Easyjet A320 Economy class

Published: 16/06/2010 - Filed under: Tried & Tested » Airlines » Tried & Tested » Tried & Tested » Airlines » Easyjet »

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BACKGROUND Easyjet flies from Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) once daily. My flight, EZY5428, leaves DBV at 2020 and arrives at 2210 local time. The official flight time is two hours and 25 minutes. EZY5428 is a brand new Airbus A320-214 (registered G-EZTX in April this year). DBV is approximately 25 minutes by car from the city centre, and I had speedy boarding.

CHECK-IN I was able to use Easyjet's online check-in facility for the outbound LGW-DBV flight. Unfortunately this facility was not available on the return leg, from DBV to LGW, so I had to ensure I arrived a little earlier to check in the old-fashioned way. When I got to the airport however, just before 1900, the check-in zone was all but deserted which was fortunate as there was no dedicated speedy boarding desk. Easyjet has desks seven to nine, but only one was manned at the time. The lady behind the desk was extremely efficient, checking me and my suitcase in quickly with the minimum of fuss. The lack of all the usual questions reflects a general relaxed approach to security at Dubrovnik.

DBV is a small but modern airport with no more than nine departure gates. As such, security was a short walk from the check-in desks and it would have been hard to get lost. There were also a few souvenir shops on the way. At security the most you’ll have to do is take off your jacket and take out your laptop, again, they were fairly relaxed about shoes and belts. For some reason they have extremely small trays.

I was airside by 1920, having walked straight into the main duty-free shopping area which was very busy. Up two flights of stairs there was a business class lounge, but that entire level was closed off, presumably because it wasn’t yet ready.

BOARDING Being an Easyjet flight I was well aware that there can be a bit of a queue kerfuffle between speedy boarding vs. regular ticket holders. As such I installed myself right by the desk of Gate 4 almost as soon as I was airside, as the waiting areas were already packed. Here I stayed and read my book, while a queue slowly formed behind me. When the gate was eventually opened at 1950, as expected, I should have been the first speedy boarder let through. This was not the case. Two families complete with kids and babies in prams chose the very last minute to surreptitiously cut me off, slipping into the space I had left between me and the desk. Still, it mattered not as there was a bus waiting to take us to the plane. The first lot to be taken to the aircraft were the speedy boarders, and my tip here would be to wait by the bus doors in order to be first off. I was first up the stairs and onto the plane, so went for a seat in the first row.

THE SEAT I chose seat 1A as I like a window seat, though looking out of the window is getting less interesting these days. The width was fine and by no means cramped, and the legroom was effectively unlimited.

The middle seat was unoccupied, and the cabin crew rather helpfully unfolded the tray table. It was almost British Airways Club Europe.

WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? In the past I’ve said 1C, but I would revise that to 1A. Being a window seat, there’s no chance of being bashed on the elbow by anyone or anything going up and down the aisle. There’s no issue with regards to getting out to the toilet, there’s no row in front so no need to disturb your neighbours. 1C is slightly better when you come to leave the plane, as you can get to your bags in the overhead locker a bit quicker. 1D, 1E and 1F aren’t nearly as good, there’s a bulkhead and galley in front of these. I wouldn’t recommend.

Otherwise, rows ten and 11 are emergency exit rows.

THE FLIGHT I have to say that the cabin crew were excellent on this flight. I’ve been on a few Easyjet flights this month and they’ve all been characterised by friendly, amiable and above all human cabin crew. While boarding, there was a mist coming from the air conditioning as the cold air mixed with the warm Croatian air coming through the open exits. The lead member of cabin crew put people’s minds to rest and managed to inject a little humour into the situation, describing it as “Easyjet’s nightclub effect”.

Anyway, we took off at 2030, a little late but nothing major. About ten minutes in the drinks and snacks service was attempted, but severe turbulence hampered efforts and it was postponed for 15 minutes, during which time even the crew strapped themselves in. When service eventually resumed, I bought what was clearly labelled as a croquet monsieur, but described by the crew as a “cheese and ham toasty”. Does this reflect on the perceived culinary knowledge of the average Easyjet passenger? Either way, and despite my indignation at having to pay £4, it was very tasty indeed. I considered buying another.

Other snacks included a range of sandwiches. And here I will point out Easyjet’s superiority over, say, British Airways. With Easyjet you can pay £4 for a choice of sandwiches. With BA, you get a small bag of crisps for free on a comparable flight, but no option to have anything else. I would gladly pay a little less and endure the absence of seat allocation, and spend the money saved on a decent warm sandwich. This is slightly unfair however given the free drinks available on BA flights.

ARRIVAL We landed at 2200 local time, ten minutes early. I was first off the plane thanks to my front row position, and I was soon walking down the airbridge to what I thought was LGW South terminal. We were directed down some stairs, and I soon found myself on the tarmac outside the plane, where a bus was waiting. So in this case it was both an airbridge and a bus. The drive to the terminal took about five minutes including a wait while an Airbus passed by.

As I’d stayed by the bus doors, I was the first off. At the luggage carousels, it was about five minutes before the belt number was called. My suitcase was not long in coming, and I was through to the arrivals hall within 20 minutes of landing.

VERDICT Great service and a surprisingly tasty toasted sandwich. As with Easyjet though, it’s all a bit of a mad scramble and you have to stay one step ahead. Fun for the frequent traveller, in an odd kind of way.

PRICE A mid-week return in July from Easyjet’s website starts at £149.

CONTACT easyjet.com

Andrew Gough