Is this as Good as Club Europe?
Mar 29, 2019, 7:51 am
#16
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,600
EasyJet / Ryanair / Jet2 are great for us northerners that can't be fussed with changing planes. Pay for EasyJet plus and you get priority boarding, extra cabin bag and free seats selection anywhere on the plane. Get near the front and you've got a drink 10-15 minutes after wheels up (sometimes sooner if the weather is good).
Mar 29, 2019, 11:33 am
#18
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,198
Is this as Good as Club Europe?
You have the same sense of humour as the O'Leary man I see. 
All my Ryanair flights have been on time and cost next to nothing. Getting to/from PIK was a bit of nuisance right enough.
All my Ryanair flights have been on time and cost next to nothing. Getting to/from PIK was a bit of nuisance right enough.
Mar 29, 2019, 12:16 pm
#19
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Bath, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 1,000
Based in the West Country there is no BA option and BRS is well served by U2 and FR. I would almost always choose FR over U2 and certainly they offer excellent value. Between the 15th December and the 23rd December I flew them BRS - MLA - NUE - BGY. The total of the 3 flights - each with priority boarding, 2 in cabin bags and pre-selected seating was just under £100.00. Every flight was on time, crew always friendly, BOB service efficient - there was absolutely nothing I could complain about. I agree with the comments above though that your expectations of an LLC are lower than a "full service" one. With a DragonPass in hand I didn't even miss out on lounge access anywhere either!
Mar 29, 2019, 12:32 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver Seigneur des Horaires des Mucci.
Posts: 2,047
Interesting observations all
(Agree I was lucky with all the stars sligned on my flight )
I have the return from Shannon on Sunday so I will see how that pans out
Mar 29, 2019, 12:56 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,220
I rather agree with the OP. FR can be just as good as BA - or, to put it another way, BA can be just as bad as FR. It's a bit of a stretch comparing it to CE (although an admirable attempt!), but it's a totally fair comparison with WT. There's no legroom on either carrier, no sustenance and no real difference for normal operations. That's why FR is eating BA's shorthaul lunch.
Mar 29, 2019, 9:01 pm
#24
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,456
We got stuck in the STN meltdown last Summer - a shortage of baggage handlers so we boarded a plane three hours after it arrived to see the previous bags being unloaded (was meant to be a normal turn around). We were the lucky ones - the following flight to OSL was cancelled and there is no way FR could rearrange that, those people were not getting to Norway.
Twitter team were busy blaming a thunderstorm the night before (I can only assume the baggage handling company had a team building golf tournament in the dark), but surprisingly compo was paid without quibble.
I’ve grown out of weekend city breaks - and swore off Ryanair at the time - but I can’t imagine connecting in Europe if there’s a direct option, so the next time I need to get from one end of an exclusive FR route to the other will be the test.
Go go in with the right expectations, for a trip that isn’t the end of the world if it falls through, and they’re fine.
Twitter team were busy blaming a thunderstorm the night before (I can only assume the baggage handling company had a team building golf tournament in the dark), but surprisingly compo was paid without quibble.
I’ve grown out of weekend city breaks - and swore off Ryanair at the time - but I can’t imagine connecting in Europe if there’s a direct option, so the next time I need to get from one end of an exclusive FR route to the other will be the test.
Go go in with the right expectations, for a trip that isn’t the end of the world if it falls through, and they’re fine.
Mar 30, 2019, 12:44 am
#25
Join Date: May 2014
Location: BRU
Programs: BA GGL, TK E (*G), ITA exec
Posts: 4,072
I think FR is great for young people with a lot of time to spare or people with no problems to self re-arrange flights if (when?) cancellations happen.
And no, I don't think their priority/plus stuff is good as CE
Mar 31, 2019, 3:29 pm
#27
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,226
Depends what you want. I use FR as they fly from BHX but I don’t agree it’s on a par with CE (though the gap is closing):-
— CE has generally decent catering served on proper china / glassware with metal cutlery.
- CE has separate check in (normally) and lounge access.
- Jackets are (usually) hung in CE (though less and less).
- More personalised service in CE in a more refined environment than ET!
As I say, I do feel it’s going downhill - recent LIS trip was probably CE at its worst with a pretty frosty CSM on the way back, crap LIS lounge, drinks and food all served together, no offer to hang jacket, and generally just general CBA service. I was left wondering why I still bother with CE - but on a ‘normal’ day it is better than this even with densification and, sorry to say it, *some* inexperienced MF crew who don’t know (or don’t care) about how premium service should be delivered.
— CE has generally decent catering served on proper china / glassware with metal cutlery.
- CE has separate check in (normally) and lounge access.
- Jackets are (usually) hung in CE (though less and less).
- More personalised service in CE in a more refined environment than ET!
As I say, I do feel it’s going downhill - recent LIS trip was probably CE at its worst with a pretty frosty CSM on the way back, crap LIS lounge, drinks and food all served together, no offer to hang jacket, and generally just general CBA service. I was left wondering why I still bother with CE - but on a ‘normal’ day it is better than this even with densification and, sorry to say it, *some* inexperienced MF crew who don’t know (or don’t care) about how premium service should be delivered.
Mar 31, 2019, 3:43 pm
#29
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth WA/ UK
Programs: BA Gold, Priority Club Gold, Accor Silver, Virgin Australia Gold
Posts: 1,748
Depends what you want. I use FR as they fly from BHX but I don’t agree it’s on a par with CE (though the gap is closing):-
— CE has generally decent catering served on proper china / glassware with metal cutlery.
- CE has separate check in (normally) and lounge access.
- Jackets are (usually) hung in CE (though less and less).
- More personalised service in CE in a more refined environment than ET!
As I say, I do feel it’s going downhill - recent LIS trip was probably CE at its worst with a pretty frosty CSM on the way back, crap LIS lounge, drinks and food all served together, no offer to hang jacket, and generally just general CBA service. I was left wondering why I still bother with CE - but on a ‘normal’ day it is better than this even with densification and, sorry to say it, *some* inexperienced MF crew who don’t know (or don’t care) about how premium service should be delivered.
— CE has generally decent catering served on proper china / glassware with metal cutlery.
- CE has separate check in (normally) and lounge access.
- Jackets are (usually) hung in CE (though less and less).
- More personalised service in CE in a more refined environment than ET!
As I say, I do feel it’s going downhill - recent LIS trip was probably CE at its worst with a pretty frosty CSM on the way back, crap LIS lounge, drinks and food all served together, no offer to hang jacket, and generally just general CBA service. I was left wondering why I still bother with CE - but on a ‘normal’ day it is better than this even with densification and, sorry to say it, *some* inexperienced MF crew who don’t know (or don’t care) about how premium service should be delivered.
