10 days time. The other option was to go from Atlanta - getting there was at the customer's expence as the airline was not bound to give compensation. The airline? British Airways.
