Easyjet news

[cactustwirly]

Easyjet don't do wifi or sockets. Norwegian is the only economy operator I can think of that does do wifi.

I wouldn't pay for speedy boarding - you do usually get on the plane before non-speedy boarders, but half the plane has speedy boarding. I've never once struggled to get my underseat bag in the overheads without speedy boarding. I've also never seen anybody boarding late with a full-size checkin have to put it more than half a dozen rows away.

Easyjet do seem to be boarding you early into a pen or the airbridge at quite a lot of airports. It's perhaps less often than Ryanair, but still often enough to regard speedy boarding as potentially a negative perk.

Paying for seats. They seem to try to allocate middle seats to people who don't pay, but haven't got the "oh no! you've been given a middle seat" messaging down as well as Ryanair. In both cases you can pay to change, but there's also a reasonable chance that one of the seats next to your middle seat will be empty anyway. On the type of flights where people do pay, it can sometimes be quite empty up the back. I'd say that more often than not I get a better seat than I'd have been prepared to pay for anyway.

All of this comes with the caveat that I rarely bother to travel in the school holidays, and the peak time experiences could be a lot more miserable.

So I've booked a large carryon which has already given speedy boarding automatically.

I really hate the pen boarding arrangements, that's what has put me off easyJet in the past. Although Gatwick isn't so bad for this.

 

[route101]

Some of the A319s are getting on a bit and these have the old grey cloth seats. I usually get the A319s on domestic hops now.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Easyjet will launch nonstop 2x weekly Luton to Tbilisi flights from 1st April 2025 (no joke):

EasyJet will launch flights to Georgia for the first time next year, with a new route from London Luton to Tbilisi.

Seats go on sale today and the new service is the only direct connection to the Georgian capital from the UK.

The inaugural flights will take off on 1 April 2025, operating twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the summer season.

UK Country Manager Ali Gayward saod: “We are delighted announce a new route to a brand-new destination on our network today, and to be providing unique direct connectivity between the UK and Tbilisi in Georgia for the time from next summer, providing even more choice for our customers flying from London Luton.”

EasyJet launches direct flights to Tbilisi - Travel Gossip

EasyJet will launch flights to Georgia for the first time next year, with a new route from London Luton to Tbilisi. Seats go on sale today and the new

www.travelgossip.co.uk

My bolding, BA will now also serve Tbilisi from Heathrow so the section in bold is no longer true.

 

[rg177]

Quite pleased to see this. I've wanted to do Tbilisi for a while but the current flight situation is a bit of a pain and rather expensive.

Seems that I can put it on the list for 2025!

 

[route101]

Georgia is getting more popular as a destination. I was looking at flights to Georgia and it the choice was expensive Turkish via IST or Wizzair via somewhere.

 

[cactustwirly]

Just got back from my trip, easyJet feel like they have lost their way since I last used them.
Service was very similar to Ryanair, with the pre-boarding queue which makes speedy boarding useless, expensive luggage etc. It was late and there wasn't an update from the crew as to why. Cabin crew were playing hand luggage Tetris to fit them all in the overheads despite charging extra for the bigger bags.

They were a bit cheaper than BA I'll give them that and onboard the plane it was fine otherwise. I wouldn't go out of my way to use them unless they were very cheap.

BA feel like what easyJet were pre COVID, a noticeably better service than the other LCCs whilst still being affordable.

The flight on the way back was BA because they were actually cheaper than easyJet, the flight was more punctual and slicker service. The hard product is the same, ie Airbus A319/320 with the same seat pitch, but less chaotic boarding, friendlier cabin crew and flight deck crew.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Easyjet has announced an expansion with 26 new routes for 2025:

Home

mediacentre.easyjet.com

London Gatwick to Sal in Cape Verde flights will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 31st March with fares from £131.99
London Gatwick to Rimini in Italy flights will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays from 16th April with fares from £46.99*
London Luton to Almeria flights will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays from 1st June with fares from £35.99*
London Luton to Funchal flights will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays from 1st June with fares from £58.99*
Manchester to Izmir flights will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from 23rd June November with fares from £35.99.*
Manchester to Madrid will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 23rd June with fares from £35.99*
Manchester to Kalamata flights will operate twice a week on Tuedays and Saturdays from 24th June with fares from £35.99*
Manchester to Larnaca will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays from 25th June with fares from £43.99*
Manchester to Rennes operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays from 25 June with fares from £26.99*
Birmingham to Gran Canaria flights will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from 2nd May with fares from £40.99*
Birmingham to Malta flights will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 3rd June with fares from £40.99*
Edinburgh to Enfidha flights will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 3rd May with fares from £56.99*
Edinburgh to Olbia flights will operate twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays from 1st May with fares from £32.99*
Edinburgh to Marrakech flights will operate twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays from 1st May with fares from £35.99*
Liverpool to Split flights will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from 9th June with fares from £34.99*
Newcastle to Malaga flights will operate twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays from 31st March with fares from £34.99*
Glasgow to Antalya flights will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 4th June with fares from £68.99*
Glasgow to Reus flights will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from 2nd June with fares from £34.99*
Belfast to Reus flights will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 5th April with fares from £37.99*
Leeds Bradford to Malaga will operate once a week on Wednesdays 2nd April with fares from £37.99*
Leeds Bradford to Palma will operate once a week on Wednesdays 2nd April with fares from £26.99*

Further details:

easyJet has put 26 new routes on sale today for next summer including 21 from the UK
New services include easyJet’s first ever Sub-Saharan service to Cape Verde from the UK
Airline’s unrivalled European short-haul network now offers over 1000 routes to over 160 airports across 37 countries, providing customers with more choice and great value
Seats are now on sale on easyJet.com and via the mobile app with fares starting from £26.99* and thousands more package holidays are now available
easyJet has today announced the launch of 26 new routes for summer 2025 including 21 from ten UK airports with seats now on sale, including its first ever flights and package holidays to the island of Sal in Cape Verde from the UK.

Cape Verde will become the first ever Sub-Saharan destination easyJet has flown to in its history from the UK, when it takes off from London Gatwick airport next summer.

Inaugural flights to Cape Verde will take off on 31st March 2025 and operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the summer season. Located off the west coast of Africa, the tropical islands are the latest destination added to the airline’s growing network, offering another far-flung choice for UK customers planning their summer holidays.

Leading tour operator, easyJet holidays, is launching brilliant package holidays at unbeatable value to the fantastic beach destination for the first time ever. The holiday company is offering a range of hotels, including a variety of 5* Melia resorts, with options for families, adults-only, couples, and more.

All easyJet holidays packages to Cape Verde include flights, hotel, 23kg luggage and transfers, all covered by its Ultimate Flexibility, offering freedom to change a booking, a refund guarantee, and best price guarantee.

easyJet will also offer flights this summer to another brand new destination, Rimini in Italy, alongside Cape Verde and elsewhere in the south east, easyJet is growing its network at London Luton with routes to the Andalusian capital Almeria in Spain and Funchal in Madeira.

Five new routes are now on sale from Manchester to Izmir, Kalamata, Larnaca, Madrid and Rome. Meanwhile, the network at easyJet’s newest UK base at Birmingham airport continues to grow with the addition of two new services to Bordeaux, Gibraltar, Gran Canaria and Malta. The airline will also now serve Leeds Bradford airport with two new Spanish routes to Malaga and Palma.

The airline is providing customers in Scotland with more choice for the summer with new flights to North African destinations of Enfidha in Tunisia andarrakech from Edinburgh next summe for the first time, alongside flights to Olbia on the popular Italian island of Sardinia. While two new routes will take off from Glasgow to Antalya in Turkey and Reus in Spain. A route to Reus will also be served by a twice weekly service from Belfast International Airport.

The launch of these new routes means thousands more package holidays available via easyJet holidays, currently offering over 70 destinations across beach and city breaks, all at unbeatable value available right up until 31 October 2026.

Ali Gayward, easyJet UK Country Manager, said:

“We’re proud to be releasing such an incredible range of new routes and package holidays today, providing more choice for customers to visit more of the places they love across Europe and to experience some incredible new destinations. This includes a milestone route for easyJet to beautiful Cape Verde, our first ever sub-saharan service.

“Our continued growth and investment in the UK and the connectivity we offer our customers highlights the importance of the market for us, where this year we operated more flying than ever before.

“So with 21 new services now available from ten airports across the UK, our flights and holidays are available to even more new destinations next summer, providing customers with even more fantastic choice and great value.”

Some very good news, clearly aimed for those traveling to sun destinations for next summer. Lots of routes from the North, which is something I always love to see!

 

[route101]

Interesting to see Cape Verde, Is that a resort type of place?

Glasgow gains two routes but I think AYT has been served by EZY before.

 

[westcoaster]

Interesting to see Cape Verde, Is that a resort type of place?

Glasgow gains two routes but I think AYT has been served by EZY before.

Think the Cape Verde island ( Sal and Boa vista) has always been a TUi only destination. So it's good to see some competition to the islands.
Located of the coast of Senegal about 2 or so hours south of the Canary Islands.
Going for the first time in April.

 

[Bald Rick]

Think the Cape Verde island ( Sal and Boa vista) has always been a TUi only destination. So it's good to see some competition to the islands.
Located of the coast of Senegal about 2 or so hours south of the Canary Islands.
Going for the first time in April.

Indeed. Although its roughly the same distance as Halifax Nova Scotia or Kuwait, and 6hrs+ in an EZY regular seat will be a trial. Having said that, not much further than Red Sea resorts EZY already fly to, and plenty do that.

 

[Snow1964]

Indeed. Although its roughly the same distance as Halifax Nova Scotia or Kuwait, and 6hrs+ in an EZY regular seat will be a trial. Having said that, not much further than Red Sea resorts EZY already fly to, and plenty do that.

Likely to be 6 hours flying, or nearer 6.5 hours including taxiing from gates, or 7 hours with boarding time etc

Fine on long haul configuration with seat back entertainment, but rather uncomfortable on a short haul flight with non reclining slim seats, and minimal numbers of toilets.

I suppose the railway equivalent (comfort wise) would be like using a 387 on London-Inverness.

Having flown Easyjet with a full A321 (all 240 seats in use) to Canaries, and delayed by headwinds, 4.5 hours with just 3 toilets just results in permanent queues down the single aisle for toilets. It was horrible, so idea of extra 2 hours to Cape Verde doesn't appeal to me.

 

[richw]

Cape Verde is on my to do list but Lanzarote was on the limits of EasyJet being too far for that comfort level

 

[WestCoast]

Cape Verde is on my to do list but Lanzarote was on the limits of EasyJet being too far for that comfort level

Although TUI is flying 737 MAXs from the UK to Cape Verde already which are pretty similar in comfort level.

I do think the new Wizz Air Gatwick to Riyadh at 7 hours sounds worse.

 

[westcoaster]

Although TUI is flying 737 MAXs from the UK to Cape Verde already which are pretty similar in comfort level.

I do think the new Wizz Air Gatwick to Riyadh at 7 hours sounds worse.

Ours in April is showing a 737-800 not a Max. They also send the 787 regularly but couldn't find one around that time.

Also I had missed easyJet already fly to Sal (when did that start) from Portugal.

 

[richw]

Although TUI is flying 737 MAXs from the UK to Cape Verde already which are pretty similar in comfort level.

I find the tui max8 a league above the easyJet 320Neo for comfort having flown both recently.

 

[Cross City]

I find it odd the fixation people have with flights over 5-6ish hours having to be a widebody. You'll be sitting in the same size seat, with the same legroom no matter what aircraft you fly on.

In fact, there are less undesirable seats on a narrowbody than on a wide, far less chance of getting stuck in a middle seat, and I'd argue a full economy cabin on a 777 (for example) is far worse than anything you'd get on a small Airbus.

The worst ever flight I''ve been on was an American 777-300 beck from JFK, jam packed and utterly miserable from start to finish. Closely followed by a BA 747 to LAX a year or so pre-Covid, again, utterly miserable.

If the price was the same, given the choice of a 777 and A321 across to the US East Coast I'll be choosing the Airbus.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Not fixated on wide body here but if budget airlines are going to start flying routes of this duration then the onboard service will probably need upgrade to match. And I'm going to crash out of this debate as fast as I crashed into it as the idea of being on a plane for more than 3 hours positively revolts me as I just get bored so I'm very very very unlikely to ever do it

 

[gabrielhj07]

The thing to do on the 777 is to go right to the back of the World Traveller cabin; where the fuselage narrows the rows become 2-4-2 and you can find significantly more shoulder/leg room.

 

[Tetchytyke]

You'll be sitting in the same size seat, with the same legroom no matter what aircraft you fly on.

Seat width, yes; a BA 777 has a width of 17.3” which is about the same as EasyJet. The A350 and A380 are 18” though.

Legroom, no. EasyJet’s A321neo has a seat pitch of 28”, whereas BA long-haul seat pitch is 31” (BA’s A321neo seat pitch is 30”).

EasyJet’s A321neo has two extra rows of seats compared to what BA have put into their A321neo.

Toilets are also an issue. The EasyJet A321neo only has 4 of them for 235 people.

I’d not fancy that for 6 hours, I have to say.

 

[Cloud Strife]

I’d not fancy that for 6 hours, I have to say.

It's hard on the flight attendants too, as there's almost no space in the galley for them to rest. While the A321neo is a great plane for longer missions, the Space-Flex concept is just murderous on longer flights. AIrbus intended it to be used on short hops where the flight attendants would be working for most of the flight, but that's not going to happen on a 6 hour flight.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Think the Cape Verde island ( Sal and Boa vista) has always been a TUi only destination. So it's good to see some competition to the islands.
Located of the coast of Senegal about 2 or so hours south of the Canary Islands.
Going for the first time in April.

I dare say Sal is more of a tourist destination than when I passed through in 1982.
That was on a South African Airways 747, in the days when they couldn't fly over mainland Africa.
After flying via Namibia and up the Atlantic, they stopped to refuel before continuing to London or New York.
It was dead of night and we weren't allowed off the plane.
Same procedure at Mauritius, on their Sydney-Perth-Mauritius-Johannesburg flights.
Two of the most boring flights I can remember.
I think SA funded the facilities for big jets at Sal airport for their transit flights.

 

[richw]

I find it odd the fixation people have with flights over 5-6ish hours having to be a widebody. You'll be sitting in the same size seat, with the same legroom no matter what aircraft you fly on.

Most uncomfortable plane I’ve flown on was a TUI 767.

 

[John R]

Iberia have very launched the first A321XLR service from Madrid to Boston, so I think it’s very likely that single aisle jets will become more common on transatlantic routes to sustain flows that cannot justify a wide body.

Of interest, it’s fitted flat beds for the business seats - again another sign that single aisle is becoming more suitable for long haul, as without a decent seat for business traffic a LH route is going to struggle to be profitable.

We’re flying in an Air Canada 737 Max from Heathrow to Halifax next year. That’s fitted with the standard North American business seat, which isn’t a flat bed, but because of that it’s only marketed and priced as Premium Economy, which is fair enough. I suspect it will be a lot better than a typical PE seat, and for 6 hours will be perfectly adequate.

 

[takno]

Iberia have very launched the first A321XLR service from Madrid to Boston, so I think it’s very likely that single aisle jets will become more common on transatlantic routes to sustain flows that cannot justify a wide body.

Of interest, it’s fitted flat beds for the business seats - again another sign that single aisle is becoming more suitable for long haul, as without a decent seat for business traffic a LH route is going to struggle to be profitable.

We’re flying in an Air Canada 737 Max from Heathrow to Halifax next year. That’s fitted with the standard North American business seat, which isn’t a flat bed, but because of that it’s only marketed and priced as Premium Economy, which is fair enough. I suspect it will be a lot better than a typical PE seat, and for 6 hours will be perfectly adequate.

United have been flying single aisle jets with fully flats in Business Class from the UK to US since it was still Continental. There's nothing new about it at all.

 

[gabrielhj07]

United have been flying single aisle jets with fully flats in Business Class from the UK to US since it was still Continental. There's nothing new about it at all.

In the context of rear galley space, United's 757s are considerably more suitable to long flights than the XLR. The 757 galley occupies the full width of the aeroplane, compared to the slightly-less-than-half on Iberia's XLR.

 

[Cloud Strife]

In the context of rear galley space, United's 757s are considerably more suitable to long flights than the XLR. The 757 galley occupies the full width of the aeroplane, compared to the slightly-less-than-half on Iberia's XLR.

Apparently one major issue with the A321XLR is that if the cabin crew are taking a break, then only one of the toilets can be used in the rear. That's a pretty major drawback, and while it's not an issue for an LCC, you'd expect Iberia and other full service carriers to have a full width galley instead.

 

[Cross City]

2 new routes and 2 more based aircraft for BHX next summer. Malta and Gran Canaria are the new destinations.

I'm glad they seem happy at Brum, it took them long enough to start flying here so didn't want them to flop!

 

[Blindtraveler]

We can thank the collapse of flyby and to a certain extent. The pandemic for EasyJet finally getting comfortable in Birmingham, they did plenty business on their route to Scotland from there as we were coming out of lockdown especially when the railway was still operating. Rather rubbish level of service. Whilst I haven't personally used the root I would do so if it worked

 

[takno]

We can thank the collapse of flyby and to a certain extent. The pandemic for EasyJet finally getting comfortable in Birmingham, they did plenty business on their route to Scotland from there as we were coming out of lockdown especially when the railway was still operating. Rather rubbish level of service. Whilst I haven't personally used the root I would do so if it worked

I did that once with Flybe. It was 2 hours late, and Birmingham Airport was grim.

I can see it being worthwhile for people who aren't connecting with public transport or have good links the the airports in Scotland, but it's up against a reasonably regular, not outrageously-priced and fairly quick service on the train. It's also a relatively tolerable drive

Might work, but I can't see it doing as well as Bristol does.

 

[route101]

The easyjet service from GLA/EDI to BHX is useful but they have never expanded the offering or keep changing the times of flights.