Cheap flights to Barcelona – getting the most out of EasyJet

I’ve been flying with EasyJet pretty much since they started and at one stage was flying up to Glasgow every week. Since Luton airport was 20 minutes away, rather than fly on a regular airline I always used to fly EasyJet and so learned quite fast how to get the most out of them.

However, flying to Gatwick the other day I realised that the rules have changed completely. In the old days it was easy:

• Arrive at the airport early to get priority boarding.
• If you don’t board in the first group, board from the back.

Thee days the game is different for several reasons:

• Online booking means that you may be the first at the airport but still not board early
• Easyjet used to bus/walk passengers between the terminal and the aircraft. These days you usually board from the front through one of those connecting gangways.
• You can buy priority boarding for an additional fee.

So what are the new rules to get the most out of flying EasyJet?

From my experience I’d say the following:

• Book early and check in online early, otherwise select the option for priority boarding.
• If you’re not in the first handful of passengers and can’t find a good seat, head straight to the back of the aircraft. Most people will take the first reasonable seat they can find, so squeeze past them while they are taking off coats and loading bags into the overhead lockers.

As a bonus rule (that’s kind of obvious) – take your iPod and you can watch the inflight movie of your choice.

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