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Easyjet A319 economy class

Published: 30/11/2011 - Filed under: Tried & Tested » Airlines » Tried & Tested » Tried & Tested » Airlines » Easyjet »

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CHECK-IN I took the Stansted Express from Liverpool Street, which is supposed to take 46 minutes but as there were some minor delays I arrived at 1100, a few minutes late. My flight, EZY3361, was scheduled for 1300. I took the escalators up to departures and headed to the Easyjet check-in Zone D where desks 33 and 34 were open for Speedy Boarding passengers (this costs £21 extra per person).

Desks 35 and 36 were for bag-drops and 37-39 for check-in. There were a lot of people waiting but the line moved quickly for the bag-drop desks, and I was soon able to check-in my suitcase (I had paid the extra £28 in advance for checked baggage).

For those passengers travelling with 100ml bottles or less of liquids, four plastic bags are provided at security for a fee of £1. The security process was very efficient, though – after my boarding pass and passport were checked, my bag went through an X-ray machine on a modern automated conveyor belt with self-sorting trays. I was airside by 1120 and proceeded to grab a quick bite to eat and a magazine from WH Smith.

BOARDING The gate (19) appeared on departure screens at 1235, at which point I headed down there – taking the shuttle one stop and then going up two sets of escalators. There were already a few dozen people beginning to queue so I joined them – having decided against paying for Speedy Boarding as I never think it is worth it. Those who had paid for it stood next to me in a separate lane.

Boarding began at 1245 and, after crossing the tarmac and opting for the steps leading up to the front of the aircraft, I was on the plane by 1255. Be warned that Easyjet is very strict about each passenger have only one item of hand-luggage – even a small handbag counts as an extra piece.

WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? As I was lucky enough to have boarded a little earlier than most people, I had a good choice of seats. Exit row seats, which are in rows ten and 11, offer more legroom. Avoid middle seats B and F as you may feel claustrophobic.

THE SEAT My fold-down tray table was dirty, which wasn’t very welcoming, but other than that it was the usual satisfactory Easyjet no-frills experience – lots of orange and adverts on the headrests. The seats are configured 3-3 (A-B-C, D-E-F) on this A319, and I decided to opt for window seat 8F as it was near the front and the view out of the window was not obscured by a wing.

THE FLIGHT Take-off was ten minutes early, at 1320, and the captain came on to say he still expected us to land 15 minutes ahead of schedule at 1700. A refreshment service started at 1400. There was a choice of Starbucks coffee for £2.70, sandwiches for £4, 330ml cans of Stella, 150ml mixers for £1.50 and 50ml spirits for £4. The crew were friendly but there was a bit of disturbance throughout the flight from crying babies.

ARRIVAL The plane began its descent at 1530 and landed 20 minutes ahead of time at 1555 (1655 local time). We were disembarked quickly down some steps at the front of the aircraft, from where a bus took us to the terminal. There was a ten-minute wait on arrival, with half the passengers waiting outside the building, as the immigration area was so crowded. Staff barely looked at passports when we were finally let through. My suitcase was waiting for me in reclaim.

VERDICT The flight departed and landed early, which was a rare treat. The crew onboard were on good form and I was pleased to have managed to get a good window seat. Apart from the delay at immigration, I had no complaints.

FACT FILE:

SEAT CONFIGURATION 3-3

SEAT PITCH 29in/74cm

SEAT WIDTH 17.5in/44.5cm

SEAT RECLINE 4in/10cm

PRICE Internet rates for a return economy class flight in January started from £53.

CONTACT easyjet.com

Jenny Southan

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