EasyJet is one of the largest low-cost carriers in Europe. The airline sells flights for less than the cost of a taxi to the airport, and unlike Ryanair, it’s not terrible. This EasyJet review covers the Airbus A320 Economy class experience from Amsterdam to Geneva.
Flight Details
| Flight number | U2 1354 |
| Route | Amsterdam (AMS) to Geneva (GVA) |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A320 |
| Class of travel | Economy |
| Seat number | 24A |
| Route on-time performance | 78% (my flight was on time) |
| Star rating |  |
The route
Flight Cost
I paid a grand total of €21.38 (~$34) for this flight, booking on the easyJet website. Of course, this price did not include extras like checked baggage or seat selection, which I did not purchase on this occasion.
I was travelling with hand-luggage only; EasyJet allows you to bring on a cabin bag with maximum dimensions of 56 x 45 x 25cm and there is no prescribed weight limit. It’s worth noting that, while EasyJet does not have a frequent flyer program, frequent flyers can purchase an EasJet Plus membership for around $400 per year which includes allocated seating, priority check-in, security & boarding, an extra cabin bag and the ability to “fly ahead” on an earlier flight.
Airport Experience
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is, in my opinion, one of the best airports in Europe. Unfortunately, the EasyJet terminal is one of the only parts of this airport that isn’t brilliant. I had checked in online (which you can do up to 30 days before your flight) but the queue to clear security at EasyJet’s terminal when I arrived at 6am was almost an hour long. If I hadn’t arrived early, I could have easily missed the flight.
There are a few nice shops and restaurants immediately behind security, but the EasyJet gates are down a long hallway which is best described as a glorified shed without airbridges. It reminded me of Terminal 4 at Melbourne Airport.
The Hard Product
EasyJet has 30 rows of Economy seats on its Airbus A320 in a standard 3-3 configuration. The seats are those Recaro slimline seats that low-cost airlines seem to love, with a cloth covering.
The seat was comfortable enough for the 90-minute flight and the legroom was sufficient. The advertisements on the back of every seat looked a little tacky, but at least there are tray tables and seat pockets (unlike Ryanair).
The Soft Product
It’s very much a no-frills experience, but EasyJet somehow manage to make low-cost air travel in Europe pleasant. The multilingual crew were cheerful and the pilot even managed to make his pre-flight announcement in three languages (English, Dutch and French). After takeoff, the cabin crew offered food and drinks for sale from the easyJet bistro menu. There are three menus available on a rotating basis and on my flight “main menu 1” was offered. I tried a falafel & houmous wrap for €6 (~$9.50), which was tasty.
Later in the flight, the crew came through the aisle to sell duty free. Just like the previous several times I’ve flown with EasyJet, there was a “special discount” for duty-free available “only for this flight”.
No in-flight entertainment is offered on EasyJet, but I was perfectly happy enjoying the view out the window – especially as we got a glimpse of the Swiss Alps while descending into Geneva.
Other than that, for the price paid, it was a very pleasant short flight.
EasyJet A320 Economy Class
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Airport Experience
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Hard Product
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Soft Product
Final thoughts
Carrying around 90 million passengers per year, EasyJet is Europe’s second-largest low-cost airline after Ryanair. The airline has a large network all over Europe, low fares and a good on-time performance. And unlike flying with Ryanair, the EasyJet experience is actually pleasant.
It’s a long time since I have flown EasyJet or Ryanair so my perceptions may be out of date. But I remember EasyJet being something like Air Asia – you had to pay for extras but the staff seemed to be pleasant and, where necessary, flexible. There was a focus on ensuring that people got what they had paid for, Ryanair, on the other hand, seem to make a marketing virtue out of poor and inflexible customer service. They seem to actively try to trip passengers up so they have to pay eye-watering penalties and manage to create a kind… Read more »
Similar experience a year ago flying Amsterdam to Prague except the crew omitted to inform passengers that no baggage had been loaded causing delay and frustration at the destination. Commercial decision to leave without it no doubt. Turned up within 12 hours
I have flown Easyjet several times for short trips within Europe, This year between MAD – LIS and PXO – LGW.
Think Jetstar, with similar colours and thats what you get. Low prices and overall a good experience.
One thing to note with easyJet (and most of the European LCC’s) that I almost got caught out on – the base fare only includes a SINGLE carry-on bag. If you want to take on a “personal item” to place under the seat in front, you need to be a easyJet Plus member, purchase priority boarding, or pay for their “hands free” option where you check your carry-on sized bag at the check-in desks.