What do you look for in an Airline – safety, cheap fares, reliability, comfort?

Some experiences, like our Reviews of Scoot Airlines long-haul flights, delivered all that, plus a lot more.

UK-based, Easyjet, has also long been a favourite of ours for flights around Europe – but we decided to put it to the test again to see if anything had changed.

To start, we checked to see how the cost of easyJet tickets compared to other airlines on our planned leg from London, UK, to Athens in Greece. For the day in question and our preferred time, easyJet was the cheapest we could find.

That decided, we went to the easyJet website and booked two tickets on the flight of our choice from London’s Gatwick Airport. The site was easy to use (no pun intended) and the process was straight-forward – we chose two tickets; provided our information; bought two seats and booked-in our single bag of luggage.

Q: Did easyJet communicate after tickets were booked?

A: Yes, right up until the morning of our flight. We also kept an eye on the airline’s online flight tracker which regularly updates information.

About three weeks after booking, we renewed a Passport, which meant that we had to slightly change information on one of our tickets. Some airlines charge a fee for making changes, but easyJet did it free of charge and re-issued the ticket.

Q: How was check-in?

A: Smooth. After catching a bus from London Victoria, we went straight to the north terminal at Gatwick Airport, where easyJet has an enormous bag drop area, with both self-service and staf desks. Doing the bag drop was easy and fast.

Q: How was the airport experience?

A: Gatwick is a fairly big airport, but the arrival/departure boards were easy to follow. Then it was on to security and into the departure area.

There can be a lengthy walk to the gates along that terminal at Gatwick, but there are signs along the way that indicate how long it will take to reach each gate.

Like many airlines, easyJet allows each person only a single item of cabin-luggage, so we’d left room in a carry-on bag for Sue’s handbag.

Q: Were there any problems boarding?

A: No. However, these days, so many people are travelling with carry-on luggage only that, regardless of the airline, it can be difficult to find room in overhead lockers near your seat.

The trick, therefore, is to be among the first on the plane when boarding. So, we waited close to the gate and made sure we moved quickly down the jetway to the plane. Our flight was on time; we quickly found our seats; and claimed space in the overhead locker above us – ready for the three-and-a-half hour flight to Athens.

Q: How was the aircraft?

A: Our plane was an Airbus A320 and was spotlessly clean and tidy. easyjet, we believe has only a single class, which was comfortable enough.

Q: Were the seats comfortable?

A: Seating was the usual Economy-type and, overall, the flight was reasonably comfortable and relaxing.

Q: How was the cabin crew?

A: Efficient, professional and polite.

Q: Did you land at Athens on time?

A: We arrived at Eleftherios Venizelos airport exactly on time. Both the take-off and landing were smooth – and there were no problems leaving the plane or collecting our luggage.

Age-friendly rating

8/10: From our experience, easyJet is more than just a huge no-frills carrier well known for offering particularly cheap tickets on European flights. We were also impressed with its communication, customer service, efficiency and reliability.