Budget Travel - Speedy boarding a rip off?

Let me begin by saying that I am very fortunate to be rich and priviliged. However, that doesn't necessarilly mean that I waste my money. I am a great fan of Easy Jet for European short haul journey's and I appreciate their 'you know what you pay for' pricing policy. That is as opposed to the practice of adding a 'wooden leg levy' to all able bodied passengers like some other airlines I cuold mention. However, I never ever book 'Speedy Boarding!' It may work quite well on the outbound UK leg but once you get to your destination forget it. The ground agents in Spain and Portugal will board a stray dog before a speedy boarder. In fact invariably they give up any semblance of order. In Barcelona last week their were no less than five notification of gate changes prior to boarding. My gripe is that if they cannot offer the service they shouldn't offer it.

Forgive me if I am going over old ground because I am new here.

Isabell Newman

Rich but not stupid

Easyjet
The very low cost carrier in Europe yet you clearly let us know that you are rich and privileged and hate wasting money. People who are rich and privileged fly first class or charter and people who are rich and privileged generally don't announce it. Bottom line if you don't want it, don't pay for it but you got what you paid for with easyjet.

Bottom line: don't fly EasyJet.

If you bought an optional service from the airline and paid the airline additional money for that specific optional service which went undelivered, then dispute the charge with the airline. If that dispute approach doesn't work, then try to dispute it via the credit card company. Escalate so on.

Welcome to Flyertalk, isabellnewman.
I am moving this over to the FT Budget Travel Forum for discussion. Please follow there.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Let me begin my reply by saying that starting a post saying that you are "Rich and Privileged" is kind of rude.

Let me begin my reply by saying that starting a post saying that you are "Rich and Privileged" is kind of rude.

That's the difference between being wealthy and being rich ;)

If I were rich, I'd splash it on avoiding those dreadful airports - such as normal terminals (read: not private jet type of terminals) at Luton, Gatwick and Stansted.

Back on the subject of speedy boarding, I agree it only tends to work well at some airports, and it's annoying. This is not a problem limited to easyJet though.

Let me begin my reply by saying that starting a post saying that you are "Rich and Privileged" is kind of rude.

......:td:

Let me begin my reply by saying that starting a post saying that you are "Rich and Privileged" is kind of rude.

when do we get the rest of your reply though? ;)

Bottom line: don't fly EasyJet.

Not just EasyJet; when we flew Ryan Air from Bergamo last year, the people who had paid for priority boarding were left waving their little pieces of paper from the back end of the mass of passengers forcing their way through the doors out to the bus.

......:td:

Honestly, these Nouveau Riche just don't know how to comport themselves. *raises monocle*

Yes, priority boarding is a rip off, at most airports. You have learned this, and so won't waste money on it again. Yes, EasyJet are not above taking advantage of their customers' ignorance and worries to make a few extra euros. Yes, EasyJet (and Ryanair and similar) are still a very good deal in many cases.

Why is everybody attacking the OP so much? The content of their post is correct. Frankly I find insisting one is "rich but not stupid" less annoying than the people who insist that they are too good to take EasyJet/Ryanair at any price, of which there is no shortage on this board.

(That said, this information is irrelevant to the topic of the forum, so the OP should probably avoid including it in future posts if they do not want the thread to descend into irrelevance like this one.)

Goodness me, ok I'm sorry for any offence caused! I just wanted to contribute.

Goodness me, ok I'm sorry for any offence caused! I just wanted to contribute.

Welcome to FT. It's not always a baptism by fire. :)

welcome to flyertalk, isabellnewman :)

Goodness me, ok I'm sorry for any offence caused! I just wanted to contribute.

Contribute away :)

Not sure why some found the your post offensive, the only offensive part to me is paying for priority boarding only to have the hoardes cut in front of you :(

Maybe I too wish to be rich and travel in style, which of course would leave out EasyJet, Ryan Air and their ilk :p

Oh, and welcome to FlyerTalk.

EmailKid

We use EasyJet from time to time based on timing and routing. We pay for all the extras which will make it a more pleasant experience, but SB only makes sense for those airports which enforce it. It's very annoying to pay and have the privilege of being "first on the bus" rather than on the plane, and I noticed that in recent confirmations it is careful to note that SB will get you "first through the gate" rather than onto the plane. The budget forum could usefully maintain a sticky with which airports really do offer a SB benefit, in which case, it really can be worth it.

The ground agents in Spain and Portugal will board a stray dog before a speedy boarder.

Thanks for the laugh ... and for calling a spade a spade (rich but not stupid).

The budget forum could usefully maintain a sticky with which airports really do offer a SB benefit, in which case, it really can be worth it.

As someone who will be soon flying EasyJet and RyanAir for the first time and has been trying to decide if SpeedyBoarding is truly worth it, I whole-heartedly agree with this suggestion!

I just flew RyanAir for the first time from Gothenberg Sweden to Dublin Ireland. Didn't pay for speedy boarding since this was only a 2hour flight. When the gate area doors were open, we had a choice of boarding from the front of the plane or the back. Not many were using the back stairs so I proceeded to head in that direction, not knowing if I would have to fight a crowd to sit in the front. Much to my surprise, there were two FA's standing at the center exit row, to make sure that the front boarders remained in the front and the back boarders were sitted in the rear and I got to sit in the exit row aisle.

Why should you have to pay for speedy boarding? If anything, they should charge people more for slow boarding as it's slow boarders who cause planes to miss their slots.

oops! wrong poster.

The ground agents in Spain and Portugal will board a stray dog before a speedy boarder. In fact invariably they give up any semblance of order.

This wasn't the case at all in Alicante a couple of weeks ago.

A lady with a wheelchair and her companion were allowed on first. Then all the 'speedy boarders' were called. A lady with MS using crutches who had not requested (or it seems been offered) assistance was sternly told to wait her turn until all those with purchased speedy boarding privileges had got on*.:td:

I've flown Easyjet, Ryanair and Clickair to Spain this year, both as an able bodied passenger and as someone who requested (and never paid for) varying levels of assistance. From ALC and MJV both EasyJet and Ryanair honoured priority boarding passes and boarding was certainly 'ordered' (Clickair has assigned seating).

Perhaps this doesn't happen at BCN, but that doesn't reflect everyone's experience of Spanish Airports.

*On EZ flights where I actually requested help my own treatment was excellent.

Why should you have to pay for speedy boarding? If anything, they should charge people more for slow boarding as it's slow boarders who cause planes to miss their slots.
For a chance at finding an overhead bin for your luggage, the opportunity to actually sit next to your travelling companions, and to sit at the front of the plane - a privilege that comes very pricey on other airlines.

Welcome to FT. It's not always a baptism by fire. :)
May I apologise for the lack of tact and irony bypasses of some contributors.

Eventually priority boarding is self-defeating. When more than about, say, 20% of passengers use it - in my experience about 50% do - then there is, ergo, no priority. The airlines know this so wait for the new product soon - SUPER PRIORITY!!:p

May I apologise for the lack of tact and irony bypasses of some contributors.

Eventually priority boarding is self-defeating. When more than about, say, 20% of passengers use it - in my experience about 50% do - then there is, ergo, no priority. The airlines know this so wait for the new product soon - SUPER PRIORITY!!:p

...and don't apologize for me. Keep your apologie's for your own personal litany of transgressions, nothing pisses me off more than the self righteous.
There was no irony in the OP's statement just a lack of tact.

Eventually priority boarding is self-defeating. When more than about, say, 20% of passengers use it - in my experience about 50% do - then there is, ergo, no priority.

I think the more people who have priority boarding the more important it is to have yourself!

When few people used priority boarding, you still had a good choice of seats, but now without it, you are getting pushed futher and further down to the back of the boarding scrum and pretty much guaranteed the choice of worst seats on the plane. :(

Let me begin my reply by saying that starting a post saying that you are "Rich and Privileged" is kind of rude.

What if one says they are Rich, Privileged and a Goth ;)

:D

...and don't apologize for me. Keep your apologie's for your own personal litany of transgressions, nothing pisses me off more than the self righteous.
There was no irony in the OP's statement just a lack of tact.

Quit hyperventilating and take some deep breaths. There are worse things happening in the world than this.


As for the OP, I've used SB at Toulouse and found it to be useful although I would rather pay a few pounds more for seat assignments. I can't see why it's so hard to implement or why Easyjet won't implement it.

Quit hyperventilating and take some deep breaths. There are worse things happening in the world than this.


As for the OP, I've used SB at Toulouse and found it to be useful although I would rather pay a few pounds more for seat assignments. I can't see why it's so hard to implement or why Easyjet won't implement it.

Boarding is faster, and turnarounds shorter, if passengers are all rushing and scrambling to get a decent seat. Though personally I am glad easyjet has not implemented it, as it means I have at least some chance of a decent seat without paying extra.

Let me begin my reply by saying that starting a post saying that you are "Rich and Privileged" is kind of rude.


No, it's a lie! Any one who starts a post like that is making things up to make themselves seem "important" Someone who is really rich keeps his/her mouth shut because they know that (A) it's none of our business and (B) it's not really the issue here! This is an insecure child trying to "play big"

But since the OP is rich, I have some great investments you can make. Just send me some excess cash and I will see you get a great return. (Based on the OPs inital post " A fool and his money are soon parted" this seems to be a reasonable expectation!):D

I paid for Speedy Boarding once. And never again! (It was included as part of the online check-in on recent flights with Ryan "no fuel surcharges ;)" Air, but they now charge for it)...

EasyJet at Inverness Airport.
The flight attendant announced "Would Passenger xxxxx, who has paid £5 for Speedy Boarding, which gets you on the aircraft first, please make his way to the departure gate...". To say I was beetroot would be an understatement.
Mixing adverts with boarding annoucements is not on easyJet, and I won't pay for that again!


Oh, and I thought the OP was being ironic with her intro.

Yeah, right. Rich, privileged, and flying Easy Jet! LOL!

And to think I've always believed myself rich and privileged precisely because I can afford to periodically spend a few days without working and fly with EasyJet.

There must be millions of people in the world who would consider most of us who can regularly fly for leisure with any company to be rich and privileged.

So what if the OP has a sense of perspective and can identify that she is in an enviable and pitifully small percentile.

I was one of Easyjet's first customers to Spain, I embraced Easyjet as I considered flying with them a much improved experience to flying with Iberia, and that's despite initially having to fly to BCN or MAD and get the train down to ALC. Apart from a recent Clickair flight (^) I've successfully boycotted Iberia for nearly 10 years. I feel immensely privileged to have had the opportunity to do so.

If wealthier people than wot I am (and in Britain there are many) want to demonstrate their rich and privileged status by flying Iberia and looking down their noses on the likes of me, they are very, very welcome to do so :D.

There must be millions of people in the world who would consider most of us who can regularly fly for leisure with any company to be rich and privileged.

I agree with the rest of your post, but this part is factually incorrect.
Billions is the word you're looking for. ;)

Let me begin my reply by saying that starting a post saying that you are "Rich and Privileged" is kind of rude.

Oh no, on the contrary, I love her candidness! I appreciate the sharing of experiences and tips, too. :cool:

Yeah, right. Rich, privileged, and flying Easy Jet! LOL!

Everyone knows those who proclaim their wealth are probably either new money, or not nearly as "rich" as they like to think they are.

That said, if I'm at my home in Wiltshire, and I want to get to - say - my apartment in Grenoble, why wouldn't I use the only direct option between the two? (BRS-GNB - although I mostly drive, so a moot point).

Granted, if I were 'super-rich' i'd be calling up Netjets. But to fly Easyjet doesn't necessarily indicate a lack of funds. It can be the only practical choice.

Back on topic. The only time I've actually flown Easyjet - Bristol to Venice - I was shocked how everyone behaved as though it was "half off at Asda" day and they'd just opened the doors. Due to this huge rush of 'humanity', I think boarding took longer than usual as those with priority boarding had to squeeze through the throngs of self-important "but I have children!" passengers.

Or has this thread just become a vehicle to bash the OP?

I have only used EasyJet from Madrid, Valencia, Luton, Gatwick, Geneva, Orly and perhaps one or two others, so there are many destinations they serve that I don´t know.

But it seems to me that Speedy Boarding works fairly well (you still have to be at the front of the scrum, and to be at the front you have to start queing a half-hour before boarding) at the airports that have a jetway or where one walks to the plane. I say fairly well, and I know we are always at the mercy of the ground personnel, but this has been my overall experience.

Where Speedy Boarding fails utterly is where you have to take a bus from the terminal to the plane (in MAD, often). Then you get to board the bus first, but that generally gets you crowded into the back where you are the last off.

A few times ground crew have tried to reserve a section of the bus for Speedy Boarders, but that only resulted in having non-Speedys push into the "reserved" area.

Conclusion: If you know your EasyJet airports, it might be worth your money to purchase Speedy Boarding. If not, just show up two hours early and get an "A" boarding card. :td:

Why dont LCC's just do "Seat Selector" at the time of booking. People get their seat that they want, the airline makes some decent $$ and everyone is happy.

Sometimes I will fly Jetstar over Virgin Blue/Qantas because I get to select my seat online at the time of booking..