Easyjet same plane return
 

Good evening.

Is it possiable to do a same plane return journey with Easyjet by booking two singles and having the mobile boarding card if one is sure its the same plane returning, at a small airport with 1 flight a day, for example? I am aware this can be done with BA for example but do EasyJet insist on scanning boarding cards at the gate "on time"- so if inbound aircraft is late, passengers are still expected to be at the gate at the scheduled time?

One can never know for certain if a particular aircraft will be used for both A>B and B>A, even at a small airport with one scheduled flight. Does the airline have an extra aircraft on-the-ground (perhaps from a previously cancelled flight or other IRROPS)? Does the airline do MX at the destination station, either themselves or through a contractor? If so, then the airline may swap aircraft at that station every day. Even when the same aircraft is planned for A>B>A it is always possible that B>A will cancel.

Good points, thanks. However, in theory, if the plane does return again, is it theoretically possible to do this, or is there procedures in place at the airport that could stop that, ie not at the gate on time, or will scanning of boarding cards only happen when the aircraft is ready?

I'd say the procedures and configuration of the airport in question will be crucial.

Where do you want to do it? (And where would you be flying there from).


(Also, make sure you check for rotation patterns, even if only one flight each way A-B-A. Not that fequent but some airlines operate A-B-C and C-B-A with different aircraft.)

It begs the question - why would you want to fly somewhere with Easyjet if it is your intention to come back on the same plane on an immediately-departing flight?

Given that you are apparently not especially concerned with which airport the question relates to, it seems unlikely that you want to see someone there, even briefly, to hand something over, for example.

Does Easyjet now have a frequent flyer programme, or something? :D

Some people like to fly. Art for art's sake. Flying for flying's sake.

I flown to drop something off, collect or sign something quite a few times.

Credit with the airline to use up?

On an Easyjet turnaround? That would be rather risky.

If you enjoy spending time on board Easyjet then I'd question your sanity! Flying for flying's sake in business I could understand, on a budget airline...

Not necessarily.

While I've not done it on easyJet, as I don't usually fly easyJet, at some airports it would be safe (walk up the air bridge, meet someone at the gate, back on again) - if you know it has to be the same plane return, and in the absense of any other safer option.

I suppose IOM or JER would be the quick in order to disembark, go land side and return airside

That's what I was thinking! U2 are fine but I'm surprised at the motivation to fly, for flying's sake, when it's only on U2.

So have I. But, in my query, I highlighted that this did not seem to be the OP's motivation - (s)he does not seem to care which airport the flight goes to, so it does not seem that there is a meeting/handover/signature at a specific location for which (s)he wishes to travel.

I acknowledged that with my second comment in the post, where I floated the only remaining idea I had - service credit to use up (or a free flight voucher, etc)

OK - but even there, I'd at least have lunch in the place I flew to, or make a day of it, or do some sightseeing...or tie it in to some journey I was going to have to make anyway....not just look for immediate-turnaround destinations!

[sounds like something only an extremely "tight" person would do!]

You could probably do this at AMS. Incoming passengers mix with outgoing passengers in the corridor from the gate towards the terminal building at the moment. This may change soon but as of now that is how it is. No need to re-clear security as long as they are both H gate flights (or both M gate flights, I suppose), so don't try to do this with a return flight that enters or leaves the Schengen Area.

So get off the incoming flight, go up the stairs, look for the gate of your next flight, and join the queue to board.

Obviously don't check any bags and check in online first!

Ensure you are not booked to come back on the last flight of the day and then if you can't board, go immediately out of the landside (ensure you have a passport/visa combination that can enter the Schengen Area) to the Easyjet ticket desk in Departures 3. Tell them you got to the airport too late and ask them to help, they will very likely charge you GBP60 or equivalent to put you on the next flight as part of Easy's goodwill policy to people who just miss flights.

Please tell us all how funny a look you get from the crew when you get back on (if they recognise you).

At AMS, Easyjet passengers are not told to go to the gate until there is a good chance the aircraft will arrive and they know when it is. So when it is inbound and they know the expected landing time. This is because there is little space and almost no facilities beyond the security check for the H gates pier that Easyjet usually leave from. Further, the ground staff will not check boarding passes and mark passengers as loaded and hold them in the gate holding pen, until the flight is very close, because there are no toilets and only a water vending machine in the holding pen.

My (fairly extensive...) experience of delays to Easy at AMS is that you end up sitting in the main departure lounge watching screens until the delayed flight arrives, then rush the security checkpoint and gate.

There is no conformance at AMS. If you are hand baggage only and you check in online then the first time anyone records your boarding pass is as you are marked as loaded onto the aircraft at the gate.

AMS is fast. The record in my company is 6 minutes to get from the taxi door on the road outside to the aircraft door (HBO, Privium, and a lot of running).

If you really do have free flights to use up, why not day trip it somewhere with 2-3 services per day, instead of a back to back,

Problem doing that at AMS is the planes don't tend to fly back to the same destination.

For example, the midweek afternoon route of one EDI based plane is:
EDI to STN (1720)
STN to AMS (1905)
AMS to EDI (2140)

Its worth noting, there is a plane doing the exact same trip in reverse. And there is a flight from AMS to STN at 2140 too (plane thats arrived from Edinburgh).

So you could fly out STN to AMS, get off, go to end of pier, find gate for new plane, and go and board.

Risk is plan getting on a stand at AMS, there's often a hold up on those stands for some reason. So you might be late and miss return.