brizaboo

Can it be true? Flights on Easyjet from Rome to Geneva as little as .49 Euros?? In July, it is at about the highest price and that is 14.49 Euros. Am I reading this wrong or is there some hidden charge?

rex

Well - - you realize that there ARE taxes and fees which could add as much as 20 euro or so, right?

But even so - - it's right, the airline collects less than a dollar. They're looking ot buy the loyalty of future customers (keep in mind that most of their customers LIVE in Europe, not on some other continent).

You get to be the beneficiary of this incredibly aggressive marketing.

Best wishes,

Rex

bob_brown

I flew Easy Jet from London Luton to Zürich last year. No reserved seating. You board by sections. there are posted restrictions about carry on luggage, but nobody checked me very closely.

I guess I did not look like I had a steamer trunk trailing along behind me.

It is strictly no frills, but the aircraft got us there.
Aer Lingus is similar.

Intrepid1

The operation is very similar to the US' Southwest Airlines and probably modeled on them. Efficient, minimal aircarft turnaroud times, no food served (but available for purchase), no assigned seats and boarding by numbers (first to check in gets to board first in groups of 30).

Very economical PROVIDED you book as early as possible.

Ann41

And you MUST be on time to check in. They will not let you on the plane if you are even 1 minute late. When they tell you what the check-in cutoff time is, they mean it.

Patrick

I keep seeing that last comment regarding Easy Jet. I'm curious what airlines do let you board if you are late. This site has been filled with people mentioning being late and missing flights on all kinds of airlines. What's that all about?
The best suggestion for any airline is "Don't be late". By the way, with Easy Jet you line up at a counter for a specific flight. I have noticed that as the counter next to it closes when that flight goes off, they often expand to take big lines waiting for another flight. They seem concerned about getting everybody through with as little waiting as possible.

highledge

I think "late" on easy jet is not checked in 30 minutes before tak off. Late on other airlines would be shorter.

rex

Checked in? as in "at the counter"? There is not an airport anywhere in the US where I would plan on less than 30 minutes at the TSA screening alone, and I have been to a reasonable sampling of them, large and small, this year: BOS, BIS, CID, CLT, CVG, LAX, RDU, SDF and SMF. To arrive at the airport less than 60 minutes before scheduled take-off provides no opportunity for pointing a finger of blame at anybody but yourself.

So I agree with Patrick - -what's all this ragging on airlines that operate according to schedule?

Ardfert

Easyjet and Ryanair are fighting a battle for leadership in the low-cost airline business in Europe.They are of a similar size with about 25 million passengers yearly,although Ryanair is far more profitable.They are point to point airlines so if you miss your connection due to a late arrival of the plane you will have to buy a new ticket which will almost always be expensive.In general Ryanair are cheaper and more likely to be on time because they fly to small rather than the big city airports.Their websites are at www.easyjet.com and www.ryanair.com

WillTravel

I've now flown EasyJet three times, for prices ranging from 25-40 Euros all in, and all flights went perfectly smoothly. All the airports involved were as convenient as any.

brookwood

the catch if any is that taxes can darn double the ticket price, like from 20£ to 40£

But the taxes are not just on EasyJet; all airlines charge them.

The other catch is that you board by arrival order. No reserved seat. If you get there early, you get a good position in the mad rush queue. Last year we got to Luton well ahead and were in Group A.
We got to go on first through the front door, just before the soccer crazies were allowed to board through the back door.

That might be a catch. Our flight was, to say the least, noisy. Soccer fans in Europe are less restrained than American football crowds.
At least that was my take on it.

After we landed in Zürich, the whole mob paraded along the corridors of the airport singing and clapping their hands. I guess that was their version of a pep rally.

I was a little surprised the Swiss put up with it, but I guess it was easier to hope they would go on elsewhere.

Ann41

singing and clapping their hands??? My God! When will the maddness end?

I'm always early for flights anyway, but the other airlines are much more flexible than easyjet. If United says you have to be checked in 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time, they're still going to let you check in 25 minutes before departure time, whereas easyjet will not.

Easyjet used to require 45 minutes, and I received a stern lecture when I turned up 47 minutes before a flight (my first easyjet flight).

MorganB

When you miss your plane on EasyJet you simply dont fly. Your ticket is worthless. On other airlines you may often fly standby on the next flight or pay a fee to change the ticket depending on the fare you purchased. I think that EasyJet represents a true value for the customer but it is important to be aware that they are very serious about the check in cut off time.

I have seen VERY long lines here in France at Easy Jet counters. Longer that at major carriers. That's not to say that it is like that for every flight in every city in the world but it certainly has been the case here in some instances. That combined with the 30 minute cut off for the flight simply means that people need to be aware that they should be at the airport well in advance of the flight. Easyjet recommends 2 hours, twice the time of major carriers for short haul flights.

Intrepid1

And the reason you've seen those "long lines at EasyJet counters" is because people know a good thing when they can get it in terms of pricing and are willing to maked allowances such as checking in early and BEFORE the flight "closes" etc., etc.

Hey, you want "more time" and "more flexibility" as to check in timing, etc.? No problem...just pay more.

Woyzeck

By the way, check out germanwings.com or airberlin.com for similar low budget carriers originating in Germany.

JimSteel

As mentioned European low cost airline market is very competitive. From 3 players to over 40 in 4 years! As mentioned they get you there and have really opened up Eastern Europe. Although its not yet been decided if Eastern Europe will welcome British stag parties by the hundred thousand

WillTravel

Another reason to plan to be early to the airport is that it can take a lot longer than you think to get there. I took the Terravision coach from Termini to Rome Ciampino. A trip that was supposed to take 40 minutes took 90 (and the coach left almost 10 minutes early). Terravision provides recommendations as to what coach to take for what flight, and I had taken one that was rather earlier than recommended.

Any other method of road transport would have been slow too, because there was a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam on the Roman highways at 5:30 PM on a Sunday. I think it was because of the post-holiday period.

I had allowed lots of time, so arrived at check-in 2 hours and 2 minutes prior to my EasyJet flight. I was still #58 in the passenger list, although that did not end up mattering. I'm sure I would have been fine if I had arrived 1 hour ahead of time instead of 2, but if I had planned to arrive 1 hour ahead of time, I wouldn't have made it.

Kate_W

Another hidden cost relates to transfers to and from the airport. I'm not sure about Rome-Geneva, but I know that in London, the discount carriers often arrive and depart from Stansted very early and very late - when the trains, airline buses and other "public" transportation options aren't running. Which means that you have to pay for mini-cabs and taxis. So don't forget to include the cost of getting to and from an inconvenient airport in the middle of the night into your ticket cost.