easyJet reviews don’t get more nerdy than this (AMS-LGW)

easyJet reviews don’t get more nerdy than this (AMS-LGW)

Before booking this flight, chances are pretty good that I would’ve been scouring the Internet in fear looking for easyJet reviews if I wasn’t a travel blogger with an itch to try this airline for the first time. There are a lot of them out there, and I’ll bet there are some doozies filled with profanity and hate-filled vows to avoid them for all of eternity.

I think we can all agree that these kinds of low cost carriers don’t exactly offer the most comfortable and stylish way to travel between two city pairs. And we’ve all heard our fair share of horrific experiences from others as they explain all the things that went wrong with their $14 flight.

But you know what? This isn’t going to be one of those kinds of easyJet reviews. I actually enjoyed this flight from Amsterdam to London quite a bit, and it was nice to finally experience a low cost carrier that didn’t have me cussing under my breath as I waved goodbye to the flight attendants standing at the boarding door (who were likely cursing at me under their own breath)…

U28868
Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) – London, England (LGW)
Friday, March 15, 2019
Aircraft: A320-214
Registration: OE-IJK
Duration: 44 minutes
Seat: 21F (main cabin)

easyJet A320 side view
easyJet A320 side view illustration by Norebbo.com (my other online brand). And yes, I would have been especially disappointed if this wasn’t one of the easiest aircraft illustrations I’ve ever done.
AMS-LGW route map
Our route from AMS to LGW this morning.

There are a ton of really good (and very detailed) easyJet reviews on YouTube already, and because of that, I was seriously considering not even creating a video for this flight at all. But it occurred to me that out of all the kinds of video reviews I make (economy class, business class, first class), it’s actually the low cost carriers I have the most fun with.

At just 7 minutes and 45 seconds in length, this is a short and concise summary of this 44 minute flight. And while there isn’t even one word of frustration-induced profanity in it, I do hope it’ll be a nice addition to all of the other really great easyJet reviews out there in YouTube land already. 

Who knew that writing easyJet reviews was so dang fun?

My first ever easyJet experience begins at 5am as I stumble out of the Amsterdam Schiphol Sheraton and down into the main terminal. Other than a few early birds like me (and a handful of others stretched out and sleeping on rows of chairs in the darkness), the place was largely unoccupied. There were no lines. Nobody bumping into me as I stood below the flight information boards searching for my flight. And certainly nobody to inform me that “sorry sir, filming is not allowed inside the terminal.”

AMS airport terminal exterior
The last time I was in Amsterdam it was so cold I nearly caught hypothermia, so being able to stand outside and get pics of the terminal without losing all feeling in my extremities was…nice.

Most easyJet reviews probably start out with a few sentences which set the tone of frustration and confusion (just as I was expecting to do with this one), but…walking into a nearly empty AMS this particular morning was quite pleasant actually.

AMS airport inside
The good news: it’s super early and I’ve nearly got the place to myself! The bad news: it’s super early and NOTHING is open. How much you wanna bet that guy is desperately looking for coffee? I would be too if I drank the stuff.
Apple Watch easyJet app
I spent $400 on this watch only for it to tell me things I already know. Although I do have to admit that I’m not exactly sure how I won an award at 4:31am. Maybe for getting up so dang early?

FYI, if you’re not checking any bags, you can’t check in at the airport. Boarding passes must be obtained online at easyJet.com or via the easyJet app (which is pretty good by the way), so at least I didn’t have to take the time to find a kiosk to get my boarding pass.

For what it’s worth, even though they say you MUST check in online, I’m pretty sure there’s a way to do it at the airport if you bat your eyes all cute-like and give them one hell of a sad excuse as to why you showed up to the airport unprepared. They’ll probably charge you a $25 “convenience” fee, but…I’m sure it’s possible.

SANspotter selfie AMS
A dramatic self portrait of a frequent flyer confidently walking through the airport to his next flight. The reality is that I was lost af and was starting to think I was in the wrong terminal altogether…

Thanks to being fully prepared, this easyJet experience was turning out to be just as easy as they said it was going to be. I mean, when you paint “EASY” in big orange letters on the side of all your planes, it better be. I also have to give credit to AMS for being so ridiculously easy to navigate. If there’s one thing I learned even before stepping on the plane, it’s that long layovers are unnecessary in Amsterdam.  

The easyJet boarding process is…weird

Maybe it would have behooved me to read a few easyJet reviews before arriving at the airport this morning, because the boarding process was unexpectedly different than anything I’ve ever experienced before. Things might have gone a bit smoother if I knew what to expect ahead of time!

The first thing that seemed odd to me was the fact that there were a lot (ok, 5 or 6) easyJet planes parked at the gates looking ready to to fly (very soon-ish). However, no gate assignments had been listed on the boards, so the only thing everyone could do was just wander around aimlessly – while checking the boards every 2 minutes or so hoping to see an update…

EasyJet a320 Amsterdam Airport
Hmmm. I think that’s my plane. But…why aren’t they listing it on the flight information boards? I was half tempted to give Moments In The Sky a ring because he’s flown easyJet a ton and surely he’d know what to do. He might have been angry at me for waking him up at 6am, but he’d surely know what to do!

The other thing I could have learned about reading other easyJet reviews ahead of time was that there are no seats in the gate area. So that means that as soon as they announce the gate for your flight, you need to be committed to stand if you choose to enter the gate right after they call it.

AMS gates
Standing in line to board the flight. Because chairs wouldn’t be easy.
Amsterdam to London review
Standing there next to the open door while we waited was giving me flashbacks to my near-Hypothermia incident the last time I was here. Amsterdam wants me dead, I’m sure of it.

I stood in line for about 25 minutes before they let us out to the plane. Although slightly cold, I was perfectly content since I was standing right next to the door with an awesome view of our ride to London Gatwick this morning.

An entire section dedicated to getting on the airplane

One of the really nice things about these easyJet gates here in Amsterdam is that there are no jet bridges. Additionally, if you’ve got a seat in the rear half of the aircraft like I did this morning, you have the privilege of boarding via the rear stairs.

Boarding flight Amsterdam
See? I’m not the only one concerned about dying of Hypothermia in Amsterdam. Oh, and easyJet A320!
Boarding rear stairs easyJet
Scary to think that it would take just one trigger-happy pilot to fire up the engines, and this magical rear-stairs boarding experience would be ruined in an instant. It’d be funny, but tragic.
EasyJet air stairs
Remember to keep your distance from the person in front of you as you walk up the stairs! You’ll end up with an unfamiliar butt right in your face if you’re not careful – which is an awkward way to start the day whether you’re flying easyJet or not.
a320 boarding door
Hypothermia averted, but I gotta remember to keep my distance while ascending the stairs next time…

It’s not very often I get to board a plane via the rear stairs. To the best of my recollection, I’ve only done it twice. Once was on an Island Air ATR-72 from KOA to HNL, and the other was getting off an Alaska Airlines 737-800 at KOA after a 5 hour flight from SAN. Come to think of it, those two flights were part of the same trip (they were back to back flights actually). I guess the moral of the story is to fly in and out of Kona if you want to do it too.

But this is an easyJet review, and I’m getting off track. I will say that getting the opportunity to walk out to the plane under the wing greatly enhanced this experience – though I’m not sure other passengers would agree with me considering how rainy and windy it was out there on the tarmac. I did see some grumpy looking faces!

One word to describe the easyJet A320 interior: wow!

If you found this article in your own desperate quest for detailed easyJet reviews, I’ve got really good news for you. The interiors of these easyJet planes are shockingly nice! Orange and gray was a color combination I was not expecting – and it wouldn’t have surprised me at all to see crinkled old blue vinyl and yellow-stained white plastic on the walls (much how you saw in my Allegiant Air review).

EasyJet a320 interior
Ok, so, this is a horribly unflattering pic to lead off with right under a title with the word “wow” in it. I know. So let’s just skip to the next one…
EasyJet seats
There we go. Here’s a better shot of this easyJet A320 interior! Is it weird that I really like the orange? Well, considering that I confidently wear bright red shoes in public, it shouldn’t be of any surprise.
EasyJet a320 seats
Back home in the US, the sentence “this ultra low cost carrier…” would never end with “…looks cool as hell on the inside.” Well done easyJet!

Seat pitch (leg room) wasn’t amazing or anything, but I’ve felt more uncomfortable in both Air France A321 economy and United Airlines A320 economy. It was easy enough to wiggle around a bit in an effort to get comfortable – though the space under the seat in front of me was tight and I was saying “sorry” with each swift kick to my backpack as I tried to wedge it in there.

SANspotter selfie a320
SANspotter body double sighting at 7 o’clock.
EasyJet a320 safety card
If there had been chairs in the gate area, there wouldn’t have been enough money to print safety cards. How ‘bout compromising with 20 chairs and one safety card per row? Or maybe eliminating both and reducing the cost of my ticket from $14 to $9? Heck, I’d be willing to give up a wing for the opportunity to buy a $5 ticket!
EasyJet review a320
“I’m tellin’ ya Sven, if Bay Area Traveler were to review easyJet, he’d love it! Not SANspotter though…he hates everything. Screw that guy.”
SANspotter selfie airplane
Be careful what you say in public, because I heard all of that! Nobody likes SANspotter it seems…
Raining in Amsterdam
Typical for late winter in Northern Europe I guess.

I keep mentioning that it may have behooved me to read other easyJet reviews before this flight (to better manage expectations), but in this particular instance, I’m glad I didn’t. Seeing how nice these interiors are for the very first time was surprising – and encouraging. Had I been thinking about easyJet all wrong in the past? I think so. So far, this was turning out to be a really great experience!

It’s true – nobody has ever complained about dying of starvation in an easyJet review

The entire departure sequence out of Amsterdam was a gloomy mess this morning. High winds and driving rain prevented any decent scenery from appearing in front of my window, and the only thing I have to show you is gloom:

EasyJet takeoff Amsterdam
If it weren’t for the easyJet orange, I’d have to say that it very could have been the gloomiest picture I’ve ever posted to this blog. Looking forward to seeing some sun in a few seconds!
a320 wing and winglet
My nose pressed firmly to the window, desperate to absorb some natural vitamin D. However, Mother Nature was being stubborn this morning and there was no sun to be seen.

Scheduled flying time over to London Gatwick was a very short 44 minutes, and I wasn’t expecting any sort of cabin service at all on this flight. Still, it was fun to have a look at the menu to see what kinds of food and drink they offer.

easyJet food menu
Well, color me impressed! Getting completely drunk while irresponsibly consuming three days worth of fat and sodium in one sitting is indeed possible here on easyJet. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see such an extensive menu.
easyJet tray table
If you plan on ordering lots of food here on easyJet, it’s important to note that this is the amount space you’re going to have to put it all. Flirting heavily with the guy or gal next to you will be required if you need extra tray table space…
wing view
This is the kind of view you’ll have as your body desperately struggles to process all that fat and sodium with an inebriated brain.

Maybe it was because they knew I was onboard trying to get content for my own nitpicky easyJet review, but I was shocked to see the flight attendants do a full cabin service (carts and all) with plenty of time to spare.

Back home in the US, we’d be lucky to be served…nothing but the reminder to feel thankful that we have the means to fly at all. “Ya want water? We’ll be landing in 45 minutes and there are a lot of drinking fountains at the airport!”

Final thoughts: I can’t wait to write more easyJet reviews

Sometimes in life we have to cast our prejudices and pre-conceived notions asiside and approach things with an open mind. As we made the descent into LGW, all I could really think about was how ignorantly uninformed I was about this low cost airline. Seriously – before this flight, I was under the assumption that the “easy” in easyJet meant “easy to make fun of”, but…I was wrong.

Landing in London Gatwick
On approach into Gatwick, feeling slightly deprived of vitamin D. We never even climbed above the clouds!
London Gatwick final approach
British Airways, Norwegian Air (UK), and overcast skies. Yup…this is Gatwick.
Gatwick Airport
lol at all those people standing in the cold rain waiting to board that easyJet flight. Been there, done that.

This is an airline that lives up to its name, and I found every part of this experience to be incredibly easy and (for the most part) logical. EayJet has simplified the entire process of air travel, from the booking process to the in-flight experience, and all I can think is that we desperately need an airline like this in the US. Yeah, we have Spirit – but they don’t feel like the well-oiled machine that easyJet is.

EasyJet interior
Trying to think of a good caption for walking off this airplane, but all I can think is how impressively camouflage the person ahead of me is.
Gatwick Airport gate
One last look at OE-IJK from inside the terminal as I make my way to check in for the next flight. I wonder how many people snickered at me for stopping to take a pic of a lowly easyJet plane?

Finally, now that I’ve returned home with a better feeling about this airline, it has inspired me to wander out into the Internet to check out some other recent easyJet reviews. Not surprisingly, a vast majority of them are positive and I didn’t read a lick of profanity in any.

Who would have thought that an ultra low cost carrier advertising ultra-low fares would be so well regarded by the traveling public? Spirit and Allegiant, take notice!

Comments (10)

  1. James B.

    May 8, 2019
    • SANspotter

      May 8, 2019
      • James B.

        May 8, 2019
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          May 8, 2019
  2. Albert

    June 17, 2019
    • SANspotter

      June 18, 2019
  3. RK Aviation

    October 23, 2022
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      October 24, 2022
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    February 19, 2024
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      February 19, 2024

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